The record-union., 1899-07-12

8
comes a valley covered with water
twenty f1ve or thirty miles broad,
where another mountain rises.
From Manila north about 15O miles
between the foothills and this range is
very fiat country on which rice is
grown, the principal food of the peo-
pie. The surface of this rice land is
vegetable mold from two to three
feet deep. This mold is said by min
ers to be that of the vegetable that
makes coal. Underlying this is a
tough yellow clay Irrigation is not
practiced. Rice is grown only in the
rainy season, and as rice must have
plenty of water dikes about one foot
high are made in such way that all
the ground is evenly covered. To bring
this about very often the dikes in
close only 5Ox5O feet of land. but
where the land is level often an acre
can be inclosed so that the water COW
ers it all. 1t is all question of grade.
The clay subsoil holds water well, 50
that the only way the water gets out is
by seepage between the surface strata
and the clay subsoil. This is very
slow operation, with the result that all
~
held there by the dikes. The upper
other homely comparison, is about like
one of our mud springs. The only
difference between it and quicksand is
that it does not settle around one as
quicksand does, but a second step cam
not be taken until the one before it is
braced on the clay subsoil. Now the
lint, o1, l,A
Americans are, but the Americans
never know just where the Filipinos
are. In this way a small band of the
insurgents can come within a half
mile of the American camps in the
towns, rest and eat, then make an at
tack. If the Americans advance
against them the insurgents hide them
selves, but always have our boys in
sight and simply dodge around them.
If the troops get into the bog they are
soon worn out and the Filipinos, few
of whom know how to shoot, pick them
off leisurely
Let any man here who insists on
vigorous campaigning" pick out an
acre or two of your mud springs and ex-
pertinent awhile. Let him shoulder the
white mans burden, rifle, ammunition,
hard tack, ETC., and charge around
for an hour or two, and then let us hear
from him. He can then imagine what
it is like in a climate that is mild case
of steam room, with but little oxygen.
And this streak Of slush which runs
from the foothills to the sea is from five
to twenty miles wide, and the white
man cannot get rest by rapid shift
from hostile to pacifieo. All Indians
look alike to Americans. who protect
non -combatants, and they are often i'm
posed on after chasing a body, to come
upon an humble lot of pacificos The
majority of the pacificos are sincere,
but these dare not point out hostiles
who may have joined them.
But there will be vigorous campaign
ing, and the Americans will pick the
ground.
AS 1 before explained, Luzon is a
mountain range sloping toward the
Pacific on the east and toward the
China Sea on the west. The east side
and west side have exactly opposite
rainy seasons, these being governed by
the monsoon. The west side is now un-
der the influence and the east side is
having a dry season
On the south and east of Luzon is
where one-haf of all the hemp grown
in the Philippines comes FROM The ma.
tlves there are BicolS and are mortally
afraid of the Tagalos, with whom the
Americans have been fighting. The BIZ
coils number 100000, are peaceable and
fairly Industrious, are unarmed and
have great fear Of a gun. About 1000
Tagalos dominated their country before
the signing of the treaty. The BicolS
had no choice but to pretend to be with
them, but it is well known that the
Bicol leaders have implored Otis time
and again to send forces or arms to
them, as the Tagalos were shouldering
everything loose. AS Otis can now send
men, the season there being dry, I look
to see the Tagalos shift out in a hurry.
Otis policy heretofore took not of
the fact that in the Philippines there
are four races of people. These are the
Tagalos, Illocanos, Basayas and Bicols
The important thing to know is that
each race produces a separate crop, de-
pending on this for living. The food
of all is rice. but only the Tagalos have
rice land, the other three races having
to grow something else in order to get
rice. The Illocanos grow tobacco. the
1
Bicols hemp only
AS the Illocanos, Basayas and Bicols
to get rice had to depend, as they al
ways have, on. steamer and sail (for
there are no interroads), because the
rice came from around Manila, Otis
simply stopped steamers and sailing
vessels from clearing for any port that
was held by Tagalos. He did this to
!, he
Americans, not the Tagalos, were to be
consulted. This entailed some hard
ships, probably, but all Indian mental
operations are much assisted by an
empty condition of the stomach, alwavs
provided the emptiness does not be-
come chronic 1 do not think this has
been overdone and the Indians will in
time kindly remember that their condi-
ton could have been further aggra-
waited if the Americans were anything
else but humane.
The Americans are engaged on only
one-quarter of the people; namely, the
Tagalo race, and Of these only a small
class are really effective. This class
can be called the laboring class that
originated about Manila and Cavite,
and as soon as they acknowledge being
whipped it means practically peace all
over the islands. At present they are
running from place to place, and at best
are sneaking murderers. They will like
ly be rounded up blythe provincial lead
ers among the Tagalos, who must now
get their people to work planting rice.
To let this season pass would be suicide
for the provincial leader. for as soon
as famine sets in his influence and
power are gone The Annaricare will