Show JUDGE TAFT IS CHOSEN Jurist to be President New I Philippine Commission I HEGIVES UP LIFE POSITION I His WilJIngne ita Surrender u S Circuit Judgeship to Join the Com jnl8BlonGiv Out the Impression that as Soon as the < Present Mill t1ry Government Is Replaced with I Stable Government Ho will bo I Named as the First Civil Governor General of tho Archipelago Washington Feb GTho President today appointed Judge William HTaft of Cincinnati and United States Judge of the Sixth Judicial circuit to be mes I Ident of the new Ihlllpplnc commls j I Ion Judge Taffs place on tho bench 1 will be filled by theoppolntmont of Judge Henry F Scverans of Grand I Rapids Mich These nnnounccmcnta were made at the close of tho Cabinet I meeting today t Judge Taft has been In Washington several days presumably coming at the request of the President This morning ho called at tile White House a little before 15 oclock In company with Judge > William R Day formerly Secretary of State and later president of tho Paris peace commission They remained with 1 the President until theCabinel meeting I at 11 oclock nnd Joined him again after i the Cabinet had adjourned On leaving the White House ho stated 1 the commission of which he had been appointed president would nail from I San Francisco soon ater March 15th and Its special mission would be the establishment of a civil government of the Islands Further than that he was not at liberty to speak It Is understood the other members of the commission wlll be designated within I with-in a very short time and that special Instructions which will guide them In I the discharge of their duties will bo prepared at as early a day as possible The appointment of this commission I Is carrying out the suggestions of the present Philippine commission which will shortly go out of existence Some I of the members of the old commission it Is said will be appointed on the new Ion I-on > There will be five members of the commission and all of them will be civilians Mr Schurman president of the existing commission has declined for business reasons to remain on the commission FO Judge raft will be president pres-ident In his place Mr Dcnby and Prof Worcester have been Invited loaccopt appointments but so far have not signified sig-nified their Intentions Admiral Dewey will not go back to Manila and Gen l Oils will give way Hko him to a S civilian S S Secretary Root said today that no instructions I I in-structions had been framed for the new commission as yet but It would be easy jto perceive from the sentiments set out In the Presidents message on the subject what those Instructions would be Judge Taft called at he War department I depart-ment today In company with Judge Day late Secretary of State and had along i I a-long taUt with Secretary Root ns to the plans of the commission I Assomo surprise lifts been caused by the VllUngtlcss of Judge Taft to surrender sur-render a life position of Iho dignity and emolument of a United States Circuit Judge to Join the comlsslon It may be j said Hint the prevalent impression Is that as soon as the commission shall have succeeded In replacing the existing military government In the Philippines with stable government Judge Taft will be named an the first civil Coy ernorGeneral of the archipelago It Is not thought this change will lake place at once but tho commission Is expected to move steadily toward that object and to set up local civil governments as fast as the Filipinos shall demonstrate their worthiness |