The times., 1899-03-12

several other churches, including that of
the Santo Nino. or Sacred Child. whose
image is on object of reverence. no to say
alteration. to the whole island. The tri-
angular fort is of stone, painted red. and
the government buildings are solid LOOK
ing, while there are stone residences that
indicate comfort and taste as We as COM
paratiye wealth. The whole island OF C2-
bu. which is hundred miles long and
somewhat mountainous. is not on,y fertile
and verdaut, but il is healthy, and is Oc-
cGpied by people of pnacsable spos ton
and civiliZable tendencies. II is doubtful
if they know Aguinaldo or would BE- much
entced by his emissaries. Several foreign
consuls and commercial agents have long
lived at Cebu, and when we get ready to
take possession it ought to be a favOrab e
centre from which to diitusa a b tier un-
derstandng of our purposes and of the
character of American sovereignty.
MosIcm NoEn,s OF Min,i..nno.
If the Spanish hold upon the Visayas has
been comparatively feeble it has been next
to none at all upon the great southern ISL
and Of Mindanao. This was a military gen
eral division, with headquarters at Zambo-
anga, on the peninsula that stretches to the
southwest toward the Suu archipelago
and was nominally divided into eight prov
inCes and districts, under officers subor-
dinate to the commanding general. Except
at the garTisoned military stations. there
was practically no exercise of Spanish au-
thority. and there was scarcely the sem
biance of civil government anywhere In
fact the bulk of the population of Mnda-
mao is made up of the Moslem Maays
whom the Spaniards call Moros. and they
were allowed 10 remain under the rule of
the Sultan of Sulu with nominal recog-
milton of the sovereignty of Spain. This
was because they had been found intract-
able under Spanish methods of forcing
submission. which were always rapacious
and brutal 1t is to the credit of the Moros
that they would not stand the treatment
administered by the Spanish military au-
thorities, but whether they will be amen
able to more rational and humane inf
ences remains to be seen.
Gave Spain Much Troubs
Zamboanga is almost the ,r~-y place ON
the southern island of v.ien dehhlte IN
formation can be obt~-hed, and this is very
,,oo,-o II ,,.os -.st established as an open
,or+ hao,,,s- Spain was unable to enforce
nm, c,,s.In house regulations at Sulu, and
che -.fed to compel vessels trading at that
lace to call at Zamboanga. 100 miles
away, for clearance. The plan did not
work and the veXatious restrictions and
charges prevented Zamboanga from build
ing up any trade of its own, though it
would have been convenient port of call
for Australian vessels. The Mosem tribes
are mostly in the interior and on the
northern section coasts. while the popu-
latiOn about this port is mainly a mixed
breed descended from slaves and cap
tives of the time of the piratical forays
among the northern islands. Zamboanga
has fort and pier running out to deep
water. and has wide and decently kept
streets and a generally pleasant aspect
There is a vast undeveloped domain of
which it might become the co nmercial out
let if the people can be induced to give
themselves TO industrial pursuits. The
people of the string OF Sulu is ands are
akin to those of Mindanae. without the
mixed breeds and wild tribes of aborig-
ines which remain in the latter. Thzy
are much like the natives of Borneo. who
have long been submissive to British au-
thority.
The long island of Palawan on the
western verge of the Philippine archi-
pelago, was added to the Spanish possess
sions in comparatively recent times and
was never made of much use. In fact
its government was under a naval officer
at Puerto Princesa. and there was scarce
ly any pretence of exercising authority
beyond the reach of his guns. A convict
colony was maintained at the naval ) a
tion and cultivated n big government
sugar plantation, and over the interior of
the island, much of which is heavily
wooded, the Moros range in the south and
the semi -barbarous tribes OF Tagbanuas
in the north. \ few Tasalos from Luzon
constitute the only partly civilized peo-
pie in the island.
4 Long Task Ahead.
Il is obvious that the task OF the United
States in gaining possession of the Philip
pine archipelago ana determining the final
disposition, control, and government there
of. must be gradually and carefully worked
out unless the almost uncomfortable alter
native is to be adopted of giving it up. Tha
population which has never been enumer-
ated, is variOusly estimated at from seven
TO ten millions. of which fully one-half is
in the island Of Luzon and about one third
in the Visayas. leaving barely a sixth for
the Islands virtually controlled by the Mos
lem Malays Of the south. The remnant
OF the Negritos lgorottes. and other wild
tribes which are mostly in the interior
a2d northern part Of Luzon among the
mountains Of the MindaHao, Mindoro and
Palawan constitutes only small fraction
OF the population, and would be u much
less troublesome factor than the North
American Indian is. even at the present
day.
The mass of the Tagalos and Visayos.
under three centuries and more OF Span
ish rule. mostly OF military order and
by brutal harshness and ex-
acting corruption and under priestly in
hucnce that has been repressiye rather
than progressive or elevatng have be-
come more Civilizable than civilized
These who have come in contact with Eu-
rcpean influences aut the stimulus Of for
eign commerce at 81 Mia ana across the
China Sea have acquired aspirations for
independent national existence which are
out CT proportion 20 the capacity OF the
mass OF the people 10 sustain. They do not
IN any sense represent the mass of the
people OF the islands. but only restless
and ambitious element. in which the half
breed or mestizo strain prcdominates. in
the provinces which are in constant con-
with Manila
We Can Control.
To leave the fate of the Philippines in
the hands of AguiRaldo and his associates
fsfa NOV, g,tIFyI,..,,.,I