desire, by the employment of lawful means." A manifesto was read and a platform was adopted.

Delegates were sent into the provinces to organize auxiliary committees. In a few months the members of the Federal party numbered 150,000. Excepting an abortive peace movement under the name "Partido Conservador," the Federal party remained the only party of the reconstruction period. The Federal party was governed by a "directorate" of seven members and a council of government of twentyfive members.

In its initial object, to bring about peace under the sovereignty of the United States, the party coöperated with the Second Philippine Commission with valuable results. Later, the platform of the party was expanded to include a plank asking for a territorial form of government with representation in Congress, as a step leading finally to statehood.

228. Origin of Present Political Parties. New political parties favoring independence soon sprang up. On July 1, 1906, the "Partido Independista Inmediata" was founded. The principal members of this party were Messrs. Barretto, Sandico, Osmeña, Fernando María Guerrero, and Lukban. Another independence party established soon afterward was the "Partido Unión Nacionalista." It included such influential Filipinos as Del Pan, Apacible, Liongson, Ocampo, and León María Guerrero. Finally these two parties were merged into the Nacionalista party of to-day. The Nacionalista party has won every election since 1907, and now controls both Houses of the Legislature by an overwhelming majority.

In 1907, the Federal party, finding that its policy of annexation found no sympathizers, advocated ultimate independence and changed its name to the "Progresista" party. In 1914, a small faction of the Nacionalista party, not content with

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the policy of the party, seceded and formed what was popularly known as the "Third" party. In 1917 the "Third" party and the "Progresista" party were merged into what is now called the "Demócrata" party.

Both the Nacionalista party and the Demócrata party advocate independence at the earliest possible time.

229. Party Organization in the Philippines. The Na/cionalista party is organized under three main divisions. These are: (a) The municipal colleges and the municipal committees; (b) The provincial colleges and the provincial committees; (c) The national convention, the national committee, and the executive committee.

Each municipal college is composed of those affiliated with the party within the limits of the municipality in which it is organized. For this purpose, Manila is divided into as many municipal colleges as there are electoral districts. When convoked by the municipal committee, the provincial committee, or the national committee, the members of the municipal college meet to nominate official candidates of the party. The municipal college elects every four years at the date set by the national committee, a municipal committee, composed of a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, a secretary, and as many members as there are districts in the municipality. The municipal college also nominates by a majority vote the official candidates of the party for municipal positions. It elects three delegates to the provincial college from each electoral division in which the municipality is divided. The college may instruct its delegates to the provincial college.

The provincial college elects a provincial committee composed of a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, a secretary, and three members. It nominates the provincial candidates by a majority vote, and elects a delegate-at-large for the whole province and two delegates for each of the electoral

districts into which the province is divided. These delegates represent the province in the national convention. Like the municipal college, the provincial college can instruct

the national delegates to vote a certain ticket and advocate a definite platform in the national convention.

The national convention is the repository of the final authority of the party. It defines the fundamental ideals of the Nacionalista party, discusses the problems that confront the party, and decides upon its policies. It can be convoked by

the national committee, which must announce the exact place, date, and hour for its meeting. The convention is presided over by a temporary chairman designated by the national committee. The secretary of the national committee acts as the secretary of the convention.

The national committee, which is composed of representatives from each provincial delegation, meets immediately after the adjournment of the national convention to elect a president, a vice-president, a secretary-treasurer, and two members, all of whom constitute the executive committee of the party.

The Demócrata party is organized somewhat like the Nacionalista party. There are municipal assemblies and municipal committees equivalent to the municipal colleges and municipal committees of the Nacionalista party, provincial assemblies and provincial committees also equivalent to the provincial colleges and provincial committees of the Nacionalista party; a grand general assembly and a central committee and a directorate which are the counterparts in the Nacionalista party of the national convention, the national committee, and the executive committee of the Nacionalista party. The grand national assembly designates a central committee composed of a member from each provincial delegation, and this central committee elects a president, two vice-presidents, a treasurer, a secretary, and twelve members, who together constitute the directorate of the central committee of the Demócrata party.

The president of the Nacionalista party has always occupied the highest political position in the Government. This arrangement is in accordance with the theory that the leader of the party in power should also be the man responsible for the carrying out of the party policies in the government. Actuated perhaps by a similar theory, during the Fifth Leg

islature the president of the Demócrata party, the Hon. Emiliano T. Tirona, was the minority leader in the House of Representatives.

230. Elections. The greatest activity of political parties is naturally manifested at election time. Elections are held for the purpose of determining the opinion of voters as to who should be elected to office, and as to what policies should be followed by those in office.

Regular elections in the Philippines are held every three years (1922, 1925, etc.) on the first Tuesday in June. Special elections to fill vacancies may also be held when called by the Governor-General. Each voter in the regular provinces votes for a Senator, a Representative, a Governor, two members of the provincial board, a president, a vice-president, and councilors.

231. Qualifications of Voters. Every male person who is not a citizen or a subject of a foreign power, who is twentyJone years of age or over, who has been a resident of the Philippines for one year and of the municipality in which he offers to vote for six months next preceding the day of voting, is entitled to vote in all elections if comprised within either of the following three classes:

1. Those who under the laws in force in the Philippine Islands upon the twenty-eighth day of August, nineteen hundred and sixteen, were legal voters and had exercised the right of suffrage.

2. Those who own real property to the value of five hundred pesos, or who annually pay thirty pesos or more of the established taxes.

3. Those who are able to read and write either Spanish, English, or a native language.

The Philippine Legislature is empowered to change the qualifications of voters.