The Forrest City times., 1899-11-10
Rebellion of Limited Scope,


 pro vinces, namely: Manila, Cavite, La
 Gus.na. Batangas. Morong, Balucan,
 Nucva Ecija, Principe, Infanta and Zam- bales. It was strongest in the first six named, and hardly existed in the last
 four. The population of these provinces IS estimated to be about 1,500,000. but t should not be supposed that even in the six provinces immediately adjacent to
 Manila the people were united in their opposition to us. Even here there was strong conservative element, consisting
 of people of wealth and intelligence, op- posed to the war"
 Under the head: .'The Rebellion Not a
 of the rebellion outside of the provinces of Luzon, where. 1t is stated, the uprising
 was viewed at first with indifference, and later with fear. Throughout the archpel- ago at large there was trouble only at those points to which armed Tagaiogs
 2ad r been sent in considerable numbers; The machinery of insurgent government" served only for plunderirg the people u;i- der the pretext of levying war contribl- ions, while many of the nsurgent officials were rapidly accommodating wealth. It is stated that the insurgent adminis- | tr&tion throughout the interior was worse l hat in the days of Spanish rule; in many rovinces there was absolute anarchy.
 and from all sides came petitions and .elp.
 | nent northward. the report tells of the | nsurgent method of intimidating the na- | ives by telling them fearful tales con | erning the American soldiers. The meth | d of procedure. eminently successful at | first. in the end recoiled on it's authors Conditions When They Left. | As to the state of affairs when the committee left, the commission says: Before the commission left the islands nearly all the inhabitants had returned to | ehese ruined villages. Many of the houses mad been rebuilt. Fields that had lain fallow for three years were green with 1 growing crops. Municipal governments had been established, and the people, pro 1 lected by our troops, were enjoying peace. nf rtn ri taif f ion | in their own government previously un- | known in the history of the Philippines ! Attempts of the insurgents to raise re l cruits and money in the province of Ba- l iacan were proving abortive, except when 1 packed by bayonets and bullets, and even
 in such cases the natives were applying to Us for help to resist them.''
 | The chapter devoted to establishment 1 Of municipal governments" gives in detail | the efforts in that direction.
 | There were many difficulties encoun- | cred. The condition of the people was | -ound to be most pitiable. They had been
 plundered a by the insurgent troops, who l ing &nd even food, so that they were lit l srally starving. Peaceful citizens had l been fired on. women had been maltreat l. | ed. There was. general satisfaction that l the Americans had come at last, and con- | ditions seemed favorable to the American | propaganda.
 Local Government.
 1 The towns of Bacoor and linus were | selected for the purpose of experiment, | and, after talks with the local head men, l 2 local for of government was estab- | .1shed. Encouraged by the result, the | work was continued at Paranaque and | Las Pinas, with similar good results. At | he request Of Gen. Lawton, who had been | assigned to this work by Gen. Otis, the l commission prepared q simple scheme of municipal government, similar enough to | the old system to be readily comprehen- | sible to the natives, but giving them lil- | critics which they had never before en- | loved. This scheme was adopted. and | gave general satisfaction. In every in- l stance enthusiasm ran high before the l commissioners took their departure and | cheers were raised for Gen. Lawton and for the country which he represented. | With single exception the officials | elected proved worthy of the trust im- l posed in them, and conditions very rap l idly improved in the newy-organized | owns. Governments were organized with | more satisfactorily result in Pandacan, santa Ana, San Felipe. Meri, San Pedro ! and Machei while slightly different sys- | tenn was put into effect at Malabon, Polo Obando, Meycauya, Yang and Malolos' The commission states that a large our new municipalities proved necessary, | as the officials were timid and slow to comprehend their new duties. At many 1 of the elections the voters went about l asking who they were expected to vote | Cor" and it was only with great difficulty | that they were persuaded to exercise the l right of free suffrage.
 l Improved Conditions. | The commission sums up the situation | at the time of it's departure as follows: When We left Manila a large volume of | business was being done, and the streets were so crowded as to be hardly safe. | The native population was quiet and or | derly, and all fear of an uprising had iong since passed. An efficient corps of
 native m policemen was on duty A system | taught, had been advocated by the com mission, as established by Gen. Otis.
 some 6,ooo scholars were in attendance. | lAR4lOR n where the anti-American feeling had been l strongest, public sentiment had greatly
 mary sy 5he 6ae l offered to surrender his troops and his | province if We would only send small
 force there. The Bicols. in southern Lu-
 zon, had risen against their Tagalog mas | ters. The Macabes were clamoring for an | opportunity. to fight in our ranks, and | serving under Gen. Lawton Stories of | the corruption of insurgent officers were
 becoming daily more common, and the | disinterSration of the enemys forces was | steadily progressing. The hope of as | sistancc from outside sources seemed to be all that held them together" Outside of LuxOn.
 | Having given so much attention to the
 takes up in detail the conditions on the | other islands. On this point it is stated that the rebellion is essentially Tagalog | and when it ends in Luzon, it must end l throughout the archipelago. The situa-
 ton elsewhere than in Luzon is summed | up as follows:
 ''The only island, apart from Luzon | where serious trouble threatens, is Panay | U which considerable force of Tagalog | soldiers was sent before the outbreak of | hostilities. Many of the Nisayans of this | island are opposed to the Tagalogs, how | ever, and 1t is not believed the latter can | make a formidable resistance. In Samar | Leyte and Masbate the Tagalog invaders | arc numerically few, and are disliked by | the natives of these islands, whom they l have oppressed. We were assured that | 200 men would suffice to restore order in l Mindora. Bobol was asking for troops | the Calamian islanders had sent word | that they would welcome us There can | be no resistance in Palawan. Satisfac- | tory relations had already been estab- | lished with the warike Morros whose | sultan had previously been conciliated by member of the commission, and in Min danao this tribe had even taken up our | cause. and attacked the insurgents of | whom there are very few in the island Tn Cebu we have only to reckon with | the lawless element, which has never been very formidable there"
 | American Control Necesss-y l Special attention is given to the island | of Negros, as this seemed a field well | adapted to the extension of an American | system. Here the natives had adopted a I