Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-31
LETTER FROM LIEUT., MORROW
Writes Interestingly from Angeles, LuSon,
in the Philippine Islands,
AMERICAN POLICY TOWARD THE NATIVES
War seems to re Nearly ONer-SOmc
Idea of Outpost Duty IN Given
F%iIipinoS Are QuicL
and sharp.
AMERICAN POLICY TOWARD THE NATN

days ago from Lieutenant Henry NJ. Nor
row, who was formerly clerk In the judges
office:
ANGELES, Luzon, Philippine Islands, Nov,
Il, 1Sg9.-My Dear Judge: After a day OF
hard riding | feel. like a man who would
rather write a letter than do any wander
ing around. All day yesterday | was out
with a party hunting up "caribans" and
"carradans, that is, oxen and OK carts. The
great problem here for the army is that Of
transportation. The other day while | was
at Mahalacat over night on escort duty, l
asked the adjutant general OF the division
whether the division had advanced that day.
mo, it is all a matter OF rations,' he
answered. The rations could not be OBJ
tanned because of lack Of transportation and
so everything falls back on that one prob
lem.
Night before last General Macarthur tele-
graphed to his q"uartermaster to obtain at
once $50 carts and oxen. 1t was in an eff
fort TO get these that a number of us were
securing the surrounding country all day
yesterday. We started out a little party
of ten in order to be able to handle any
wandering party of insurrectos that might
be met. 1t is very rare that one finds here
an isolated farmhouse as the farmhouses
are found in the United States. A lone
house, a mile from any other, would be quite
remarkable here. But the little farmers
in a little district conEregate together in a
little villare or "barrio.' II seems to be
the same plan that has been urged for the
American farmer.
Well, our procedure was to ride in these
little barrios containing from fifty to leo
or 200 natives, to say nothing of the dogs,
and round up all except one or two oxen
and carts. Each is accompanied by a ma
tive driver and the government pays 81
MEX and rations a day for u driver, cart
and OK. We experienced no difficulty in
getting what we found and did not find it
necessary to force any Of them. All were
very friendly and were pleased at getting
these wages. | say "plcased;' well, they
were when their fears were Gained and they
once realized that something fearful was
not about to overtake them. But the poor
wrctches have been away from their homes
for months living in the mountains and
subject to all the inclemencies OF the
weather and they are no fonder of the
weather than We are. They use umbrellas
to shield them from the sun and hunt for
protection from the rain and become sick
from fevers and other diseases, all the same
like Americana. Only since November s.,
NAl'H wv NANlSloh HP NhS y ~
movement and drove Aguinaldo north, have
these poor wretches dared to come back
again to rolight their fires. In several cases
families arrived while we were in the bar
RIO" their families and chickens inside
the covered cart and the dog following. To
have their oxen and carts taken away before
they had fairly returned seemed hard. Many
OF them cannot believe they will ever be
paid.
American Policy Toward Natives.
1t is our policy to make them friendly
by treating them with the greatest fair
ness and even generosity. This policy will
hereafter assist Us IN keeping the island
pacific. In line with this policy we took
with us the surgeon of the regiment with
sOmo medicine suitable for fevers. His
services and medicines were freely distrib-
utod.
We found considerable fever and the little
babies were suffering more than the rest.
But the kind treatment had its effect. As
We came back through some villages some
mothers with sick children who had not
allowed their children to be dcctored as we
went out, met us with the children at the
outskirts Of the village asking for the doe
tor. a large number Of passes were also
given to admit persons who cannot be
helped except at the hospital. The whole
process in dealing with the natives and all
our course of treatment has been something
that is above criticism from the standpoint
of justice and humanity. 1t is not generally
thought that this confding treatment is
a good thing in the large towns, where, ac-
cording to accounts, treachery has been fire.
quently met with. There some severity is
necessary to hold in check those who are
anxious to cause trouble.
We found the people in these ''barrics''
speak a dialect that is not understood by a
! Spaniard and in turn very few understand
Spanish. The little Spanish we have learned
is usually of no service TO us. This seems
singular when you consider that we are
only ifty-seven miles from Manila, yet we
can find other dialects quite different even
shorter distances from here. The larger
towns are quite pretty in appearance and
reasonably clean, but the little ones when
the weather is wet look like an American
hog wallow, they smell like one, too, and
they could very easily pass for one. Hogs
are present, too, to hoighten the resem-
blance. Undoubtedly all this is the very
lowest and poorest of the farming popula-
ton, and | guess the owest and poorest
OF all countries look alike to me. 1t is the
great middle class that etermine interna-
tlonal standing Of a people, and that middle
class seems to be lacking here so far as |
have been able to discover. OF course, we
see things at their worst, just after two
armies have passed through, and the vii
lagos have for months been abandoned.
Town OF Angeles.
This village of Angeles pronounced An
hales), which is credited with a population
OF 1900, IS considered one of the prettiest,
best drained and best built towns occupied
by the troops. Very few native inhabitants
are here, but they are rapidly sneaking in
now. We are not anxious to have them come
back for there is nothing here to support
them, while in the country they can earn
a living at least. ! shall not attempt 10
describe the houses. l was surprised to find
here and there in the town and out in the
country the wreck Of a modern sewing ma,
chine, but along with IT we found stocks
such as were once used in our country tc
punish people.
Yesterday in the mountains, in a new
village of Halacat refugees. | found a side
saddle of good make, while the village wa:
filthy; also a young Filipino wearing a Stct.
son stiff hat, while the presence Of diseas,
WAS NEST manifest. II is "A great Mace fpl