The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-09-14
The suIu rrealy.

ing the full text Of the treaty with
the sultan Of Sulu. The country is
pretty well informed as to the fact
that this treaty provides for slavery
and polygamy under the American
flag, but those not accustomed to
the language of diplomacy might
overlook the provisions. II will be
observed that art. / confirms the
sovereignty of the United States
over the entire archipelago and its
dependencies, and makes the islands
part Of the United States. The
government ownership is further
confirmed by the requirement in
art. that all land transfers shall be
recorded in the proper office Of the
United States government, and also
by the agreement in art. | 4 that the
United States will not sell any part
of the islands without the consent Of
the sultan. Art. ? provides that the
American flag shall float throughout
the territory.
The agreement for slavery is in
art. 10: "Any slave in the archi-
pelago of Sulu shall have the right
to purchase freedom by paying to
the master the usual market value. T"
No other method of terminating the
existing slavery is mentioned, and
the existing slavery is notorious.
Commissioner Schurman calls this
slavery "a mild form Of fsudal hom-
age but there is universal agree
ment by all the authorities that the
slavery is absolute, even to the
power Of taking life, Thus Feather
, man, in his Social History Of the
\ Races, y says
\ "Slavery exists on Sulu island,
and the slaves, who were formerly
bought from the Philippines, are
not treated well, for their masters
exercise the power Of life and death
over them, and sometimes kill them
, for triling offenses. The datos fire.
quently punish disobedient or
fugitive slave by drawing their
campilan or kris and cutting off his
!, head at one stroke, without process
!, of law
4 The protection Of polygamy is
, guaranteed by the provisions OF art.
,I3 for the preservation OF the
! "rights" and the religious Gus
7, toms of the Moros, and also by the
= ,Istipulation in art. that all crimes
I and offenses committed by Moro5
! against Moros shall be punishable
8 by the sultan's government, and, Of
necessity, under the sultan's laws.
Mr.. Schurman himself comedies
that "polygamy is a part OF their
religion" and therefore the guaran-
tee is absolute. There is also an
interesting recognition Of this sys.
TEN in ne fact that the Keeper OF
the Royal Harem, Serif Saguin, is
by the treaty, put on the payroll o.
the United States, and is now being
paid monthly salary for his ser
vices to the American people il
guarding the wives, concubines, anC
female slaves OF the sultan.
But there is another and ever
more serious offense in this treaty
The constitution OF the United
States expressly provides that "n'
title of nobility shall be granted b,
the United States" !" Where? Any
where. How? In any way. le
by this treaty the president has as
sumed to guarantee "the rights ant
dignities Of his highness the sultal
and his datos." The sultan of Sull
Is an hereditary monarch, and tn
datos are the noblemen OF his sui
tanate. And not only are the right
and dignities confirmed, but the sui
tan and all these n)blemen are pu
IN the United States payroll, no
by their family names but by thei
titles of nobility. And furthermor
they are confirmed in the exercis
of their powers over all their peo
pie, under their former laws an'
customs. The people are recog
nized by art. IL as the sultan
"subjects,' and art. 8 makes hi
powers exclusive. The provision
Of the constitution Of the Unite,
States for securing fair trials of ac
cused persons are not limited to cit
liens, but are put in the broades
form. "No person shall be held t
y answer" etc., aud Gin all crimina
prosecutions the accused shall en-
10y the right" are the forms used
Yet under our sovereignty, and un
der our flag, the president has un
dertaken to grant the power Of tria
Of these people to the sultan and hi
J noblcmen, according to their owl