Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-02-12
AMERICANIzING
PHILIPPINE ISLES
The Work Progressing In a
Satisfactory Manner.
PACIFICATION IN PANAY

Americans For Many Months, Ma
tive Leaders Are Now Daily Taking
Oath of Allegiance.
NEW YORK, Feb. IA Tribune dis
patch from Washington says:
The large island of Panay, of which
Iloilo is the chief part, has been one of
the most vexatious hotbeds Of insurrec-
tion and resistance to the American re-
gime in the whole Philippine archi-
pelago, and the announcement that its
pacifcation has now been practically
accomplished was one of the most
gratifying messages received by the
war department III the last week. The
Tribune has just received from an Off
Ger on duty IN Panay an interesting let
ter, written just before Christmas, Civ
ing an account of the achievement,
which is one of the absorbing topics
throughout the Philippines, especially
as the pacification policy in Panay is
apt to be promptly followed in other
islands. He says, in part:
Discouraging Outlook.
'Most of the officers on duty through
out the Fourth district, department of
the Visayas, have had little or no SYM
pathy with anything relating to civil
government. They believed the time
was not ripe for it, and the military ad-
ministration was all that the circum-
stances demanded or justified. Although
this spirit was thoroughly understood
at district headquarters and fully taken
account Of, nevertheless the district
commander, Colonel Edmund Rice,
Twenty sixth infantry, u. S. ", in
sisted ON his policy being carried out of
combining as much as possible the civil
and the military.
month after month the work went
on, everything possible being done to
get the officers interested in the civil
work and to inform the natives of their
privileges and opportunities. Time and
time again elections were ordered to be
held In certain of the pueblos, only to
get the report, No one here cares to
take the necessary oath of allegiance to
the United States government
'But, despite this, many of the
prominent men were beng talked to,
argued with, were being furnished with
seasonable and instructive literature,
and no opportunity was allowed to pass
for accomplishing the desired object.
The Time Ripe.
son Oct 30, 1900, the commanding
officer of the Circle of Jaro reported
that mot even the three residents reces-
sary to act as election officers were OBJ
tainable. On Nov. 10, the district COM
mander wrote: I have the honor to re-
quest that permission may be given me
to call upon the inhabitants of the towns
Of Jaro and Molo to take the oath of
allegiance to the United States, believ-
ing that the time is now ripe for insist
ing that they should come out openly,
either for or against our government
1t is a matter of common knowledge
that these two pueblos exercise a large,
ii not paramount, influence upon the
others Of this island, and if this is the
case, the result from the effect of the
operation must be far-reaching and BEN
eficial to the carrying out of the policy
of the administration.
almost everywhere on the island off,
GERS and soldiers were met with smiling
faces, profound obeisances and the ut |
most Difference. But when anything is
asked to be done in the nature of ope-
rating with the Americans or that
might be regarded in the least compro-
missing their own absolute independ- |
ence, Che natives became as cold as basi- |
lisks. Their heads had been turned by |
fulsone rhetoric, by ambitious projects |
for power, and, moreover, they were in |
mortal fear of assassination by the
Quentin Sails and his minions If thew
receded one step from the prescribed |
neutral status.