The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-11-03


Indifference and later with fear
Throughout the ichipelago at large
there was troublenly at those points
to which armed 7agalogs had been
sent in considerab numbers. In many
provinces there W. absolute anarchy,
and from all side came petitions for
protection and he.
AS to the state)f affairs when the
commission left, II report says:
| Before the comission left the
! Philippines nearlyall the inhabitants
had returned to ne ruined villages.
Many of the hous had been rebuilt.
! Fields that had lin fallow for three
years were green 18th growing crops.
Municipal governments had been es-
| tablished, and the eople, protected by
! our troops, were njoying peace, Sc
curity and a degre Of participation III
! their own government previously un-
known in the hiory of the Philip
| pines"
The MunlcIpf Governments.
A chapter folloB on the establish
ment Of municipal overnments, saying
that with a singl exception the Of
/ tlcials elected proed worthy. In the
! Tagalog province Luzon, where the
anti-American feehg had been strong
est public sentiment had greatly
changed. "The on island apart from
| Luzon," says the ipOrt, "where seri-
| GUS trouble threateB is Panay"
Special attention is given to the
! Island of Negros, this seemed
| field well adapted { the extension of
an American systei. Here the ma
| tives had adopted a )cal form of gov
ernmont including Hongress, and had
raised the Americal flag. They be-
| lieved themselves capble of managing
their own affairs, nd asked for a
battalion of troops t, hold in check a
mountainous band fanatics The
battalion was furnished, but the peo-
pie proved unable tc carry out their
program. Tho commission says:
"The fat failure IF this attempt
to establish an Independent native
government in Negro. conducted as 1t
was under the most ivorable circum-
stances, makes it APPARENT that here,
as well as in the les favored prov
| inces, a large amont of American
control is at preseu absolutely es-
sential to a successft administration
of public affairs"
The efforts at cuciiation with
Aguinaldo and his Vrious commits
sions are set forth in etail The COM
mission adds that noting came of ne
gotiatiOns as Aguinado's emissaries
were without power ad merely came.
and came again, for formation.
Concerning the Filimos' intellectual
capacities the commission says:
"The commission islisposed to rate
them high. But excepting in a limited
number of persons tese capacities
have not been deyelopd by education
or experience. The misses of the peo-
pie are uneducated. That intelligent
public opinion on with popular gov
eminent rests does ut exist in the
Philippines. And it annot exist until
education has elevaed the masses.
Even then the powC of self govern
ment cannot be assumed without con-
siderable previous thinning and expert
ence.'
Incapable of Sci Government.
The report showsthat this inability
for self government is due to the old
Spanish regime, witch gave the Fill
pinos little or no part in governing
themselves Aftel reviewing this
Spanish system the commission says:
SHOULD our power by any fatality
be withdrawn the commission believes
that the government of the Philippines
would lapse into alarchy, which would
excuse, if it did nd necessitate, the in
tervention of Other powers, and the
eventual division Of the islands among
them Only through American occu-
patton, Therefore, is the idea of free
self governing and united Philippine
commonwealth at all conceivable. And
the indispensable need from the Fill
pino point of view of maintaining
American sovereignty over the archipel-
ago is recognized by all intelligent Fill
ipinos and even by those insurgents
who desire an American protectorate
The latter it is true, would take the
revenues and leave us the responsible
tiles. Nevertheless, they recognize
the indubitable fact that the Filipinos
cannot stand alone"
One of the closing chapters of the
report is devoted to a tribute to "ouI
soldiers and sailors in the war" The
commission says that the presence OF
Admiral Dewey as a member of this
body makes it uniting to dwell on
it's personal achievements, but he joins
in the eulogy of his comrades.
The War numanely Conducted.
The commission dismisses the re.
ports of the desecrating of churches
the numbering of prisoners and tht
committing of unmentionable crimes
and says it is glad to express the be-
lief that a war was never more nu.
namely conducted.
The commission gives a general view
of the value of the islands, their rich
ness in agricultural and forest pro
ducts, their mineral wealth, and theil
commanding geographical position
They state that the Filipino islands
should soon become one of the grea
trade centers of the east.
The report concludes.
"Our control means to the inhabi