The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-17
ISLAND OF MINDANAO.



Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
MANILA, April 12.-The Americans are
1ust beginning TO realize that In the Island
CT Mindano, until recently merely big blot
on the map, they have a wonderful empire,
potentially the most valuable of all the
Philippine possessions. Although nearly as
large an island as Luzon. with a better
climate and capable of being made Sec
ond Cuba in commercial value. the Span
iards never really controlled, nor even ex-
plored it. They lived in deadly fear of the
natives and frittered away enough lives to
have made the conquest of an empire with
out gaining possession of more than
fringe of coast towns. With two regiments.
the Thirty-first, which he recently distri-
buted among the towns on the southern
and eastern coast. and the Fortieth. which
he has just established in the north, Gen.
erai Bates acquired for the United States
as much territory as Spain held, and what
Spain never could get, the friendship of
all the tribes which the Americans have en-
countered, tempered with wholesome fear.
Indeed. experience with the Moros of Min
danao has convinced many officers that the
treaty with the Sultan of Sulu was a mis-
take in that IL conferred on that pictur-
esque person fictitious appraisal of his i'm
portance which may be productive of more
trouble than a display of the mailed fist
would have been They do not think the
Moros such terrible warriors against mod
ern weapons. as they have been pictured.
In some of the most important garrisons
OF Mindanao the direct policy has been
adopted of impressing upon the chiefs the
fact that the Americans propose to give
them a just government, but also empha-
sizing very strongly that any harm done
the Americans will be followed by swift
and bloody punishment. The latter PROPOSE
ton. at any rate, Is that the Moro
mind can grasp. especially when 1t is illus
trated by the facilities for slaughter which
the army and navy possess.
The American officers are convinced that
the cheapest way to deal with the Moros,
who are at heart savages Of the most
bloodthfrsty character. will be to show
them no mercy when once they become
hostile. even IL some innocent lives have
TO be sacrificed for the general good. Most
OF the officers in the Moro county with
whom the correspondent of the Associated
Press talked are convinced that some sort
Or conflict with the Moros will I'm time be
inevitable To avoid Ii will require almost
impossible diplomacy. Many of them think
the Moro destiny is determination like the
American Indian.
Another possibility of danger lies in the
temper or a portion OF the soldiers One of
them, who was a representative of this
class. thus described 1t: Our officers are
trying 10 get along with these people with
out fight he said. Eve boys want a
scrap; that's what we enlisted for. We
crowd these people all we can when we
get a chance and we are bound TO get them
stirred up sometime"
General Smith. formerly colonel of the
California Volunteers. is in Manila for a
short visit He reports conditions In the
Island OF Negros very fairly satisfac-
tory. The civil government he has estab-
lshed there Is prospecting. though IL needs
the most careful direction General smith
finds the native civil government and coun-
cilmen to be better trainers OF laws than
administrators thereof. He emphatically
denies the stories recently current that he
fstrators to overthrow the American au-
thority In Negroes and that he had conse-
uuently had 70 imprison several OF his new
cabinet. General Smith declares that the
stories OF the backsliding OF his civil adj
ministrators were started by the Hong
Kong junta in order TO discredit the sue
cess or his civil government experiment In
Eegros.
A large part of the town of SHAY. on the
west coast or Negros. has been destroyed
by confiagration OF accidental origin The
Negros papers comment most favorably on
the heroic and determined work done bv
members OF the Sixth Infantry In prevent
Ing the spread OF the flames.
Within the first ten DAYS meat has
reached the abnormally high price OF a "a
Mexican pound. Never before in the his
tory or Manila has IL been so expensfve
The prevailing price I'm the Hong Kong
market has been IA cents a pound for
years and the American brings frozen beas
from Australia and sells IL 10 the army
to-day for cents gold. equal TO the Hong
Kong price OF II cents, Mexican In has
been difhcult 10 account for this excessive
price OF si-'o; one local newspaper openly