The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-02
TAFT STILL TALKING
TELLS OF CONDITIONS IN THE
ISLANDS.
CEBU RANKS NEXT TO MANILA
AMERICANS HAVE SPENT 81 ,OOo, 900
FOR ROADS.

Destruction of water Buffalo, the
Work Cattle of the Islands, Has
Wrought Great Hardship ON the
PeopIe-Cebu Could Not stand
Civil Government, But Has Now
Been ''Tranquftixcd"--Diff nces
Between Military and Civil Au-
thorities IA Matter of Construction
of Instruction, Said the Gov.
ernor.
Washington, Feb. 1,--Gov. Taft to-
day continued his statement concern
ing conditions In the Philippine Archi-
pelago before the Senate Committee
on Philippines. He resumed his account
of his last years tour of the provinces.
He said that next to Manila, Cebu
came nearer to being city in point
of population and manner of improve
ment than any other place in the
archipelago. The Island of Cebu, he
said. is the most densely settled of the
group.
Speaking generally, Gov. Taft said
there were no roads in the Philippine
Islands under the Spanish, but that
stree the establishment of American
control $1,0O0,O0O had been appropriated
for road improvements, both for STRAIT
egic and commercial purposes. In most
1t not all the islands, Gov. Taft said.
there is a mountain backbone which is
practically impossible. Gen. Hall had
succeeded in passing the Luzon noun
tains, but his men were almost dead
when they emerged.
In his tour Gov Taft had found the
industries in progress, though much
interrupted largely on account of the
destruction of the water buffalo or
caribou, the work cattle of the island
This animal, he prescribed as the
beast of burden, the family friend the
wealth of the individual and the OBJ
Ject of all the robber bands of the
mountain district.
Gov Taft said that the island of
Cebu was not long organized into
civilized government until it was found
necessary to return to military con-
troll. He had, however, been informed
just before his departure for the
surgents on the Island had surren-
dered and that the island had been
Entirely tranduilized.
This statement led Senator Hale TO
ask a question.
II have observed by the newspapers
that there were Al small fights within
the space of 80 days-where do they
occur?"
The reply was that most Of these
encounters had taken place in Laguna.
Batangas, Bohol, Mindoro, Samar,
Cebu, and few other places. Most
of the troops are in those provinces.
Referring to the Maccabebes. Gov.
Taft said they had always been at war
with their neighbors: that they had
formerly been friends of the Spaniards,
and that when the transfer of the coun-
try was made. they had also trans
ferred their allegiance to the United
States. He thought there were 5000
to 10000 of them.
You speak," said Senator Culber-
son, as the witness progressed, "of
disagreements between the civil or mil
itary control of a certain district: in
such cases who determines as to what
shall be done?"
That" replied Gov. Taft, as a
question of instructions or rather of
construction of instructions: but we
have gotten along so far without rad
ical disagreement. One difficulty Of
this kind was submitted to Washing
ton, and we were told that we must
reconcile our differences if we could.
We did so and have had no other ma
terial difficulties of the kind"