The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-04

Of rifle fire was frequently audible at
our house. A reign Of terror prevailed.
ttlipinos who had favored Americans
feared assassination, and few had the
courage to come out openly for us
Fortunately, there werc among this
number some or the best men of the
city.
As one result Of the issuing of the
proclamation of the commission which
is more particularly described herein
after, the objection was raised by the |
insurgents that the Spaniards had |
promised that and more than we did |
and had done nothinE They asked |
for acts. The commission was anxious |
to meet this very lustifabe demand. |
ana as a first step strongly urged the |
re-establishment of the law courts. /
which had been in suspension since |
the surrender Of the city. Early in
June the supreme court was reopened !
with i've Filipino and three American |
justices. Courts of first instance and !
Justice courts We're established later |
when the difficult problem Of securing
suitable Filipino officials had been sat
islaCtorilY solved This action great
~ aided In the restoration of public
confidence.
The flow of population soon began to
set toward the city. Natives who had
fled from their homes returned, while
many OF those outside cur lines begln
to clamnr for admission, regarding
Manila as place of refuge to be
sought rather than as at tic time of
our arrival n danger center to be
avoided. The native population near.
ly doubled in two weeks. and it was
necessary TO impose severe restrictions
on immigration in order TO prevent
dangerous OVercrowding. Among the
refugees came men Of intelligence from
all over IuzOn. ana we soon gained.
from competent witnesses. an accurate
idea of conditions throughout the ISL
end. We learned that the strong anti
American feeling was confined to the
Tagalog provinces. namely: Manilaf
Cavite, Laguna, Eatangas MoronC
Bulacan Nueva Eciia. Frincipc, Infan-
Ia and Tamhnles. 1t was strongest in
the first six named. and hardly exist
ed in the last four The population of
these provinces is estimated to be
about 1000 900, but il should not be
supposed that even in the six provinces
immediately adjacent to Manila the
people were united in their opposition
to us. Even hero there was \ strong
conservative element. consisting of peo-
pie of wealth and intelligence, opposed
to tho war.
THE REBELLION NOT 4 Ma
TIONAL MOVEMENT.
In the remaining provinces of Luzon,
| the Tagalog rebellion was viewed at
first with Indifference. and later with
fear. Throughout the archipelago at
large there was trouble only at those
points to which armed Tagalogs had
been sent in considerable numbers In
general, such machinery of govern
| ment' as existed, served only for plum
dering the people under the 2reteXt of
leNying war contributions" while
many of the insurgent officials were
rapidly accumulating wealth The ad-
mlnistration of justice was paralyzed
and crime of all sorts was rampant.
Might was the only law. Never in the
worst days of Spanish misrule had the
people been so oVertaXed or SO badly
! governed. In many provinces there
was absolute anarchy and from all
! sides came petitions for protection and
! help which we were unable to give, as
| troops could not be spared. The feel
! Ing between the opposing armies was
! at this time very bitter.
When Gen. Macarthur began the
movement which ended in the taking
| of MalOloS, the natives, at the order
| of Gen. Luna, fired their towns before
his advancing columns Those who
were unwilling to leave their homes
We're driven out by insurgent soldiers.
! who burned their houses. The object
| of this inhuman procedure was to COM
| pei the inhabitants to flee before us,
| and thus prevent their learning from
! experience that the fearful tales con-
! cerning our soldiers, with which they
| had been deceived, were myths. This
! method of procedure, eminently sue
| CesSful at first, in the end TeCOlcd on
| its authors, provoking so much oppOsi-
! tion that the obnoxious order was re-
| voked. Before the commission left the
| Philippines, nearly all the inhabitants
| had returned to these ruined villages.
Many Of the houses had been rebuilt.
! Fields that had lain fallOW for three
years were green with growing crops.
! Municipal government had been estab-
| lished and the people, protected by our
! troops, We're enjoying peace. security
and a degree of participation i'm their
| own government previously unknown
! in the history Of the Philippines. At
! tempts of the insurgents to raise re-
| cruits and money i'm the province of
| Bulacan We're proving ahortive, except
! when backed by bayOnets and bullets,
! md even in such cases the natives We're
applying to us for help to resist them.
| ESTABLISHMENT OF MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENTS.
1t was not, however i'm the province
| of Bulacan that the first municipal
/ governments We're established. Dur
|
. there was a tacit truce along our south
line, but later in the month the insur-
gents became aggressive at this point
and Gen. Lawton took the field against
them, driving them from Paranquc ana
Las Pinas and utterly routing them at
/ the Seapote river. BaCoor also was
occupied. and the presidcnte Of linus
came out to meet Gen. LawtOn offer
ing to surrender his town and asking
for q garrison, which was furnished.
4 visit to these towns at this time
| revealed q greatly changed public SEN
, timent. The inhabitants had neither
| burned their homes, nor, as rule,
abandoned them, but had quietly
| awaited the arrival OF the American
troops. Those who had remained soon
| learned that their confidence had not
been misplaced and those who had fled
speedily returned. We found their con-
dition to be most pitiable. They had
been plundered by the insurgent
troops. who had robbed them of jewels,
money, clothing and even food, so that
| they were literally starving. Peace
able citizens had been fired on, women
had been maltreated. and there was
general satisfaction that the Ameri-
! cans had come at last. Large quanti-
ties of food were promptly distributed
among the hungry, a measure which
| resulted in great good.
Conditions seemed favorable for an
| American propaganda. The towns Of
| BaCoOr and linus We're selected for
| purposes of experiment, as they We're
| VIGOROUSLY the two most rebelious
towns Of the most rebellious province
i'm the islands In such places the
"headmen" were called together and a
| frank talk was had with them. our
! purposes were fully explained, and they
: Vvnra 11rgal n state their own wishes