THE PHILIPPINES.

The Philippine Islands came under the jurisdiction of the United
States as a consequence of the Spanish-American war in 1898 and their
government soon became an active question in Congress. There was a
desire to permit their own people to participate in this to some
extent and the National American Woman Suffrage Association, always on
the watch tower, took immediate action toward having women included in
any scheme of self-government. With the recent example before it of
the most unjust discrimination against them in the admission of Hawaii
as a Territory, the association under the presidency of Miss Susan B.
Anthony petitioned the members of Congress to recognize the rights of
women in whatever form of government was adopted. At its annual
convention in 1899 impassioned speeches were made against taking away
from Filipino women the position of superiority which they always had
held under Spanish rule by giving the men political authority over
them.

In 1900 Military Governor-General Otis ordered a re-organization of
the municipalities. To decide who should have a vote in local affairs
the Philippine Commission of the U. S. Senate summoned well informed
persons and among them, in the spring of 1902, were Judge William H.
Taft, Governor-General of the islands, and Archbishop Nozaleda, who
had been connected with the Catholic church there for twenty-six years
and archbishop since 1889. Both declared that the suffrage should be
given to the women rather than to the men, the former saying: "The
fact is that, not only among the Tagalogs but also among the
Christian Filipinos, the woman is the active manager of the family, so
if you expect to confer political power on the Filipinos it ought to
be given to the women. Following is part of the Archbishop's
statement. (Senate Document, p. 109.):

The woman is better than the man in every way--in intelligence,
in virtue and in labor--and a great deal more economical. She is
very much given to trade and trafficking. If any rights and
privileges are to be granted to the natives, do not give them to
the men but to the women.

Q. Then you think it would be much better to give the women the
right to vote than the men?

A. O, much better. Why, even in the fields it is the women who do
the work; the men go to the cock fights and gamble. The woman is
the one who supports the man there, so every law of justice