Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-23

AFTER SuBJUG dTTON RECONSTRUCTION.
After the United states shall have
subjugated the Illpinos s-assuming
that the policy already entered upon
will bc carried out-therc will come the
task of reconStruction-pr providing a po-
lltical and social framework for those
people, of whose ma turc and wants we
know very little. That this will be II
most difficult and tedious task there
can be no doubt, for we shall
have not one or two races TO deal
with, but a number of races, some
of them in natural state of saw
agcry who have never submitted 10
any rule, others semisavages ana
perhaps not one-tenth of the entire pop
ulatiop of the islands sufficiently intel
ligent to understand the principles we
shall apply TO their government, while
most of those who have this intelligence
are earnestly hostile to our rule.
According to the most trustworthy
estimates-for there are no accurate sta
tistics of the Philippine population-the
Tagals, with whom we are now at war,
number 100000. These are the most
intelligent of the inhabitants, though
the large majority of them are field
hands, day Jaborers, servants, agricul-
turiSts and small traders. Next in num-
bers are the Nisayas, about 100000.
who are not very much inferior to the
Tagals in intelligence and pursue like
occupations. These races are denom-
mated Catholics, though they do not all
profess that faith. Then come the
1gorrotes, numbering 100000, who are
pagans and live in the mountainous dis
tricts. Next in numbers are the Moros,
about 100000, who are Mohammedans.
The Negritos, or aborgines, number
about 25OOO, while the scattered tribes
are estimated to number 100000,
largely pagans. OF the non-natives there
are 100000 Chinese-MestizOs, $4,000
Spanish Mestizos, descendants of Span
ish fathers and native mothers, 100000
Chinese, 10000 Spanish and 5000 of
other nationalitieS.
Such is the varied and motley and
mongrel mass of humanity-barbarou
and semi -barbarous, pagan, Mohamme-
dan and Buddhist-more than half of
which Spain was never able to control
which it is proposed the United States
shall take under it's care and educate.
civilize and prepare it for self govern
ment. Can anyone doubt that we shall
find this a task, if it be undertaken,
more difficult, more perplexing, more
tedious than any we have ever been
called upon to perform? These people
know nothing of liberty under law.
Such of them as have been for centuries
subjected to Spanish oppression now
demand that they shall be allowed to
govern themselves. Those who would
not submit to Spanish control will not
accept our rule. To attempt to compel
them to do so will mean prolonged
warfare, costly in life and money and
even after they are subjuGated the main
tenance of n strong military power to
keep them in order. How long it will
take to reduce to obedience to our au.
thority and compliance with our methods
the hundreds of thousands of pngans,
MOhammedans and Buddhists in the
Philippines no man can tell, but it will
require years, if indeed it be possible
of accomplishment
Subjugation will not be easy. That
is apparent. We shall not have accom-
plished it when we have vanquished the
forces of Aguinaldo and established
order in Luzon. That Will be but 1.-THE
prologue to the imperial act" Other
millions of the people of the Philippines
must be subdued, among them those
who have never submitted to any out
side rule. But great and difficult as will
be the task of subjugation that of re-
construction will be equally so. Whether
it can ever be successfully accomplished
is problem for the most serious consid-
GRAFTON of the American people.