The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-27
MINDANA0 ISLAND
1T WILL NOT BE GIVEN LOCAL Gov
ERNMENT.
PEOPLE TOO SAVAGE FOR 1T.
HUT COMMISSION WILL ABOLISH
SLAVERY.


to Reach This Decision After Be
ginning a Circuit of the IsIand-A
Governor General to Rule subject
TO the Central Government at Ma
niIa with Representatives in the
Various Districts-Thc Commission
Meets "A Friendly and influential
DattO.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.
Dapitan, Island of Mindanao, April S.
For the past week the United States
Commission has been steaming around
the coasts of Mindanao. touching at its
principal ports. to interview the leading
inhabitants gathered in from the adjacent
districts. Two important points were
settled; namely, that Mindanao shall not
be ruled by local governments, and that
slavery shall be abolished. The commits
sioners came to Mindanao with the in
tention of establishing several provincial
governments. but they were not long in
abandoning that intention That much
was soon decided at Zamboanga and fur
ther the commissioners penetrated into
the country and the more familiar they
became with the Heterogeneous character
of its people. they were convinced of the
unwisdom of the attempt to apply any
considerable measure of civil government
on American lines to people. the great
majority of whom are nothing more or
less than savages.
UNIT for Self Government.
Peaceful and thoroughly friendly to the
Americans, perfectly willing 10 be ad-
vised and overrued by them; but having
no conception of nor desire for anything
approaching self-government ideals. There
is therefore no longer any question but
that Mindanao and adjacent islands are
to be ruled for years to come by a COVER
nor general in character and direct rep
resentative of the central government to
be established in Manila July l. There
will be local representatives of the COVER
nor in the half dozen districts of the
island who may recommend as to the
propriety of what the people desire. but
the latter will have no direct voice in af
fairs of government, excepting those in
the pair of provinces to be established on
the northern coast.
At Cattabatto, one day out from Zam-
boanga, the commission party got into
contact with one phase of the real life of
Mindanao. The town was found to be
practically all Chinese. The Filipino
population of Cattabatto is insignificant
both as to trade and numbers the China
men control the town and the whole Of
the big region; they conduct themselves
with such honesty and tact that they
seem to be on the best of terms with
everybody. The leading Chinese traders
at Cattabatto have business connections
at Singapore and Hong Kong which bring
advantage both to the Moros and them
selves
A Great and Clever Datto.
The greatest, wealthiest and cleverest
datto in all that region is Piang. who
lis half Chinaman and half Moro. He IS
also the original friend to the Americans.
having sent to Zamboanga for them soon
after the occupation there. He came into
power by the combined influence of
wealth, brains and fighting prowess. In
relating some of these things to the COM
mission Piang told of how, after he had
reached certain degree of power and was
making encroa chments upon the territory
OF another influential datto, he and his
councillors and the other datto. with his
head men, had a conference at the con-
clugion of which Piang made a certain
signal to his men and "the other chief
died. "a polite way of saying that his
head was cut Off, and that, his opponent
being dead, the latter's followers tender
ed him, Piang, their allegiance, which he
had since happily had. Piang is i'm
mensely popular. He has a sort or joint
arrangement with Ali. a neighborIng
datto. by reason OF which the two WELD
a very great influence and authority.
The Dattos Are Satisfied.
While the Chinese hearing was in prog
ress the town was rapidly filling with
clans of Moros from near and far. The
principal dattos, with their advisers, were
brought in for conference, a group at a
time, and encouraged TO talk about their
conditions and affairs. The gist of their
testimony was that they were more pros
porous and contented under American rule
than ever before, because they felt their
rights to be more settled and secure, and
they seemed to have no OBJECTION to con-
tinuing matters as at present, so far as
governmental control went. 1t developed
at the hearings that these people had
simple traditional modes of judicial pro-
cedure which impressed the commission
as being so fair and simple that they saw
no apparent reason for interfering with
them. Eeach community has a man who
acts as judge. appointed for life by his
datto. on account Of his wisdom and IA
miliarity with Moro traditions. In cases
of Importance or where close questions
Of fact are involved several of the old
men Of the community are called in TO
assist in the decision. The decisions
stand unquesitoned, but the datto must
confirm sentence OF death.
To Deal with slavery.
The question OF slavery was scarcely
touched upon In tho conference except in
cidentally. but President Taft afterward
assured the Associated Press correspond
ent that since the constitution prohibits
slavery in any territory governed by the
United States, the question would be
dealt with. He was Of the opinion that
n the people OF the United States were
willing that the government In the Phil
ippines deal with the question deliberate
~ and imparIially without arouslng pref
udice by heated discussion or preclpitate
action, that slavery can be abolished, In
| some instances more slowly than in 9TH
ers, perhaps, but stin effectively.