| Show TALKS ON JUDICIARY IN ARCHIPELAGO Gov cov Taft Addresses Senate Commit Committee tee on Disabilities of Jury System in the Philippines WASHINGTON Feb 15 Gov Taft of the Philippines yesterday continued his statement before the Senate committee committee committee com com- on the Philippines concerning the islands in that archipelago with the I intention of discussing the tIe degree of ot I tranquility in the pacified provinces which he said included all the provinces provinces pro pro- pro pro- vinces except Samar and Ba- Ba tangas Senator Lodge asked as to th the means I for maintaining tranqUility The re reply reply reply re- re reI I ply Involved a review of the legal tem of the at present a as aj under the military government and also under under under un un- un- un der the Spanish rule Gov Taft said that In June of ot last year year the commission had had passed passed an act organizing a 2 system of judiciary for the the entire archipelago creating a Supreme court and seven Justices and fourteen districts On n the Supreme court bench th there re i a-i he said three three natives and four Americans m rl a ans s and and he believed that any State would be satisfied satisfied sat sat- with such a bench Of the courts of first Instance in the district six are presided d oyer over by native Filipinos and the others by Americans ns Gov Taft TaCt said that Judge Ide of the commission had prepared the code of laws of the islands and that the labor h had d been so severe severe that it materially damaged his health This code includes the treason act There Is no provision for a jury as nin ninety t per er cent of the people are too Ignorant to sit on a ip I ip jury I am bound to add add he went on that the difficulty of selecting Judges who are above reproach makes it certain tam tain that the selection of juries would lead to nothing but c corruption and in in- in justice We Ve are trying to lead up up to the Jury system but the Filipino mind is such as to render the average Filipino Fill Fili pi pino no Incapable of looking Impartially upon a question Involving the rights I of two persons There was no Jury I system under Spanish rule Speaking of the general condition of the pacified provinces Gov Taft said that in all these provinces the people are going about their usual avo avo- In one province not a hostile shot had been fired for two years Senator Culberson Is it true that under existing law Jaw they are not at liberty to advocate an independent or ora ora ora a separate form of ot Government No they are not Senator Patterson asked how the people had been made peaceful in t the e first place whether place whether this result had not been accomplished by first them with the military and then demonstrating demonstrating demonstrating dem dem- to them by the acts of the commission the benefits of American methods The reply was that not only the civil government but the military forces had sought to Impress the advantage advantage advantage ad ad- vantage of Amer American can rule Peace Pese had been secured by crushing out the guerrilla warfare which had had bad the effect of establishing a system of terro terrorizing ter ter- ter- ter ro with which h the people in general general general gen gen- eral did not sympathize That however how how- eV ever r the people generally at least In some provinces did not sympathize with the insurrection he would not at attempt attempt attempt at- at tempt to say sy |
