The judicial power was vested in a supreme court and in such other tribunals as might be created by law. The judiciary was made absolutely independent of the legislative and executive departments. The chief justice and the attorney-general were appointed by the Assembly with the concurrence of the President and of the cabinet.
Provinces and municipalities were given administrative autonomy. The central government intervened in their acts only when they over-stepped their powers to the prejudice of general or individual interests.
A Constituent Assembly was to be convened in case of an election of the President of the Republic and whenever there were proposed changes in the constitution. In either of these two cases the regular assembly was dissolved by the President and the Constituent Assembly convoked. The constituent assembly was to be composed of the same members of the regular assembly plus special representatives.
Such was the framework of the governmental machinery created by the first republican constitution ever promulgated in the East. In the words of General Aguinaldo, the Constitution was “the most glorious note in the noble aspirations of the Philippine revolution and is an irrefutable proof before the civilized world of the culture and capacity of the Filipino people to govern themselves.”
Comments of Foreigners.—The comments of unbiased foreigners on this ill-fated attempt of the Filipino people to live an independent existence all point to the fact that the Republic together with the constitution the independent government had established was a great work of an unquestionably able people.
John Barrett, ex-director of the Pan-American Union, saw the Philippine Republic in operation, and described it as follows:
“It is a government which has practically been administering the affairs of that great island, ‘Luzon’ since the American possession of Manila, and is certainly better than the former administration. It had a properly formed Cabinet and Congress, the members of which, in appearance and manners, would compare favorably with the Japanese statesmen.”
Admiral Dewey, after studying Philippine conditions, during the Spanish-American War, spoke of the Filipinos as follows:
“In my opinion, these people are far more superior in intelligence and more capable of self-government than the natives of Cuba. I am familiar with both races.”
General Merrit, on his arrival in Paris in October, 1898, was reported as saying: