The National tribune., 1900-09-13
THE CONDITION OF THE PHILIPPINES.

THE CONDITION OF THE PHILIPPINES.
The most sensible and practical state
ment of the actual condition of the Phil
ippines that has appeared for months
comes from the pen Of Maj. John II.
Parker, seth U. s. ", an officer who made
much reputation by his handling of bat
terry of Gatlings Mt santiago, and who is
now on duty with his regiment at Tana
uan, Batangas Province, Luzon. His ar
ticle appears in the Rcrie,U of Reriews for
September. lie says:
In my report of conditions in my ju-
risdiction for May, 1900, stated that not
a hostile shot had been fired therein since
Feb. II, 1900, and only one breach Ut
the peace had been committed-that by
native drunk on bino. advance the
doubt whether territory of equal popula
ton could be found III the State of Ken
lucky, for the same period, with as good
a record.
The war has become, for all practical
purposes, thing of the past. Travel is us
safe as in the West from 1870 until the
suppression of train-robbing; fields are be-
ing cultivated. and trains of pack-ponies
are carrying the produce of the country
to market
He has high opinion of the Tagals as
n race, and thinks that under American
Government they will develop into fine
people. Their first and greatest need is
peace. This means not only absolute quiet
and protection to life and property, but
definite assertion by the Americans that
how will IN, pp1 I'm. mi
the part of some, the hope on the part of
others, that the Presidential election will
result in change of policy, and the with
drawal of the Americans, is the most adj
verse influence now felt, and more than
anything else prevents the people from
settling down to the full enjoyment Of the
excellent conditions which obtain. They
would accept an act of Congress as final
settlement of the question, and would
then, either in joyful anticipation or in
quiet resignation to the inevitable, settle
down to adjust themselves to new condi-
tions''
The next thing is a system of public
schools, with Government aid aad super
interdence. The people are eager to
learn, and to have their children learn,
and the school-house is the surest. easiest
and cheapest way of securing public tran
guilty. The country is divided into "Mu-
nicipios," which answer somewhat roughly
to our Counties, and these are subdivIaed
into ..Barrios." He recommends that
every Barrie with 30 pupils of school age
should have school, and the teacher
should be partially paid from the revenue.
The Government should furnish the ma
terial for good school-hOuse. and require
the Barrio to build it. An allowance of
2 cents day-silver-fro the Bar1-in
for each pupil, with like allowance from
the Government, would De sufficient to pay
the teacher. The Government should fur
nish Il graded system of uniform text
books, with the necessary maps, globes. |
charts, blackboards, etc. An American
teacher should be put in charge of each
Municipi0. us Superintendent of Instruc-
ton. He should instruct and oversee the |
teachers, and be paid good salary by !
the Government.
Third, there should be a decided eff |
fort to improve the peoples agricultural
implements and methods. They are now |
using the same wretched appliances that |
were in use long before Christ, and do not
get one-third out of the ground that they |
should. Their cattle have been suffering
from an epidemic. and their cocoa indus
try from blight, which i scientific study |
would remedy, as it has similar troubles |
in this country.
Fourth. there should be railroads built. |
There is now only one short railroad, |
which does not reach the richest part of |
the island. No berter investment of money |
could he found than in the construction |
of railroad from Manila to Batangas,
which would run by easy grades through |
Il country very rich in sugar, copra,
oranges, bananas, tobacco, coal and cop
per. |
By these means the country VIII in a
short time surpass Java i'll its peace and
prosperity.