I well remember the consternation which Mr.Taft created on this trip, when in announcing the appointment of a man of strong character who was much disliked by some of the people present, he said that if the appointee did not behave well his official head would be promptly removed.

Surprise showed on almost every face in the audience.

They had become sufficiently accustomed to the idea of being beheaded or otherwise sent out of the world by their own people, but had been led to believe that the Americans were a humane nation, and it took Mr.Taft at least five minutes to explain his joke.
During the second week in March the commission transferred its officers bodily to the United States Army Transport _Sumner_ and started on a long journey in the course of which it visited and established provincial governments in eighteen provinces, [462] returning to Manila on the 3d of May.
This trip was most interesting but dreadfully wearing.

Everywhere we were overwhelmed by the hospitality of our Filipino friends.

We arrived at some new place nearly every morning, and the programme in each was much the same.