The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-09-14

; and autonomy If We had not seen, by
! the behavior of Americans IN the be-
! ginning, that they were strongly op-
posed to us through race prejudice, and
the high handed methods Of dealing
with US made us fear for the future in
! your hands. Finally, we thank you
for your offers of autonomy under SOW
| ereignty."
Washington, September 13.-Morong
! one of the points on Laguna de Bay,
captured by General Otis months ago,
/ has been abandoned and the garrison
! sent to Calamba, the latest point ON
the baytO be captured. Morong is said
TO be very unhealthy place and OF
! little value as a base of supplies. The
insurgents south Of Calamba are be-
! lieVed to be moving east and are said
, to be concentrating at Santa Cruz on
the southeastern shore OF Laguna de
Bay.
SCHURMAN ON THE PHILIPPINE
QUESTION
ithaca. n. Y, September 13.-Presi-
dent Schurnan reI Lrned today to his
office III Cornell university. He gave
cut the following statement to the AS
sociated Press on Philippine affaips:
1T is very important that the public
should know the actual facts of the
situation. Things are what they are
and the American public should under
stand them, whether they agree with
or run counter to the public's wishes.
Il. 1t requires some effort to- realize
the vastness Of the archipelago, which
! extends in triangular form from For
mosa to Borneo and Celebes, through
sixteen degrees of latitude Never go
ing out into the Pacific ocean on the
east nor the China sea on the west, I
made a circuit of 1000 miles all south
of Manila. This gives some idea of the
difficulty of maintaining an effective
blockade, as the coast line of all the
islands embraced in the archipelago is
many more thousands of miles.
''2 The multiplicity and heterogen-
Gus nature of the tribes is something
astonishing. Over sixty different Ian
guages are spoken in the archipelago,
and though the majority of the tribes
are small there are at least half a doZ-
eu having 250,0O0 members. The langu-
ages of these people are as distinct
from one another as French and Span
ish and italian, so that the speech of
any one tribe is unintelligble ito its
neighbors. These tribes are all civil
,lized and Christianized, but small un-
civilized tribes, among whom the Igo
rotes, best known in America, inhabit
the mountains in IuZon and form
larger part of the population of Min
dano. In this island also there is a
large Mohammedan population, which
is independent of the Mohammedans in
the neighboring Sulu archipelago.
'3. 1t is the Taga1os inhabiting some
Of the provinces about Manila, who are
resisting the authority Of the United
States. Other civilized Filipinos are
neutral. except where they are coerced
by armed bands Of Tagalos, who SeiZ-
ed upon their governments during the
making and ratification of our peace
treaty with Spain. 1t would be incor-
. tribes are allies of ours. They are not.
! Indeed, they are not without suspicion
of the white race, Of which they have
| Eai experience only through Spain;
but there are men of intelligence and
| property and the masses when not STIR
red up by the Tagalos, recognize the
! advantage to them of American SOW
eignty and so remain neutral, although
robber bands from time to time de-
sceru from the mountains to plunder
! and burn the estates of the peaceful
inhabitants on the plains.
Il. The insurrection, though serious
enough, as experience has proven, is
not a national uprising. Indeed, there
! is no Philippine nation. AS have al
ready said, there is a multifariouS coll
| lection of tribes having only this in
common, that they belong to the Malay
race. The inhabitants of the archipeqa-
| go no more constitute a nation than the
| inhabitants of the continent of Eu-
rope do.
"5. The United States having assum-
| ed by a treaty OF peace with Spain SOW
! eighty over the archipelago became re-
sponsible for the maintenance Of peace
! and order, the administration of JUS
! tice, the security of life and property
among all the tribes of the archipelago.
This is an obligation which intelligent
| Filipinos, not less than foreign nations,
| expect us to fulfill. Nor will the nation
| all honor permit us to turn back. In
taking hte Philippine islands, we annex
| ed great responsibility. The fact that
the responsibility is heavier than most
| people supposed it would be, is no ex-
cuse for failure TO discharge it I re-
peat that the Philippine question is
essentially a question of national honor
and obligation
In reply to an inquiry whether any
| thing was now left but TO fight it out,
President Schurman said:
| In my opinion, much good would be
| done by a declaration on the part of
| congress of the form of government to
| be established in the islands, or better
| still, let congress establish a govern
ment for the Philippine islands and
| have it put in force in all parts and
| among all tribes hostile to the United
| States. This would serve several pur-
poses. 1t would distinguish between
our friends and enemies and treat the
| former according to their deserts It
would also give to our enemies a dem
| onstration of free government on the
| American plan, a very important point
| when it is remem bered that the Taga-
Fos claim, to be fighting for their liber-
| ty. And I had better call attention to
the fact that the government which