The Indianapolis journal., 1898-09-02
LIGHT ON PHILIPPINES
sPANIARDS roo INDoLENT TO COUNT
THE sWARMING ISLANDERS.
American Naval Oficers Carefully Es-
innate the Population and the
Area of the Group.
ravite Letter in New York Tribune.

Cavite Letter in New York Tribune.
Spain has had possession of the Philip
pine islands for several centuries yet in all
that time she has never been able to corner
and hold all of her unwilling subjects long
enough to count them accurately, and her
easy-going representatives have lacked the
energy even TO enumerate or survey the
hundreds of islands composing the group.
AS result accurate information upon either
population or area simply cannot be OBJ
tained. The American naval officers have
gone into both subjects carefully and have
made estimates of both. based upon the
best official information obtainable and
their own observations, making allowance
for certain conditions encountered They
place the population Of the group at $780,
600, the area at $4,000 square miles and the
number of islands, including the small ones,
at 100. Recent Spanish reports from the
provinces and islands where the Castilian
is completely established and his govern
ment duly recognized show the entirely
tame population to be 5,976341. The same
report places the rumber of natives who
defy Spanish authority at $4,000 in the
Philippines, and $4,000 in the Carolines and
adds the fact that there were no doubt
many concealments in the returns from the
peace districts. In the latter connection,
the pure Chinese are credited with an actual
registration of 1886, and evasions and con-
cealments to the number of 24,S4S, or 80 per
cent. of the number acknowledged by the
willy heather. The natural instinct of the
natives and coolies has been to avoid knowl-
edge of their existence on the part of or
ficials. as discovery and registration have
meant harassing taxes.
STRENGTH OF THE WILD TRIBES.
Spain has never been at peace with all of
the black subjects, despite sundry claims
as to complete pacifcation. AS stated
above, the official census returns gave the
strength of the independent tribes at 692, 900,
but the number is probably far in excess of
that. Mindanao and Basilan with 2O9O
Paragua and the Solu or Jolo group with
100000. and the Carolires with 5000, are
officially credited as being the strongholds
that have defied the red and yellow, but
they are alone in their defiance. There are
thousands of natives on the Island of Luzon
who can see the shining towers and spires
of Manila from their mountain retreats who
defy the soldiers of Alfonso and pay no
tribute to the imperial treasury. Mindanao,
with its fierce and warlike tribes, knows
greater freedom than all, although in near
ly every island there are tribes who have
remained unconquered for centuries. Their
own ability warriors has been aided by
swamp, jungle and mountain Businesses.
Modern methods of warfare have been use
less against them, and they have almost
invariably triumphed, Spanish experience
here is that which Japan is now having in
Formosa.
Blanco. now captain general in Cuba, was
most successful of all the leaders sent to
Mindanao. He closed a very successful cam
paign there in the fall of 1895 with the
battle of Laguna de Lanao, in which he
completely defeated and routed the allied
tribes. He crushed the native army, block
AIDED the seaports and stopped all trading
until peace was sued for. The fragments
gathered soon after he left, however and
the actual gain was in the long run ma
terially reduced. The two great centers of
population are the bay of Manila and the
Island of Panay. The four provinces 'front.'
ing on Manila bay contain nearly one mil
lion people. The province of Manila con-
tains over 300, 900, most of whom live in the
city of Manila. Panay is a formidable rival
of the countries of the world that boast of
dense populations, for, with an area of 1890
square miles, 1T has a population now placed
at $4,000 The figures offer some suggestions
to the people of California who boast of a
better soil, more resources and a better
climate.
POPULATION TABLES
The latest official returns as to the peace
population are as follows, the figures being,
in most instances, for provinces, but in