The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-03
DOZEN AMERICANS KILLED
OFFICIAL REPORTS OF LAsE
WEEKS ENGAGEMENTS ARE
VERY MEAGER
PROSPERITY SITS ON LUzoN
Imports for Last Few Month. In
Excess of the PaImiest
Days of Spanish
Regime.


MANILA, Sept. 2.-The FiIintnos seen.
incapable of realizing the scope and ni,r.
pose of the legislative functions of tba
commission of peace. There is no poss,-
olhty of separating the legislative from
the executive bran hes of the government
and therefore the commissions announce.
Lnent OF its assumption Of power yesterS
DAY has met with childish comments at
the hands of the Spaniards and foreigners.
who jealousy sneer at the new arrange.
ment
The commission entered upon the gova
ernmental field under the following cons
ditions:
A majority Of the islanders desire peace
and the resumption of business under the
Americans; but they are so cowed by a
long series of murderous atrocities and
obstruction of property by their armed
countrynen that they dare not actively
show their feelings especially because ex-
perience has taught them what such an
expression of sentiment will bring upon
them from the mercilessly reyengeful reb-
els. A genuine reign of terror is exercised
oy insurgents and ladrones over peace-
fully inclined country folk in order to
collect the revenue that the exercise Of
their operations requires, and widespread
vengeance is wreaked in the vicinity Of
garrisoned towns. For instance, the in,
surgent general Gales, in the province
Of Laguna, put to death the president
and officeholders of the town of Bay, on
Laguna de Bay, officials who had been
installed by the Americans, and gave or
ders that similar fate should be meted
out to other adherents of the American
cause. He also ordered that all Filipino
soldiers who sold their rifles to the Amer
leans should be killed. Any change of
policy involving the withdrawal of the
United States troops without substituting
for them an adequate defensive force Is
certain to result in fearful retaliation at
the expense of the friendlies
In Northern Luzon the status quo Is
fairly well maintained, and the people In
that quarter are quiet and engaged in
planting, except In the provinces of Neu-
va Ecija and Bulacan, where there has
been a recent outburst of rebel and la
drone activity. But in Southern Luzon
conditions are far from satisfactory Life
there is not safe outside the garrisoned
towns Travellers are subject to ambush
by guerrillas. Rarely does a day pass
without an encounter between the United
States troops and the insurgents or la
drones, resulting in casualties There are
$4,000 troops in that district, Gen Bates
commanding; and in three regiments over
a third Of the men are sick. The activ-
ity of the enemy increased last month.
There is evidence that the insurgents
have come into possession of new rifles.
and that they wish to annihilate some
small American garrison.
Conditions in the Visayans continue vir- ;
tually unchanged The lack of troops in
Samar prevents aggression. Negros,
Romblon, Masbate, Sibuyan, Tablas ami
Bohol are tranquil all desiring civil gov
ernments. Mindanao is also tranquil ex-
cepting the districts of Teagayan and
Surigam, where occasional encounters
with the Filpinos occur. The enemy's
fighting force there is limited but it has
number of rifles. The surrenders, al ,
though they have notably decreased since .
May, continue.
The experience Of Northern Luzon
shows that American occupation of any
locality tends to its pacification and well
being. An unsettled American policy ce.
tards the investment of capital, yet the
imports for the last quarter and half
were greater than during any equal period
C1 The spanish regime. NO OOuOC In0
needs Of the army of occupation are re-
sponsible for a very considerable frac ion
of the present commerce. The internal
revenue collections are third greater
than those made by Spain. This is due to
an honest system of accounts to a lack
of favoritism and t. impartial enforce
ment of the law. The military auth0ri-
ties will turn over $6,000,000, Mexican, 10
the commission; and they will probably
be expended in public improvements,
notably on the harbor developments, the
necessity Of which IS today greatly ham,
pering the shipping industry.
The commission will first organize mu.
inequalities in the provinces, notably in
Pampang province. Subsequently it will
turn it's attention to needed reforms in
the civil and criminal CODE passing in
due time to other features of it's investi-
cations with the idea Of establishing a
complete civil government within the
next Is months.
Twelve Americans, including two cap
tains and two Heutenants, have cen
killed during the past two weeks. The
official records of the encounters in which
these casualties occurred are meagre.