eral orders of the President of the United States and of the military governor of the Philippines.

There is now being translated from Spanish into English the record of the proceedings of the Cuban constitutional convention, comprising about a million words and requiring the greatest amount of skill and accuracy on the part of those engaged in this work.

The official charts of the Philippine Islands published by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and the special report of the Board on Geographic Names are being carefully examined for the purpose of affixing the proper accents and of attaching the correct pronunciation to the Spanish names appearing therein.

There are now employed in the work herein described two compilers, two translators, two stenographers and typewriters, and one native of the Philippine Islands, the last mentioned, on account of his personal and intimate knowledge of the characteristics and language of the people and of the former laws and government of the islands, being engaged in such special lines of work as are from time to time assigned to him.

Although the recent organization of this branch affords but little to be said of the work accomplished, yet it is believed that in a short time, by reason of being the avenue through which the public, as well as those officially interested, will be acquainted with the forms of government, resources, and development of the islands under the jurisdiction and control of the War Department, it will soon become a popular as well as one of the important branches of the Division of Insular Affairs. Respectfully submitted.

ALEX. R. SPEEL,

Chief Compilation and Translation Branch. Lieut. Col. CLARENCE R. EDWARDS, Chief of Division.

APPENDIX F.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

The present organization of the personnel has been set forth in the report proper. Seven of these employees only are in the classified civil service. The remainder are temporary clerks. The work of nearly all has been earnest and capable. They have given their time willingly outside of regular office hours. They have developed with the division. Some of them have become experts in the line of work in which they have been engaged. They have demonstrated their competency by the best of all tests, actual efficiency during a long period.

It is therefore recommended that Congress be asked to provide the legislation necessary to authorize the Secretary of War to include these clerks in classified civil service.

The following is submitted as the organization which, with the present volume of work, will best serve the interests of the division, and while having due regard for economy, will equalize some existing differences of salary not corresponding to differences of merit:

The above classification, with its proportion of high and low grades, is based on information from the appointment division, and is suggested by the arrangement of personnel in the other offices in the War Department.

Experience has shown that services of experts are constantly required for the investigation of various questions that arise in the division. It is therefore recommended that $7,500 be asked for this purpose, in addition to the appropriation necessary for the above suggested force.

APPENDIX G.

HISTORICAL SKETCH.

In August, 1898, after the capitulation of the Spanish forces at Santiago, the War Department was brought face to face with a unique problem, i. e., the setting up of a properly qualified civil government under military control in the surrendered territory. The functions of an organized government had to be set in operation in accordance with American methods, with an unpromising field for their inauguration. In charge of these functions were generally placed officers of the Army. Sometimes they became civil officers, collected taxes, governed municipalities, enforced sanitary measures, adjusted claims, and, in short, performed almost every governmental function.

In handling this new work the War Department found itself without adequate machinery. The organization of its bureaus was adapted to military requirements, while the new situation might extend to all classes of governmental affairs.

The most important business which presented itself to the Department immediately after the organization of Santiago was the collection and disposal of the customs revenues. These civil questions went to the Adjutant-General's Office for presentation to the office of the Secretary of War.

On August 23, 1898, the Secretary of War directed that all matters relating to the tariff of duties and taxes to be levied and collected as a military contribution upon the occupation and possession of any ports and places by the forces of the United States, under the several orders of the President, as published by the War Department, should be referred to the Assistant Secretary of War for his consideration and report.

The chief clerk of the War Department states that, for the sake of ready reference, the first of the Cuban customs cases that reached his desk were filed there temporarily, being foreign to even the miscellaneous class of records filed in the longestablished record division. When several cases had accumulated he placed them in an empty file box on his desk. Papers of this nature and allied civil subjects accumulated so rapidly that the Assistant Secretary granted the services of one clerk to record these matters. The services of this one man were soon found inadequate to even record the matter, and one or two other clerks were secured.

A translation of the Spanish tariff in force in the island was speedily secured. Certain needed modifications were made in its provisions and, under the supervision of an American customs expert, placed in operation in Santiago and other provinces as evacuated by the Spanish. A similar course of procedure was followed in Porto Rico after the withdrawal of the Spanish forces, and the large and increasing business in customs affairs there was added.

The questions which arose in the new customs service during the first few months made evident the need for a new office, and this was emphasized as the time approached for the transfer of the entire island of Cuba to our control, and our anticipated sovereignty over the island of Porto Rico on January 1, 1899. On December 13, 1898, by order of the Acting Secretary of War, there was created in the office of the Secretary of War the "Division of Customs and Insular Affairs." One distinct class, at that time supreme, is indicated by the word "customs." Other phases of civil affairs were embraced by the word "insular." To this new division were ordered charged without other record all papers relating to the customs of Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippine Islands, as well as all civil affairs as distinguished from purely military matters for final disposition. At this time there were but four clerks, one of them an experienced record clerk assigned to the records of the division at its creation with orders "to keep them as you think best." Mr. R. E. Parker, of the Assistant Secretary's office, was placed in charge and served until March 10, 1899, when Maj. J. J. Pershing, United States Volunteers, was assigned and remained in charge until August 24, 1899, when he was relieved on his own application to proceed to Manila. Up to February 10, 1900, the chief clerk of the division was in charge, on which date the undersigned reported to the Assistant Secretary and was assigned as chief. From this time the work, which had been steadily growing, increased by leaps and bounds, embracing many questions which the Secretary of War desired to bring to the attention of the Cabinet, so great was their importance. About May of this year the division reported directly to the Secretary, and from that date the business of the division has had his personal supervision.

Owing to the extreme pressure of routine departmental military business of a legal character, it was impracticable for the Judge-Advocate General to be burdened with these civil matters. It was therefore deemed necessary to employ the services of an

able counsel, which were secured in the person of Charles E. Magoon, who was appointed law officer of insular affairs early in the year 1899.

It became apparent that the "customs," had, while constantly increasing in the matter of relative importance, become a mere incident to the "insular affairs," and the following orders were issued:

ORDERS:

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 10, 1900.

The "Division of Customs and Insular Affairs" of the office of the Secretary of War, created by orders of the Acting Secretary of War, December 13, 1898, will hereafter be known as the "Division of Insular Affairs."

The class of business assigned to this division will embrace all matters pertaining to the civil affairs connected with the government of Cuba and the Philippine Islands, as distinguished from matters of a purely military character.

ELIHU ROOT,

Secretary of War. This might, therefore, be considered the date of the present epoch of the duties and functions it performs to-day, and whatever may be its future development.

On December 5, 1898, the division was assigned to room 247, all branches being conducted in one room. A year later rooms 33 and 35 were added, and the accounts and statistics branch was there installed. To these were added room 37 in September, 1900; room 056, now used as a document room, was loaned to the division in June, 1899, and room 054 adjoining it was borrowed in October, 1899. Room 153 was occupied for records May 19, 1900, but was surrendered for room 532 in July, 1901. On September 23, 1901, rooms 246 and 248 were added to the division. This enabled the chief of the division, who had previously occupied a room with 15 clerks, to obtain a room for himself, assistant, and stenographer; to move the records to the same floor with the correspondence; to establish the latter in a new room, and to organize a compilation branch. Ten rooms are now occupied.

On July 31, 1901, the work of the division had increased to such an extent that, by order of the Acting Secretary, Capt. J. G. Harbord, Eleventh United States Cavalry, was assigned as assistant to the chief.

INDEX.