The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-18


stead. Those discharged on account Of
wounds or disabilities viii probably have
their entire terms of enlistment SUBJ
tracted, whether they have nearly filled
them or not. Similar determinations
were made in favor ofcsoldiers and sail
ors in the Civil war, when public lands
were opened, subsequent to that struggle.
Those who will have influence In the
framing of the new.SbillsssViH make due
provision that applicants must occupy
and improve the laIlsa Aemselves, and
that no an can obtain two reservations.
American negroes wal be encouraged to
take homesteads in localities where ma
tives will be learningsour improved meth
DDS of agriculture. Al of the details Of
congress- That body will Shaye to deter
mine how large slice OF the land can
be given to one man When the home
stead laws were extended to Alaska
eighty acres were fixed as the maximum
to be claimed by ones &adual, although
in the Western states and territories the
maximum ordinarilyssask1@ acres, or just
twice as much. -
While this processesis going on in the
Philippines enlightened men of course
will be claiming the territory previously
occupied by the savage natives. But
what is to become of these wild people?
The outcome of the scheme therefore
must be the establishment of a Filipino
bureau, corresponding to our Indian bu-
reau. The less enlightened natives will
have to be concentrated in agencies and
educated. This task will be one of good
size Our agents will have to cope with
500 different languages and dialects
spoken in the islands today by as many
different people. 1t is not likely that any
of the Malays will go upon reservations
after they are conquered They are SUI
NO ro0 10 9TH ASto no
and can do good work If they wish to.
Many of the other dusky natives have
been converted and partly educated by
the Spanish missionary priests.
Mindanao, whose area is as great as
that of Indiana, will contribute more to
this vast colonial public domain than
any other single island annexed. The in
terror is unexplored and occupied
throughout by wandering savages never
yet subdued. Luzon, although still larger
-equaliing Ohio in area-yet contains an
abundance of land to which there is no
private title. This will be Of greater
value than any of the public agricultural
lands. The interior of Samar, whose
area is equal to that of Connecticut is
occupied by savages, who have sought
refuge in the forests and mountains. Min
doro, as large as Delaware and Rhode
Island together, is possibly the least pop
ulous island of the group, although with
in an easy days sail from Manila. AS
In the other cases, the, interior is unsur
veyed and left to q low tribe called
"Manguianos," indigenes of the island,
and a number of black dwarfs, all of
whom live in a miserable manner. 1t
would be but charity to put such people
on a reservation. Like conditions hold
good in practically all of the lesser
islands, numbering, as they do, from 1,200
to 2,000 according to latest estimates
Considerable of this. new public land
will be set aside for forest reserves
Uncle Sam will profit by lessons learned
at home, and start ia from the very be-
ginning to preserve from, extinction his
valuable forests in the new possessions.
Pioneers entering the; island, unless
checked by law, would soon destroy the
luxuriant natural grqWths of ebony, ma
hogany, palm, bamboo, rattan, cedar,
ironwood, sapan, logwood, gum and other
precious trees, especially in the Oriental
islands. There are hundreds of rare
Philippine woods whose names are not
even known Uncle Sam will also protect
the supply of guta percha and cocoa
nuts In the forests, also a valuable tree
known as the .cocos nusifera, whose trunk
branches, leaves, fruit, .oil, shell f. and
husk are valuable to the natives. The
valuable forest growths of bamboo must
also be preserved
the field it is believed that the Philippines
will become more than a second Klon-
dixie. Mineral lands there,s as well as
on all islands lately acquired, will be.
opened ste.eexpl oration- and purchase by
citizens of the United States, but under
laws different from those relating to
other public lands. "a minerali.claim, ac-
quired by-can Individual will be smaller
than one which he may obtain,in agricul-
tural lands. The geological survey must
first get in it's work. Spain never made
a geological survey of one of her island
possessions. 1t will, be remembered that
she neglected this in California and left
It's gold to us. Gold lands In LuZon, Min
doro, Masbate, Panay, Leyte, Ticao and
smaller islands where the yellow metal
has been already observed will be dis
posed of at nominal prices, the. area de-
pending upon the nature of the claim,
whether lode or placer. Upon lodes or
veins containing great quantities of gold
the share of each individual will proba-
bly, be limited to sections of about 1,500 by
600 feet So many dollars worth of inn
provement will have to- be made each
year for a certain period, and pre-
scribed rate per acre. perhaps S., will be
charged after these improvements have
reached satisfaction. One-half the rate
per acre will doubtless be charged for
placer mines where gold can be washed
upon the surface, unless previously I'M
known veins are afterward discovered.
Most of the gold deposits observed In the
Philippines have been In soil occupied by
wild tribes. never subdued by the Span
iards. Different regulations will be made
for the undevelopeds copper, iron, coal,
zinc and sulphur lands to be added to the
public domain from the various islands.
The coal will be available for mining in
Cebu, Masbate and fPanay, and sulphur
in unexplored environs of the ancient
volcanoes. The Spahiards knew of the
existence of much iron In various islands,
but reasoned that importation was less