On February 5, 1901, Governor Taft wrote General MacArthur a letter closingwith the following paragraph:—­

“As already communicated to you the purpose of the Commission is to make a Southern trip on the 23rd of February, or as soon thereafter as practicable, with the idea of arranging for provincial governments there, and I am directed by the Commission to request your opinion as to the provinces in which provincial governments may be safely established.  It is understood that Panay, Romblon, Tayabas, and possibly one or two of the Camarines are ready for this.  What has been said with reference to the Northern provinces applies to these, but we shall communicate with you further as to the Southern provinces when we have been advised as to the possibility of securing a steamer.”

On February 9, General MacArthur gave the following instructions to the Commanding General, Department of the Visayas:—­

“The Military Governor desires that you report to this office at the earliest date practicable the provinces in your department that may be considered ready for the establishment of civil governments therein and in this connection directs me to say that it should not be considered as necessary that complete pacification has been brought about in a province before reporting it as ready for such government; that the provincial civil governments to be established will doubtless prove useful agents in the further work of pacification.”

On February 27, that officer reported that in his opinion Iloilo, Capiz, Oriental Negros and Occidental Negros were ready; that Antique might be in a few days, and that Cebu, Bohol and Leyte were not.  These facts were reported to Governor Taft by General MacArthur on March 4, and on the same day Lieutenant-Colonel Crowder wrote to the commanding general of the Visayas:—­

“The Military Governor directs me to say that he regards the initiation of provincial civil government as an aid in the work of pacification, in which view it is not necessary that a province should be completely pacified as a condition to the initiation of such government.  He has expressed to the Commission the opinion that you may be able, upon their arrival at Iloilo, to submit a supplementary list of provinces in which it would be advisable to establish at once these governments.”

Meanwhile General MacArthur wrote on February 13, to Governor Taft:—­

“In partial reply to your letter of the 5th instant I have the honor to inform you that the Commanding General, Department of Southern Luzon, reports but one province, Tayabas, as ready at the present time for civil government.  I add the provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Cavite, believing that the institution of civil government in all these provinces will be in assistance of the military authorities in the work of pacification.”

General MacArthur’s communications seem to me to show something more than “a mere soldierly acquiescence in the will of Mr. McKinley,” especially as the President had no knowledge of these provinces, and never made any recommendation whatsoever relative to the establishment of civil government there.