The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-06-13

Declares That The Filipinos Are the
Best Of the Asiatic Races, Es-
pecially Anxious and Quick
TO Learn.

WASHINGTON June II. = During
General Otis afternoon at the war de-
partment, in conference with the heads
of the various departments in regard
to the condition and needs Of their de-
partments in the Philippines, he had
many questions to answer in his in
tercourse with his friends. respecting
present and future conditions In the
Philippines. and OF. these he talked
. quite freely. He made one statement
in particular which came as a distinct
surprise, in view OF the factethat he
has spent year and a half in fighting
the Filipinos. for he declared that these
same Filipinos were without question
the very best OF any of the Asiatic
races living on the Pacific coast and
Islands. He paid a high tribute to
their acquisitiveness. saying that young
and old were alike anxious to learn
from the Americans and quick to do so
II given an opportunity.
The demand for schools on the Amer
can plan was Unsuitable. 1t had not
been possible to secure a sufficient sup
ply OF Spanish-American text books,
the market having been denuded Of
such. When the book-hungry Filipinos
were told this. they begged for Amer
can school books. and declared that
their children could learn from them
even without the Spanish text and
translations. General Otis found to
his establishment that such was the
case, and says that in the course of
very few months the Filipino child
rem pick up fair knowledge OF Eng
lish. Even the old natives con the
text books in the effort to fix English
phrases in their minds. There was a
dearth of teachers, too. General Otis
often had recourse to the soldiers in
his ranks who know a little Spanish
and SO were suitable for detail as
teachers.
General Otis said he looked upon this
educational movement as the only solu-
ton Of the Philippine problem. and
was confident that the spread Of Amer
lean ideas through the Filipino schools
would in the end make good citizens
of the Filipinos.
General Otis was positively Of the
opinion that the American forces in
the Philippines at present were sufi-
cient for all needs. OF course. he said,
r,c-r..ot Aroo -tk,,.s. ,,,-o-aof 4, -y,,x,
could not furnish a guard to protect
every Filipino household in the La
drones; to do that would require a
force Of no less than 5000 troops. and
even then the task would occupy
years. As a matter Of fact. he said,
Spain had spent several centuries in
the effort to stamp out the Ladrones in
the Philippine group, and there was
reason to believe that those brigands
are scarcely more numerous now than
they were during the Spanish occupa-
tion. when the islands were nominal
ly at peace with Spain.
General Otis was confident, however,
that conditions would steadily improve
and that little by little these robber
bands would be driven away. Mean
while. he admitted that it was often
dangerous for Filiplnos Of the better
class. whose interests naturally lay in
American sovereignty. to admit their
preferences, for they were subject in
that case to assassination, to the loss
of property and to persecution, insh-
gated by various elements in the pop
ulation to whom American occupation
was obnoxious.