Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-30
HUMANE TREATMENT
Accorded the Women, Children
and Old Men
IN REcONCENTRADO CAMPS
In the Philippines as COntrasted With
the Murder Pens of the British in
south Afrioa-AnalOgy Ceases when
Ii Comes 10 Questions OF Humanity
Between British and Americans.

While our war in the Philippines has
many anaogies with that of the British in
South Africa, our reeoHcentrado camps are
not murderous pens for the wholesale
slaughter of women and children, as, the
British bull pens are in South Africa
A prominent lawyer who recently made
tour of our camps in the Philippines thus
writes of their humane management.
These camps are located just outside Of
the pueblo Of Tanauau aud contain about ten
thousand people from the various barrios
of Tauauan. The towns are known as
North Tauauau and South Tanauan
The towns are laid out in parallel streets
and the residents Iof each barrio live in a
street by themselves. which is called by the
same name as their former barriO. Thus
people who move in from barrio San Isidro
live on San Isidro street, etc.
The streets are sixty feet wide and each
family is given a lot sixty. feet wide by
hundred and twenty feet deep, thus making
the streets two hundred aud forty feet
apart On these lots the families build
their houses and bring their possessions
cattle, poultry. etc The two towns contain
the residents of more than forty barrios.
In each street cabeza, or head man. Is
appointed and held responsible for the
preservation of order in that street The ma
tives furnish their own police and keep
their streets clean and orderly. There is a
FIRE department in each town and six BAN
boos full of water are kept on the roof of
each house for use in case of FIRE. Other
supplies of water are kept at the street cor
ners. There have been few fires, but in
each case the flames we're extinguished be-
fore much damage was done.
Atthe end of each street is a schoOlhouse
where there are native teachers and these
are crowded with scholars
Each family in these towns has rice
enough to last It six months and in the
general storehouse is forty FIVE days sup
ply for twenty thousand people. direc-
tory is kept in each barrio and the families
can be checked up at any time.
Each morning number of the natives
are taken out by detachments of soldiers to
search for rice. They know where the in
surgents stores are and all the supplies in
the hills will soon be in American posses
sion. The rice or supplies brought back by
the women and children they are allowed to
keep and the men are allowed to keep half
of that found by them the other half going
into the general store.
This system Of making the natives dis
cover the insurgent rice will in a very short
time bring about state of starvation in the
hills. If natives fail to find rice in their
own barrios they are usually able 20 discover
it in other localities. None of the ratves
taken out have yet shown any desire to re-
main away.
Outside the town is the dead line extend
ing all around the place All natives out
side this are liable to be shot In a spirit of
bravado the other day native walked down
to the dead line and stretched out his arm
across It, He was given Eve days confue-
ment in the guardhouse
The natives are furnished medical care by
an American surgeon The towns are clean
and in an excellent sanitary condition, and
the people are comfortable and cOntented
One of them was heard to remark that we
have protection now. and can sleep nights
without being afraid of any ladrones dis
turbing us" The system at Tanauau is as
near perfect as can be in every way, and it
is believed that other towns where the re-
concentration order is IN effect will adopt
the same plan.
The towns were laid out by and are now
under charge of Capt Harry Hale Of the
Twentieth. formerly cOmmandant of Bilibid
prison.
When It is taken into account that the
women and children Of the Beers have been
accustomed to the refnements and luxuries,
even of comfortable homes, the contrast
between their treatment by the British aud
that accorded the Filipino women and chill
dren By our Government is all the more
creditabie to this Republic and places our
humanity on a much higher plane. Aud for
this we are, at least, thankful, even though
the foolish and un-Ameriean war Of con-
quest goes on.
Those Angio-maniacs who defeud by
analogy the war of the British on white
men in South Africa will read we hope
with some evidences of shame the difference
in treatment of the Filipino women, old
men and children with that accorded the
families of the gallant Beers in the Kitch-
ener murder pens.