New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-04
NTNDANAO AND LUZON

An instructive light is cast upon the general
progress of affairs in the Philippines by the
Manila correspondent Of THE New-York Even
ing POST in his last letter, dated December 20
and printed on Saturday last The letter is en-
titled peace in MindanaO" and is devoted to a
setting forth of the reasons why that great ISL
and, the second of the whole group, has been
free from the conflicts that have marked LuZop
during the last year. The correspondent quotes
a letter from an important native chieftain the
sum of which is, Il desire to be subject to the
American Nation" and then proceeds to tell
why that desire is common among the people of
Mindanao. 1t is because the news has spread
abroad that the new people who have come to
rule in place Of the Spaniards are ruling well.
They are treating the natives with kindness and
consideration; they not expressing them nor
interfering with their cherished customs. Their
coming promises peace and prosperity. That is
the kind Of government the people of Mindanao
want Spain did not give it to them, and they
were dissatisfied with her rule The Americans
do give it to them, and they welcome American
rule. That is all. 1t is very simple.
But it is also very significant For we know
that precisely what Americans are doing in
Mindanao they are doing In Luzon, and meant
from the beginning to do in Luzon. Why did
not Luzon receive them gladly and in peace, as
because Luzon did not want that kind of gov
eminent? That would be absurd The people Of
the northern island were and are just as de-
sirous of peace and prosperity and the general
blessings Of good government as those of the
southern island. The cause Of the difference
between the two is to be found in the accounts
of the Americans that We're spread among the
! people. We all remember the scandalous tales
which certain Spanish dignitares spread abroad
| at Manila Just before the arrival of Admiral
| Dewey. Americans were declared TO be rob-
| bers, ravishers, murderers, worse than pirates
at whose hands the least bad that was
to be expected was utter slavery. Those tales
were TO some extent believed in Luzon
For obvious reasons they did not attain
much, If any, circulation in Mndanao Next
they were taken up by Agunaldo. He knew
better. He knew they were wanton lies But
for his own selfish purposes that deft manip-
ulator of the head-chopping machine went
further than even the Spaniards had done. He
pictured Americans as little better than incar-
nate demons, who had come to Luzon to murder
and despoi and enslave the people. And many
of the people, who knew better believed
him, especially when contradiction of his tales
was discouraged fy a liberal employment of the
head-choppipg machine. Finally, and worst Of
all, were the tales deliberately disseminated in
that unhappy island by Aguinaldo's American
aids and abettors, of the Atkinson Winslow Gar
rison stripe. The Tagals were told that the
United States was going to 'shoot government
into them" that the criminal aggressor"
Mckinley meant 10 butcher them by hundreds
of thousands and that it was the policy Of this
country to make solitude and call it peace"
And all this, too. they believed. Why not, when
1T was told by Americans about Americans?
That is why so many people In Luzon were
reluctant to accept American sovereignty; so
many, we mean outside Of the small and I'M
scrupulous band of conspirators OF which Agni-
naldo was either the leader or the tool These
latter and their American allies purposely made
haste TO disseminate their abominable calumnies
before the American occupation was actually
effected. before the treaty of peace with Spain