Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-09-14

Interesting Facts Abou. the Many 1rib
and the Islands Tney Inhab!t.
tBy Telegraph.l

SrhUrman returned today to his Office
in Cornell University. He gave out the
following statement to the Associated
Press ON Philippine affairs:
II is Very important that the public
should know the actual facts of the sit
! uation. Things are what they are, and
tho american public should understand
them whether They agree with or run
counter to the rublic's wishes
'First. it requires some effort to re-
alize che vastness Of the archipelago
which extends in triangular form from
| F'ormasa TO Borneo and 'Celehes
Through sixteen degrees OF latitude
Never going out into the Pacific coast
on the east nor the China sea on the
west. 1 made a circuit Of two thousand
Imiles south Of Manila. This gives some
idea Of the difficulty OF maintaining an
I effective blockade, as the coast line Of
all the islands embraced in the archi-
| peiago is many more thousands OF
| miles. .#
MEN OF MANY TONGUES.
! Second. the multiplicity and hetero-
Eereous nature of the tribes is some
thing astonishing. Over sixty different
| languages are spoken in the archipela-
go. and though the majority Of the
tribes are small, there are at least nais
a dozen having a quarter OF a million
members. The language of these peo-
pie are as distinct from one another as
French and Spanish or Italian. so that
the speech Of any one tribe is unintei-
/ ligible to its neighbors. These tribes,
among whom the 1sotrotcs seem best
knogn in America, inhabit the noun
tains in Luzon and form Il large part
of the population Of Mirdanao. In this
| ;.-I,, ,t-., tI,,.,
dan population, which is independents
OF NIohammedans in the neighboring
Sulu archipelago.
| TAGALOS ONLY HOSTILE.
Third. it is the Tagalos, inhabi,ns
some Of the provinces about Man!:i.
Who are resisting the authority CT the
United States. Other civilized Fiipi-
los are neutral except where they are
coerced by armed bands of Tagalos, Who
seized upon their governments during
the making and the ratification Of our
peace treaty.,yith Spain. It would be
incorrect to assume, however, that
| these tribes are allies of ours They
are not. Indeed. they are not without
suspicion Of the White race of which
they have had experience only ;1ougll
| Spain. But there are men of i:itcll
Sence anC, property and the masses
| when not stirred up by the TagaloS
recognize the advantage 10 them of
american sovereignty and 81 s.e.-,ai:,
neutral although rUbber bands f.. I,
time TO time descend from the luo,,iii-
| tains TO plumber and burn the estates
| or the peaceful inha bitants on the
| plains.
Fourth. the insurrectlon. though, Sc
rlouS enough. as experience has prov
en- is not q national uprising, Indeed
there is no Philippine nation.
| OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Flfth. the United States having as
sumed BY Il treaty OF peace with Spain
sovereignty over the archipelago. y
came responsible for the maintenance
| Of peace and order, the administration
property among all the tribes of the
archipelago. This is an obligation
Whlch intelligent Filipinos. not less than
foreign nations. expect us to fulfill.''
IN reply to an inquiry whether any
thlnE W;.s now left but to fight ii out,
President Schurman said
In my opinion. much good would 10
| done by a declaration on the part Of III
congress OF the form Of government 10
be established in the islands, or. better
sun, let Congress establish a govern
,nent Tor the Philippine islands ana
nave II put in force in all parts and
among all tribes hostile to the Unitr1
states. This would serve several our
poses t would distinguish betw,.a.,
CUT friends and enemies and treat the
former according to their deserts
As TO SELF GONERN,M EiNT
Asked about the capacity of the Fill
piho peoples to govern themselves.
PRESIDENT Schurman replied that thav
had no experience in self govern,ut,t
except IN municipal affairs and even
! these We're subject to the control ,f tho
spanish authorities. He thought. how
ever that each tribe might subiac- n
tne supervision OF a wise general gov
eminent. manage in the main its owl,
Iiiunicipal and provincial affairs. Su-
nervlsinn from Manila would vary With
the position which the different tribes
occupied in the scale Of civilization.
POE STATUE UNWILLING