The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-08-23
SCHURMAN RETURNS
FROM PHILIPPINES.

EkUM PHlLl11lNEO.
The Commissioner is Very
Guarded in His Utterances.
HIS REPORT TO PRESIDENT.
Chicago, Aug. 20-Jacob Gould
Schurman, United States commits
sioner to the Philippines, arrived in
Chicago today from the islands OF
which he has just completed
6 months study at the instance OF
President Mckinley. He left tonight
for his home in Ithaca, N. Y and
will report to the president as soon
as meeting can be arranged In an
interview he said (:
$50 far as the results of my official
negotiations with the representatives
of Aguinaldo OF other Filipino officials
are concerned, I am not at liberty to
talk till I have made nay report to the
president. Concerning the islands in
general, however. there is much to
be told. In my opinion the rebel.
lion, the last of which we are trying
to suppress, was due in the first
place to several causes, the principal
of which were the tyranny of some
of the religious orders, the exercise
of arbitrary power by the governor
generals and the delay and corruption
of jastice.
.sThe leaders Of the rebellion tell
their followers the most astounding
tales of the Americans and the COM
mos people believe that the priests
under American rule would subject
them to the same tyranny. That the
American array Killed priests or 9th.
erwise maltreated church men or
church property is. believe, utterly
without foundation.
e.Aguinaldo is believed in fhe ISL
ands to be honest and / think that
he ie acting honestly in money mat
ters, but whether from moral or polit'
ical reasons would not say.
"While I do not care to discuss
the real motives behind the rebellion
a. this time, will say that if it were
suppressed there would be many
prominent native officials out of an
occupation "
Mr. Schurman declined to answer
the question whether he had been
the subject of any ansi-imperialist
communications. saying that, on that
question. or any which touched it
even Indirectly he would not speak
He also declined to give an opinion
on the length of the time it would
take to suppress the rebellion.
When asked if he considered the
retention of the Philippines good
policy on the part of this country,
Mr. Schurman said that the resources
of the islands were great, but that
he must decline to commit himself on
the subject of making them part of
this country.
Mr. Schurman told how the Tagals,
who outnumbered all the other tribes
in the vicinity of Manila, kept natives
of other races from showing their
towards the United
States, even when it was impossible
to secure tbeir active participation in
the war against us The Tagais, !"
be said. s'haye sent out little bands
of men. to the chief towns of many
of the islands They send Is or 100
armed men, and it is easy for them
to keep the unarmed population of
several thousand in passive state
The principle is the same as when
three or four armed highwaymen
hold up passenger train By sheer
force of nerve and guns they make
the passengers all submit to being
robbed The Tagals are equally
in their methods /"
One observation which Mr. Schur-
man made of hopeful nature con
cerned the increased respect the
Tagals have felt for the Americans
since the fighting begaa.
"Before the fret BATTLE" he said,
"the Filipinos teased and tormented
and insulted our men at will, and
because there was no fighting in
return they thought the Americans
were all towards Since that first
night with one or two exceptions.
there have been no strong etand up
fights and / think they have come to
have a wholesome respect for the
A man who recently
came in from the country told me
that the case now was that the
TagaIs began to fear God right away
whenever be saw an American SOL
dior ~