The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-21
SCHURMAN ON THE ISLANDS.
RETURNED COMMISSIONERS GIVES
SOME OF HIS VIEWS.

Tells Nothing of His OmciaI Investi-
GatiOns-Causes He Gives for the
RebeIIiOn-TaIes the Leaders Tell.
AguinaIdo Is believed to He Hon
est-HOw the WarliISe TngaIOs
COerce the other Tribes-rhey
Have Learned to Fear Americans
Chicago. Aug. a.-Jacob Gould schur-
man, United States commissioner to the
Philippines, arrived in Chicago to-day
from the islands, of which he has just com
pleted a siX-months study a. the instance
of President Mckinley He left to-nighg for
his home in Ithaca, n. y, and viii report
to the President as soon as a meeting can
be arranged. In an interview he said;
80 far as the results of my official nego-
tiauons with the representatives. OF ASu-
naldo or other Filipino officials are con
cerned, l am not at liberty to talk unth
have made my report TO the President
Concerning the islands IN general, however,
there is much to be told. In my opinion
the rebellion the last of which We are try
ing to suppress, was due In the first place
to several causes, the principal of when
were the tyranny of some of the religious
orders, the exercise of arbitrary power by
the governor generals and the delay and
corruption of justice.
THE leaders of the revolution tell their
followers the most astounding tales of the
Americans, and the common people be
lieve that the priests under American rule
would subject them to the same tyranny.
That the American army killed priests
or otherwise maltreated churchmen or
church property, is, l believe, utterly with
out foundation.
"Aguinaldo is believed in the islands to
be honest, and l think that he is acunS
honestly in money matters, but whether
KrtaTl|
not say. While | do not care to discuss
the real motives behind the rebellion at
this time l will say that if il were sup
pressed there would be many prominent
native officials out of an occupation"
Mr. Schurman told how the Tasalos,
who outnumber all the other tribes in the
vicinity of Manila, kept natives of other
races from showing their frendiiness to-
wards the United States, even when IT wa
impossible to secure their active parucl-
patton in the war against the Americans
THE Tagalos," he said, have sent out
little bands of men to the chief towns OF
many of the islands. They send seventy
five or 100 armed men, and it is easy for
them to keep the unarmed population of
several thousand in a passive state. The
| principle is the same as when three or
| four armed highwaymen hold up a pas
| senger train. BY sheer force Of nerve and
| guns they make the passengers all sub
|
( equally high-handed in their methods. one
| observation which Mr.. Schurman made
| of a hopeful nature concerned the in
| creased respect which the Tagalos have
| felt for the Americans since fighting be
| gan.
Before the first battle he said the
| Filipinos teased and tormented and insult
| ed our men at will and. because there
was no fighting in return, they thought
| the Americans were all towards. Since
| that first night with one or two excep-
| tons, there have been no strong, stand-up
| fights and l think they have come to
| have a wholesome respect for the Ameri-
| cans A man who recently came in from
the country told me that the case now
was that the Tagalos began to fear God
| right away whenever they saw an Amerl-
| can soldier"
Mr.. schurman declined to answer the
| question whe her he had been the subject
| of any anti-imperialst communications,
| saying that on that question, or any which
touched it even indirectly, he would not
| speak. He also declined 10 give an opinion
| on the length of time it would take to sup
| press the rebellion.
When asked if he considered the reten-
ton of the Philippines good policy on the
| part of tbs country, Mr.. Schurman said
| that the resources of the islands We're
| great, but that he must decline to com
nit himself on the subject of making them
I mart If this country