The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1901-05-24
GRANT ON THE PHILIPPINES.
Tells of Progress Toward Pacifica-
ton in the Islands

|
ton in the Islands.
San Francisco, May 1S.-Brigadier
| General Frederick ID. Grant, who re-
| turned from Manila on the TRANSPORT
Sheridan, speaking of conditions in the
| Philippines, said:
! Everything is settling down and we
are getting at the real work of governing
and teaching the people. Their peculiar
national character makes them hard
subjects for the present. You must re-
member that they we're originally
| pirates that their civilization is of the
18th, il not OF the 18th century. and
the tendency to brigandage is so great
among them that it amounts to a dis
ease. In many districts the paving of
tribute to robbers is considered the regu-
lar thing, no more out of the way than
taxes. Our task now is to give them
good government in their municipalities.
to protect themselves against themselves
until they learn q taste for order. and
then withdraw gradually from active in
terferenCe, leaving the towns one at n
time as we see that they can be trusted,
but having our troops within striking
distance Tor some time after we leave any
district, so as to insure against a re
lapse. We must expect much robbery
and brigandage and pillage and even
murder for a long time.
'lt is surprising to see the results that
we have obtained in getting law and
order into these people in the few months
OF comparative peace. My district in
cuded the provinces of Bulucan, Pam
panga and Bataan, with a population
OF 100000, all TagalO provinces, and
considered the most ltwess in the
islands. Now there is not robber band
in the whole district a condition un-
known in the whole history OF the Fill
pino people. We have in every town of
the district a local government under a
local civilian governor. We are building
roads and teaching the people,"
General Grant expressed the opinion
that the resistance of the insurgents was
prolonged by events in the United States
attending the last presidential cam
paign.
Said he: "The property holding class
in the islands is composed of persons
who are pretty ignorant ard who could
not quite understand the situation.
They are naturally our friends, but we're
under constant pressure to throw in
their fortunes with the insurgent cause.
When they heard that a party was com
ing into power in the United States
which was in favor OF Withdrawing the
troops and giving up the government to
the insurgents, they did not know what
to do. If they stood out against the
insurrectiOn they would be likely to lose
their lives and property as soon as we
turned our backs.
"With that kind OF people, timid,
ignorant, afraid to espOuse a cause that
might lead to their destruction and with
the most INSCRIPTIONS element in the
islands in charge OF the native forces,
there was no use OF going ahead. |
stopped active operations after the NOM
ination of Bryan and tried only to pro-
tect my own men.
The cessation OF activities had a de-
plorable result, the slaughter of innocent
people by the lawless element, partly
sanctioned by the insurgent leaders
"SOme of the figures, which | can
vouch for in the case of my own district,
are appalling. La the province OF Pam
panga they killed over a thousand peo-
pie because they would not swear aleg-
lance to the inRurrectiOn. In one mar
row district over 300 people we're buried
alive, possibly by ladrones, but
much more probably on account of
the same cause. One man, Lorenzo
Cainayer, killed eight men in one day
within easy range of my quarters. In
the cases where the perpetrators of these
outrages could be proved | acted
severely.
''After the election when the natives
learned that we we're there to stay, the
real end OF the insurrection came"
The surrender of Lieutenant General
Mariana Trias had more effect on the
Philippine mind, General Grant thinks,
than the manifesto issued by AguinaldO.
YOUR FACE
ShoUc tho state Of VOur fppIinpa and tho