By corruptions on Skatehive
, we decided for reasons of self interest to divest ourselves of the Philippines before local leaders wanted full independence, under conditions (world depression and looming war) which bid fair to destroy the Philippine nation, and nearly did.47When "popular" elections were introduced, those qualified to vote had to be male, had to be at least twenty-three years old, had to have held a municipal office before August 13, 1898, had to he literate in either English or Spanish, and had either to have owned real property valued at at least $230 or to have paid an annual tax of $15. The qualifications were formulated by the Taft Conunission upon the recommendation of Filipinos whom they consulted and who, as it turned out, wanted stricter qualifications for greater exclusivity.48 The elite thus gained the most from the system and "were definitely recognized as the governing class. "49 According to D. Corpuz, only 3 % of the national population comprised the electorate, so "the growth and co