Show America Amer in the Philippines XIV THE FIRST FILIPINO ASSEMBLY By Frederic J Haskin Manila The first ft session In of ot the first Philippines national assembly was wa opened by Mr K Taft on Oct O U 16 1 MOT lW 1 The Th see sec second s end ond od session slon of that body by adjourned on o May 8 J 1915 u The Th establishment met of the th as aB assembly assembly was wu the most mot interesting and an the th boldest political pUt experiment m made de by the United States in the effort to educate the Filipinos in the te task t of ment There are a those th who say y now nw that tat the te experiment ex has ha proved a failure that the assembly has hs not no Justified its It exist existence existence ence enc and ad that tt it should be b abolished at once once But an examination of the te record of ot the t assembly a and ad of the th character of complaints made against It by b adverse mae critics does do not warrant such wholesale condemnation The Te promise of th the assembly was made by b congress in response to political pres pressure pre pressure sure u at home bom It I was W a party necessity and it I did its lt work of aiding the party I to stay sty in power powe at Washington When the time came to t put the te act of congress into force wise l men me shook shok their heads hed In doubt doubt but bt there could be no n turning back bk Th The T census cenus was ws taken the t prey provinces inces Ics divided into districts the t election held hed and eighty eit Filipinos were we returned to compose the first frt assembly The as assembly assembly corresponds to t the th lower house hou of a state ste legislature white while the functions of or the t upper house hou are discharged dl harg by bythe bythe bythe the Philippines upp commission which is also all the th executive branch of the government The T assembly ambly has the full fun powers of ot ofa ofa a coordinate branch of ot the legislature and no positive action acton may be b taken with without wt without out its is consent The law provides how however however ever that If It the te assembly u shall fall fail fai to top topa pass pa the appropriation bills bt the appropriations p atu of the previous pro year shan shall remain In force fo with the effect of law This provision will wUl the possibility of prevent th such a deadlock wl as a came about abut In 1 Porto PortoRico PortoRico Rico Ri The T assembly a embly at the th close clo ole of both its sessions solemnly adopted resolutions de demanding mending manding Nn the th immediate independence of ot the Philippine Islands The Th last session ln witnessed the passage page of ot a bill bl abolish abolishing lug ing in the committee comite as a legislative body by bya and substituting for it I a senate of Fill Fili Filipino a pine pino selection Naturally such resolutions found their tei graves in the pigeon holes hol of the commissioners desks desk But on ac account count of ot the th character of these enactments they tey were given n wide we publicity and brought general gneal condemnation upon the assembly from American critics ct In the islands ld One hears her in Manila Mania on every eve hand that the assembly wasted wt time tm that many bills bib tat were te introduced but few passed that tat all the w time was w wasted in talking that useless debates were prolonged until the necessary ue bills bl were wee paused passed at the close clo of ner the session with undue p haste hase and with without without without out th proper son consideration that the mem members mm bars bers b played pla party politics and a looked loke mote more mo to party advantage than tn to the wel welfare welfare fare of the country countr and so s on onNo onNo onNo No one on adverse critic offered offer any ay argument arg ment to support his hi attack on the as assembly a assembly mt that tt is II not offered offer at the close clo of ot every ewry state legislature or at th t the close co of every session B lon of congress cg by opponents op et of the party to in i power I It was w charged that pty the assembly pwe had bad h permit permitted ted cha over tat K S bills bl to be b Introduced pt and that t O only olT thirty of them had hd passed This Ti tt thi o t pl was made mad the Ue basis b of a public attack atack upon m the Filipinos by b an American who asserted up Sed 1 that tt it proved the th Filipinos un unfit fit nt at n for zor or even eve nr v ri 1 A I I I I fit nt n for zor or even eve nr v ri 1 t Filipino newspaper pu retorted retort with the te rec record r ord eM of ot the last lut American Amern congress In or which about bills biD were w introduced and 4 abut laws law 4 passed and asked aske If It the Americans were p fit ti for As far as th the immediate Immite independence resolutions are concerned they are ar pure buncombe ae The members of ot the legisla legislature legislature ture know the resolutions re amount to tur anything ko but they th y felt the th need ned of doing d something to maintain their ti po political p strength In their districts The resolution inviting the tM commission to corn com commit cm mit suicide and ad providing for a Filipino senate was wa passed with about abut as u much sa hope for fo its It p success sc as a the house ho of o rep representatives rep representatives hop at Washington has h when wilen it I passes the usual resolution providing for tor forthe forthe pas the submission of a constitutional amend amendment amen ment meet authorizing the election of senators by b the th people directly The faults fault fault of the Filipino assembly were wr many no doubt doubt but they are a faults fauts which differ neither in I quality nor quan quantity thy from fr the faults fault of other l legislative f bodies ty all alove over the te world The T ct critics of 0 bie the assembly ambly appear to expect the Fin Fili Filipinos Fl place pinos a ap people po with wit no n training whatever in and a with no background of parliamentary usage wt to produce a parliament which would have hav none of the faults so 8 com coin common C mon man in occidental states s where parlia perlia parliamentary mtr government has been b in vogue oge tot for fo centuries General Cameron Cameran Acting Governor Gel Forbes and other members of the th govern government meat ment praise the assembly highly De Despite D Despite spite mt the p fact that the assembly ambly was wa over overwhelmingly t dominated by members Ib elect elected elet elete elected ed on platforms pledging them to work e for Immediate there was wa wano no deadlocking or filibustering The Te gov gOY government eminent was enabled to have almost w important measure passed by the thea every assembly ever a and in almost every evey p Instance by a unanimous vote vot There was not a single case cae In which the party in i power in the assembly for party pat purposes pUr blocked legislation demanded by the te gov guy government boke Examine the te history of the United Unie States Eine congress cD in years ye when the house ho and senate have been dominated domin by different political parties and see s if the te Filipino record does doe not b by bv Contrast At the th last session It I is true te the more and ancl ad the 1 Ls a were WEre uW th ti wr ery last minute minute There Tere was wa an ah a effort to force fr the governor to call cl an extra session When We It was wa found that the governor was wu firm firmin fr in his hi declination to prolong the te life lie of the legislature the bills bil were passed pd There Tre was v a disagreement dl between the as assembly a and the th commis concerning th th the bankrupt act at som sorn thing long lon de demanded mended mande by the te business hene interests Iter of the islands tand A Joint committee met to dis discuss discuss cuss CU it It The Filipinos from f the assembly declared delare that tat they the were not opposed opps to tot the t act but that they would Insist IIi upon some amendments amendment The Te commission conlon corn com committee cm mit was wa soon sn convinced that tbt the amendments would woul improve the act and an accepted was wu passed them te and the te next net day dy the bill bi According Acorin p to Acting Governor Gvero Forbes Fob the assembly at all times ties showed a dispo disposition to aid the government in every ever possible poble way in the administration of af affairs affair affairs am aon fairs fair Yet throughout all al the session lion it I Insisted the shibboleth upon reiterating of independence As A a matter of fact fat the immediate Immite independence talk is not taken seriously by the assemblymen who engage In it It A resolution demanding im immediate Immediate immediate mediate release relea from the t rule ruie of the United States State probably will wl be b an annual anual feature of the assembly ambly proceedings It ItIs I ItIs Is the safety valve through which the extra steam stem will wl escape The passage of the resolution will wil be b deemed dee each ech year yeara a blow Wow for freedom and ad therefore it I will wl be b unnecessary to strike other blows blows The Te assembly ambly itself is intensely Inter Interesting interesting esting It I Is IB made up of eighty members representing those thos parts of the islands in inhabited habited habie by civilized Christian people The Mohammedan Mores Moroe oro and the wild wid non Christian tribes trib are not within the te province inca ince Inc of the assembly In any fashion The assembly is divided Into Int two important political groups and Pro Po There Tere are arc only II 1 members of the conservative party pty which IB is favorable to the continued American occupation and hopes hop for independence only as a an ultimate and faraway goal The having so s Urge large lm a ma majority JerRy Jort are ae divided into smaller ale groups and an some mo members acting with wh the party pary prefer to style themselves Independents Party organizations are ar very fluid and the next election eleton may see se everything en entirely entirely changed even the names nam of the parties paries But the Independence cry will wil again agi be b potent at the polls and the party espousing the cause cUI probably probably probably ably will vI have the majority of the next assembly The speaker of the present as assembly assembly is the Hon Sergio Oena a man only JO 3 years yean old but a born bo leader leer He ordained rules based be on those thO of the house of representatives at Washington but bt the actual working of the assembly ambly is ia con ducted quite quie differently from that ta of the American model moel The Te assembly as a a committee comit of the whole goes gos into a secret st session at the beginning of each days days sitting a In that tat t secret session it is II decided what will wl be b done that day what measures meuI will wl be b considered consider and what votes taken who will wIiL wl sak sJ k on the floor foor what he shall say y and how long Jg he shall be in 1 saying it It Every Eer thing is I cut and an dried in a style syle which would wold excite the admiration of the te most capable of ot party convention bosses be py Then Te the doors do are thrown tw open and the curious Filipinos peep in from the th gallery doors dor to H see ee their p legislators leaton t at a work The caucus cucus program pr Is I observed to the t letter and and when the te perfunctory performance is I finished the te assembly ad burns The Te curious thing about abt It I all is I that members of f both bh parties and a the th independents dally daily daly reach rach agreements on 0 procure The Philippine assembly m ma a model moe of ot dignity There Tre is I never a lack laek 1 of order never neve any rough housing hou never any frivolity The supreme court crt of the te United lle States is ls not sp more proper in deportment po Despite a little political buncombe and despite a disposition to t procrastinate a the first Filipino assembly by has h mad J a te re remarkably r good go record rn for tor Itself And An whatever ta critics may my say ay it probably tg is I the th strongest link lik between the te Ameri American Aeri can cn and an the th Fin peoples The Tho Te assem m bly oese b o as an experiment pp is thus thu far tar a sue suc so |