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Whereas; By the sixth section of the Act of Congress approved July 1. 1902, entitled ‘‘An Act Temporarily to provide for the administration of affairs of civil government in the Philippine Islands, and for other purposes,’’ it was provided:
- ‘‘That whenever the existing insurrection In the Philippine Islands shall have ceased and a condition of general and complete peace shall have been established therein and the fact shall be certified to the President by the Philippine Commission, the President, upon being satisfied thereof, shall order a census of the Philippine Islands to be taken by said Philippine Commission
- That two years after the completion and publication of the census, in case such condition of general and complete peace with recognition of the authority of the United States shall have continued in the territory of said islands not inhabited by Moros or other non-Christian tribes and such facts shall have been certified to the President by the Philippine Commission, the President upon being satisfied thereof shall direct said Commission to call, and the Commission shall call, a general election for the choice of delegates to a popular assembly of the people of said territory in the Philippine Islands, which shall be known as the Philippine Assembly. After said assembly shall have convened and organized, all tie legislative power heretofore conferred on the Philippine Commission in all that part of said islands not inhabited by Moros or other nonChristian tribes shall be vested in a legislature consisting of two houses—the Philippine Commission and the Philippine Assembly. Said assembly shall consist of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred members to be apportioned by said Commission among the provinces as nearly as practicable according to population; Provided, That no province shall have less than one member; And provided Further, That provinces entitled by population to more than one member may be divided into such convenient districts as the said Commission may deem best.’’ and
Whereas; On September 11, 1902, the Philippine Commission certified to me that the insurrection in the Philippine Islands had ceased and that a condition of general and complete peace had been established therein, and
Whereas; In pursuance of the provisions of the law above quoted and upon the foregoing due certification, and being satisfied of the facts therein stated, on the 25th day of September, 1902, I ordered a census of the Philippine Islands to be taken by the Philippine Commission, and
Whereas; The census so ordered was taken, and announcement of its completion and publication made to the people of the Philippine Islands on March 28. 1905, and
Whereas; The Philippine Commission has now certified to me the following resolutions:
- ‘‘Whereas; The census of the Philippine Islands was completed and published on the 27th day of March, 1905. which said completion and publication of said census was on the 2Sth day of March. 1905, duly published and proclaimed to the people by the Governor General of the Philippine Islands with the announcement that the President of the United States of America would direct the Philippine Commission to call a general election for the choice of delegates to a popular assembly, provided that a condition of general and complete peace with recognition of the authority of the United States should be certified by the Philippine Commission to have continued in the territory of the Philippine Islands for a period of two years after said completion and publication of said census, and
- Whereas; Since the completion and publication of said census there have been no serious disturbances of the public order save and except those caused by the noted outlaws and bandit chieftains Felizardo and Montalon and their followers in the provinces of Cavite and Batangas, and those caused in the provinces of Samar and I/eyte by the non-Christian and fanatic pulajanes resident in the mountain districts of said provinces and the barrios contiguous thereto, and
- Whereas; The overwhelming majority of the people of said provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Samar and Leyte. have not taken part in said disturbances and have not aided nor abetted the lawless acts of said bandits and pulajane.s, and
- Whereas, The great mass and body of the Filipino people have during said period of two years continued to be law abiding, peaceful, and loyal to the United States, and have continued to recognize and do now recognize the authority and sovereignty of the United States in the territory of said Philippine Islands;
- Now, Therefore, Be It resolved by the Philippine Commission In formal sion duly assembled, that it, said Philippine Commission, do certify, and it does hereby certify to the President of the United States that for a period of two years after the completion and publication of the census a condition of general and complete pence with recognition of the authority of the United States has continued to exist and now exists in the territory of said Philippine Islands not inhabited by Moros or other non-Christian tribes: be it further resolved by said Philippine Commission that the President of the United States be requested and is hereby requested to direct said Philippine Commission to call a general election for the choice of delegates to a popular assembly of the people of said territory in the Philippine Islands, which assembly shall be known as the Philippine Assembly.’’
Now, Therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States, in pursuance of the provisions of the law above cited, and being satisfied of th« facts certified to me by the Philippine Commission, do hereby direct said Philippine Commission to call a general election for the choice of delegates to a popular assembly of the people of the territory of the Philippine Islands not inhabited by Moros or other non-Christian tribes, which shall be known as the Philippine Assembly.
Theodore Roosevelt
The White House,
March 28, 1907.
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