observations and reflections, and will recommend such executive action as may from time to time seem to them wise and useful. The commissioners are hereby authorized to confer authoritatively with any persons resident in the islands from whom they may believe themselves able to derive information or suggestions valuable for the purposes of their commission, or whom they may choose to employ as agents, as may be necessary for this purpose. The temporary government of the islands is intrusted to the military authorities, as already provided for by my instructions to the Secretary of War of December 21, 1898, and will continue until Congress shall determine otherwise. The commission may render valuable services by examining with special care the legislative needs of the various groups of inhabitants, and by reporting. with recommendations, the measures which should be instituted for the maintenance of order, peace, and public welfare, either as temporary steps to be taken immediately for the perfection of present administration, or as suggestions for future legislation. In so far as immediate personal changes in the civil administration may seem to be advisable, the commissioners are empowered to recommend suitable persons for appointment to these offices from among the inhabitants of the islands who have previously acknowledged their allegiance to this Government. It is my desire that in all their relations with the inhabitants of the islands the commissioners exercise due respect for all the ideals, customs, and institutions of the tribes which compose the population, emphasizing upon all occasions the just and beneficent intentions of the Government of the United States. It is also my wish and expectation that the commissioners may be received in a manner due to the honored and authorized representatives of the American Republic, duly commissioned on account of their knowledge, skill, and integrity as bearers of the good will, the protection, and the richest blessings of a liberating rather than a conquering nation. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. Customs tariff and regulations for Porto Rico. EXECUTIVE MANSION, January 20, 1899. By virtue of the authority vested in me as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States of America, I do hereby order and direct that the following tariff of duties and taxes shall be levied and collected, and the regulations for the administration thereof shall take effect and be in force in all ports and places in the island of Porto Rico and all islands in the West Indies east of the 74th degree, west longitude, evacuated by Spain, on and after February 1, 1899. All questions arising in the administration of customs shall be referred to the collector at the port of San Juan for decision, and there shall be no appeal from such decision except in cases where the collector may find it expedient to ask for special instructions of the War Department on the points involved. Necessary and authorized expenses for the administration of said tariff and regulations shall be paid from the collections thereunder. Accurate accounts of collections and expenditures shall be kept and rendered to the Secretary of War. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. NOTE. The tariff accompanying this order was a translation and adaptation of the former Spanish tariff. Payment of customs, taxes, etc., in Porto Rico-Value of foreign currency. EXECUTIVE ORDER. EXECUTIVE MANSION, It is hereby ordered that on and after February 1, 1899, and until otherwise provided, all customs, taxes, public and postal dues in the island of Porto Rico shall be paid in United States money, or in foreign gold coins, such as the Spanish alphonsinos (centen) and the French louis, which will be accepted in payment of such customs, taxes, public and postal dues, at the following rates: Alphonsinos (25-peseta piece). Louis (20-franc piece) - $4.82 3.86 It is further ordered that on and after February 1, 1899, and until further provided, the following Porto Rican or Spanish silver coins now in circulation in the island of Porto Rico shall be received for customs, taxes, public and postal dues, at the following fixed rates in United States money: It is further ordered and directed that out of the Porto Rican coins so received a convenient supply shall be retained and carried for exchange for United States money at the rates hereinbefore enumerated, namely, $0.60 United States money for one Porto Rican silver piece. It is further ordered that all existing contracts for the payment of money in the currency of Porto Rico may be discharged and paid in that money in accordance with the contracts, or in United States money at the relative value set forth in the above table, namely, for each $100 United States currency 1663 Porto Rican pesos. Bronze and copper coins now current in the island of Porto Rico will be received at their face value for fractional parts of a dollar, in a single payment to an amount not exceeding 12 cents (1 peseta). WILLIAM MCKINLEY. Tonnage dues, Cuba. EXECUTIVE MANSION, January 25, 1899. By virtue of the authority vested in me as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, I do hereby order and direct that subdivision (e) of section (6), title "Tonnage Dues," of the Amended Customs Tariff and Regulations for Ports in Cuba and all islands in the West Indies west of the 74th degree west longitude, in possession of the United States, established by Executive Order of December 13, 1898, and the provisions in said subdivision made and contained as heretofore existing, be, and the same are hereby revoked and annulled. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. Payment of quarantine expenses, Cuba and Porto Rico. EXECUTIVE ORDER. EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, March 13, 1899. Executive order of January 17, 1899, is hereby amended as follows: The third paragraph thereof requiring that the quarantine expenses of the Islands of Cuba and Porto Rico shall be charged at present against the revenues of those Islands and the Epidemic fund, is hereby amended to read as follows: On and after March 15, 1899, the said quarantine expenses in the Island of Cuba shall be paid from the fund derived from the tonnage taxes of said island as hereinafter specified. The proceeds of said taxes in the Island of Cuba, not to exceed $300,000 in each fiscal year, shall be set aside, and the quarantine expenses in the Island of Cuba paid therefrom on certificate of a medical officer, detailed under Executive Order of January 17, 1899. The quarantine expenses in the Island of Porto Rico on and after March 15, 1899, shall be paid from the revenues of the island on certificate of a medical officer detailed under Executive Order of January 17, 1899. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. (Proclamation, March 29, 1899. Naval Reservation at San Juan, P. R. P. 391, S. Doc. 105, 58th Cong., 2d sess.) Tribute to those who lost their lives in Spanish-American War. It is fitting that, in behalf of the nation, tributes of honor be paid to the memories of the noble men who lost their lives in their country's service during the late war with Spain. It is the more fitting inasmuch as, in consonance with the spirit of our free institutions and in obedience to the most exalted promptings of patriotism, those who were sent to other shores to do battle for their country's honor under their country's flag went freely from every quarter of our beloved land. Each soldier, each sailor, parting from home ties and putting behind him private interests in the presence of the stern emergency of unsought war with an alien foe, was an individual type of that devotion of the citizen to the State which makes our nation strong in unity and in action. Those who died in another land left in many homes the undying memories that attend the heroic dead of all ages. It was fitting that with the advent of peace won by their sacrifice their bodies should be gathered with tender care and restored to home and kindred. This has been done with the dead of Cuba and Porto Rico. Those of the Philippines still rest where they fell, watched over by their surviving comrades and crowned with the love of a grateful nation. The remains of many brought to our shores have been delivered to their families for private burial, but for others of the brave officers and men who perished there has been reserved interment in ground sacred to the soldiers and sailors, amid the tributes of military honor and national mourning they have so well deserved. I therefore order that upon the arrival of the cortege at the national cemetery at Arlington all proper military and naval honors be paid to the dead heroes; that suitable ceremonies shall attend their interment; that the customary salute of mourning be fired at the cemetery, and that on the same day at 2 o'clock p. m., Thursday, the 6th day of April, the national ensign be displayed at half staff on all public buildings, forts, camps, and public vessels of the United States; and that at 12 o'clock noon of said day all the Departments of the Government at Washington shall be closed. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. Proclamation of the Schurman Commission to the people of the Philippine Islands. PROCLAMATION. To the people of the Philippine Islands: The treaty of peace between the United States and Spain, ratified several weeks ago by the former, having on March 20 been ratified by the latter, the cession to the United States, as stipulated by the treaty, of the sovereignty which Spain possessed and exercised over the Philippine Islands has now, in accordance with the laws of nations, received a complete and indefeasible consummation. In order that the high responsibilities and obligations with which the United States has thus become definitely charged may be fulfilled in a way calculated to promote the best interests of the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands, His Excellency, the President of the United States, has appointed the undersigned a civil commission on Philippine affairs, clothing them with all the powers necessary for the exercise of that office. The Commission desire to assure the people of the Philippine Islands of the cordial good will and fraternal feeling which is entertained for them by his Excellency the President of the United States and by the American people. The aim and object of the American Government, apart from the fulfillment of the solemn obligations it has assumed toward the family of nations by the acceptance of sovereignty over the Philippine Islands, is the well-being, the prosperity, and the happiness of the Philippine people, and their elevation and advancement to a position among the most civilized peoples of the world. His Excellency the President of the United States believes that this felicity and perfection of the Philippine people is to be brought about by the assurance of peace and order; by the guaranty of civil and religious liberty; by the establishment of justice; by the cultivation of letters, science, and the liberal and practical arts; by the enlargement of intercourse with foreign nations; by the expansion of industrial pursuits, trade, and commerce by the multiplication and improvement of the means of internal communication; by the development, with the aid of modern mechanical inventions, of the great natural resources of the archipelago; and, in a word, by the uninterrupted devotion of the people to the pursuit of those useful objects and the realization of those noble ideals which constitute the higher civilization of mankind. Unfortunately, the pure aims and purposes of the American Government and people have been misinterpreted to some of the inhabitants of certain of the islands. As a consequence, the friendly American forces have, without provocation or cause, been openly attacked. And why these hostilities? What do the best Filipinos desire? Can it be more than the United States is ready to give? They are patriots and want liberty, it is said. The Commission emphatically asserts that the United States is not only willing, but anxious, to establish in the Philippine Islands an enlightened system of government under which the Philippine people may enjoy the largest measure of home rule and the amplest lib erty consonant with the supreme ends of government and compatible with those obligstions which the United States has assumed toward the civilized nations of the world. The United States striving earnestly for the welfare and advancement of the inhabitants of the Philippine Islands, there can be no real conflict between American sovereignty and the rights and liberties of the Philippine people. For, just as the United States stands read to furnish armies, navies, and all the infinite resources of a great and powerful nation to maintain and support its rightful supremacy over the Philippine Islands, so it is even more solicitous to spread peace and happiness among the Philippine people; to guarantee them a rightful freedom; to protect them in their just privileges and immunities; to accustom them to free self-government in an ever-increasing measure; and to encourage them in those democratic aspirations, sentiments, and ideals which are the promise and potency of a fruitful national development. It is the expectation of the Commission to visit the Philippine peoples in their respective provinces, both for the purpose of cultivating a more intimate mutual acquaintance and also with a view to ascertaining from enlightened native opinion what form or forms of government seem best adapted to the Philippine peoples, most apt to conduce to their highest welfare, and most conformable to their customs, traditions, sentiments, and cherished ideals. Both in the establishment and maintenance of government in the Philippine Islands, it will be the policy of the United States to consult the views and wishes, and to secure the advice, cooperation, and aid of the Philippine people themselves. In the meantime the attention of the Philippine people is invited to certain regulative principles by which the United States will be guided in its relation with them. The following are deemed of cardinal importance: 1. The supremacy of the United States must and will be enforced throughout every part of the archipelago, and those who resist it can accomplish no end other than their own ruin. 2. The most ample liberty of self-government will be granted to the Philippine people which is reconciliable with the maintenance of a wise, just, stable, effective, and economical administration of public affairs and compatible with the sovereign and international rights and obligations of the United States. 3. The civil rights of the Philippine people will be guaranteed and protected to the fullest extent, religious freedom assured, and all persons shall have an equal standing before the law. 4. Honor, justice, and friendship forbid the use of the Philippine people or Islands as an object or means of exploitation. The purpose of the American Government is the welfare and advancement of the Philippine people. 5. There shall be guaranteed to the Philippine people an honest and effective civil service, in which, to the fullest extent practicable, natives shall be employed. 6. The collection and application of taxes and revenues will be put upon a sound, honest, and economical basis. Public funds, raised justly and collected honestly, will be applied only in defraying the regular and proper expenses incurred by and for the establishment and maintenance of the Philippine government and for such general improvements as public interests may demand. Local funds, collected for local purposes, shall not be diverted to other ends. With such a prudent and honest fiscal administration, it is believed that the needs of the government will in a short time become compatible with a considerable reduction in taxation. 7. A pure, speedy, and effective administration of justice will be established whereby the evils of delay, corruption, and exploitation will be effectually eradicated. 8. The construction of roads, railroads, and other means of communication and transportation, as well as other public works of manifest advantage to the Philippine people, will be promoted. 9. Domestic and foreign trade and commerce, agriculture and other industrial pursuits, and the general development of the country in the interest of its inhabitants will be constant objects of solicitude and fostering care. 10. Effective provision will be made for the establishment of elementary schools in which the children of the people shall be educated. Appropriate facilities will also be provided for higher education. 11. Reforms in all departments of the government, in all branches of the public service, and in all corporations closely touching the common life of the people, must be undertaken without delay and effected, conformably to right and justice, in a way that will satisfy the well-founded demands and the highest sentiments and aspirations of the Philippine people, Such is the spirit in which the United States comes to the people of the Philippine Islands. His Excellency the President has instructed the Commission to make it publicly known. And obeying this behest, the Commission desire to join with His Excellency the President in expressing their own good will toward the Philippine people, and to extend to their leading and representative men a cordial invitation to meet them for personal acquaintance and for the exchange of views and opinions. JOHN R. MCARTHUR, JACOB GOULD SCHURMAN, Admiral, U. S. N. Major-General, United States Volunteers. CHARLES DENBY, Establishment of customs service in the Philippine Islands and Guam. EXECUTIVE MANSION, May 3, 1899. By virtue of the authority vested in me as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, I hereby order and direct that during the occupancy by the military authorities of the United States of the Islands of the Philippine Archipelago and the Island of Guam, said islands shall constitute a collection district for customs purposes. Manila shall be the chief port of entry. An officer of the Army shall be assigned to such port, who shall be the collector of customs of the islands and of the chief port, and shall have general jurisdiction over the collection of customs in the islands. The ports of Iloilo on the Island of Panay, Cebu in the Island of Cebu, and San Luis d'Apra in the Island of Guam are hereby declared to be subports of entry with such other subports as may be opened from time to time by order of the Secretary of War, and an officer of the Army shall be assigned to each of the subports as collector of customs, who shall have general jurisdiction of the collection of customs at such subport. He shall make weekly reports to the collector of customs of the islands at the chief port of all collections and transactions over which he has jurisdiction, at the subport, with copies of all entries of merchandise duly certified. The Secretary of War shall appoint such civilian deputy collectors, inspectors, and other employees as may be found necessary. The collectors of subports shall deposit all moneys collected by them with the Collector of the Islands, and a receipt from the Collector of the Islands shall be taken in duplicate for all such deposits. All moneys collected at the chief port by the Collector of Customs for the Islands, or transmitted to him by collectors at subports, shall be deposited with the Treasurer of the Islands. All questions arising in the administration of customs in the Islands shall be referred to the Collector of the Islands for his decision from which there shall be no appeal except in such cases as may be referred by the Collector of the Islands to the Secretary of War. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. Establishment of offices of auditor and treasurer, Cuba. EXECUTIVE ORDER. EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, May 8, 1899. By virtue of the authority vested in me as the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, I hereby order and direct that during the maintenance of the military government by the United States in the island of Cuba and all islands in the West Indies west of the seventy-fourth degree. west longitude, evacuated by Spain, there are hereby created and shall be maintained the offices of Auditor of the islands; one Assistant Auditor for auditing the accounts of the Department of Customs, and one Assistant Auditor for auditing the accounts of the Department of Post-Offices, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of War, and whose duties shall be to audit all accounts of the islands. There is hereby created and shall be maintained the office of Treasurer of the Islands, which shall be filled by the appointment thereto of an officer of the Regular Army of the United States. The Treasurer of the Islands shall receive and keep all moneys arising from the revenues of the islands, and shall disburse or transfer the same only upon warrants issued by the Auditor of the Islands and countersigned by the Governor-General. All roles and instructions necessary to carry into effect the provisions of Executive orders relating to said islands shall be issued by the Secretary of War. WILLIAM MCKINLEY. Establishment of offices of auditor and treasurer for the Philippine Islands and Guam. EXECUTIVE MANSION. By virtue of the authority vested in me as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. I hereby order and direct that during the maintenance of the military government by the United States in the islands of the Philippine Archipelago and the Island of Guam, there are hereby created and shall be maintained the offices of Auditor of the Islands; one Assistant Auditor for auditing the accounts of the Department of Customs, and one |
