This document is the annual report submitted by the Governor General of the Philippine Islands to the United States Secretary of War for the calendar year 1919. The report is significant as it covers a period of heightened political activity and economic readjustment immediately following the end of World War I. The Governor General discusses the renewed and vigorous campaign for Philippine independence, noting the unanimous instruction from the Philippine Legislature to send a mission to the United States and publicly supporting the grant of independence based on the established "stable government" prerequisite of the Jones Act. The report also documents the first general elections under the expanded suffrage of the Jones Act. Economically, the document details the post-war disruption of trade, a sharp fall in prices for key exports like hemp, and the resulting strain on insular finances, currency, and banking reserves. It outlines the Philippine Government's policy of engaging in public ownership of corporate enterprises, such as the Philippine National Bank and National Coal Company, to encourage development in the absence of major American or foreign investment. The report provides a comprehensive overview of insular affairs, including finance, justice, public instruction, health, agriculture, commerce, and the administration of the non-Christian areas, particularly the Department of Mindanao and Sulu.
Report of the Governor General of the Philippine Islands to the Secretary of War, 1919 (January 1 to December 31, 1919).