Schurman Commission

The Schurman Commission is called in the Philippines, the U.S. President William McKinley on January 20, 1899 used, First Philippine Commission. You should consider proposals for the December 23, 1898 announced by McKinley before the U.S. Congress Benevolent Assimilation ( Benevolent Assimilation ), with the participation of the Philippine upper class principalia and intellectual Illustrados, working out.

The Commission consisted of five members, elected chairman of the President of Cornell University Jacob Gould Schurman was appointed. The other members were George Dewey, Elwell Stephen Otis, Charles H. Denby and Dean C. Worcester. The three civilian members of the Commission reached only on March 4, 1899 so that they have a month you could start working until after the outbreak of fighting in the Philippine- American War. Complicating meetings were thereby Otis same time was the military governor of the Philippines, and he did not attend many meetings in Manila.

The Commission was able to win for cooperation Cayetano Arellano, Felipe G. Calderon, Benito Legarda and Pardo de Tavera, they declared on 24 July that the Philippines is not yet ready for was an independent republic and their interest expressed in an independent civilian colonial administration for the United States to work. Later, the three still Florentino Torres and the now captured Prime Minister of the first Philippine Republic Pedro Paterno joined this group. For this reason, the charge of collaboration is the five to date made ​​and since they could secure their cooperation by many personal benefits for themselves. Arellano 1901 was the first chairman of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Paterno got a seat in the local government of Manila. In December, founded the five conservative political party Partido Federal.

The Schurman Commission presented in January 1901 its findings and recommendations to the U.S. President McKinley before. They came to the conclusion that can be a civilian colonial administration to replace the military government much faster. This would require the establishment of a bicameral legislature, the separation of administrative and judicial powers, the creation of autonomous provincial and local governments and the introduction of an education system on the U.S. model. These proposals should be a model for the appointed on March 16, 1901 Taft Commission, which should replace the military administration by a civil administration under the direction of the later U.S. President William Howard Taft.