The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-11-20
FACTS ABOUT MINDANAO
Philippine Island Inhabited
Chiefly by Moros.
SOIL MOST FERTILE IN THE WORLD

Sugar, Coffee, Hemp and CocOanuts
Can He Raised In Abundance--MOun-
tains Are Filled With Gold, Iron
and Coal-How the DattOs Rule
Their Followers.
Interesting information regarding
the island Of Mindanao, about the only
one of the Philippine Islands where
open hostility to American arms now
exists, is given in recent letter from
the special correspondent Of the Ma
Mia Freedom, who writes:
The public having become acquainted
and probably interested in the recent
doings Of Americans in MindanaO, the
writer deems it in order that a de-
scription Of the island, it's people and
its resources would prove interesting.
and to that end l shall endeavor to por-
tray the conditions as l have found
them through observation. AS is
known, the island is inhabited almost
entirely by Moros to the number of
100000. They are Mohammedans and
are ruled by sultan as far as re-
ligion is concerned; otherwise the sui
tan has no control over his subjects.
The Moros of the lake region are really
in as primitive a condition as they were
a century ago. They are divided into
bands, each band being ruled by a
chief, who styles himself datto or sui
tan, as his means will allow.
Each datto is independent Of the
others and has a fort in his own
principality. There are some sixty or
seventy of these sultans or dattos In
the island. They are frequently at war
with one another, but once aroused in
their religious feelings they would
quickly unite, and there would be
general uprising among them and
united resistance against what they
would consider as the common enemy.
They are fanatical in their warfare
and are really only In a semicivilized
state.
They have no conception Of civilized
warfare and resort to savage methods
In their fighting. They are mostly
armed with spears or bolos, but have
many rifles among them, both Reming
ton and MauSer, the use of which they
have not thoroughly learned. In the
forts Of the stronger dattos may be
found cannon Of a very ancient type.
Some are of the sixteenth century,
while the most modern are at least
century old. The charge of one of
these cannon consists Of old pieces Of
iron, Jumps of lead In crude form and
rocks. The people make their own
gunpowder. 1t is the general opinion
that they secure their arms through
the Chinese people in the islands, al
though this is not an assured fact.
1t will take many years to thoroughly
civiliZe these peoples, especially in the
lake region, as they are the most OBJ.
stinate and the hardest to convince
that the Americans mean WELL They
are very sensitive and the easiest peo-
pie in the world to insult However,
their ignorance will not prevent the
development of the islands, and 1t is
predicted that within the next three
years Mindanao will be peopled with
American farmers, prOspectors and
miners, and just as the great west Of
the United States leaped suddenly out
of waste into the fairest and richest
region Of America so the island Of
Mindanao will spring into it's rightful
position of supremacy in the Philip
pine archipelago.
The region around Lake Lanao for
many miles has most wonderful IA
cilities for agricultural development. In
fact, the entire island is a country of
most marvellous promise. The seeker
after fortune, be he agriculturist,
miner or business man, will find in
Mindanao the most fruitful field in the
orient.
What Mindanao lacks is freedom
freedom for it's people to cultivate the
lands, freedom for them to travel with
some degree of safety throughout the
island, to enable them to reach an out
let for the products OF the interior.
What they need most is an opportunit]
to learn-to learn from books the meth
DDS of the west and tie methods of
civil government. They do not hunger
for it. They do not understand 1t.
They need to be taught.
The problem of educating these peo-
pie will indeed be a hard task. The
language Of the Moros is Arabic, one OF
the most difficult languages known, and
this is the one great barrier toward
their education. 1t will be necessary
for our teachers to master. Arabic in or
der to accomplish anything, as only a
very small percentage Of the ALoros
understand Spanish.
Backed by American capital, Min
danao would become strong com
petitor of lava in it's sugar planta-
tons, having the most fertile soil in
the world and being peculiarly adapt,
ed to the raising of th:5rstaple article.
The region to the north OF Lake Depao
is fourishing hemp country. Sugar,
coffee and cocoanuts can also be raised
in abundance. From Lake Lanao to
the Pacific ocean the mountains are
filed with gold, iron and coal. There