The age-herald., 1902-01-22
Wishes to Correct an Erroneous Impression About Philippines
PEACE WILL SOON PREVAIL
He Says General Bell Is Fast Crush ina lnsurrection In the Province Batangas-FiIipnos Appre-
 ciate School Teachers.

San Francisco, January zl.-1oPerhor- General Taft, who arrived from Manila last night, landed this afternoon. Gov ernor Taft expects to start for Wash- ington tomorrow. He will stop at Cln- cinnati, his home, enroute
 Discussing conditions in the Philip pines Governor Taft said;
 q wish the press would correct the impression that there is war on the is- lands. The instruction is confined to two localities-the province of Batangas and the Island of Samar. This morning l re- ceived a most encouraging cablegram from General Wright who is the acting governor in my absence. It said that ow- ing to General Bells strong oppressive measures the trouble in Batangas was being quieted. He further said that 700 rifles had been surrendered and as there were only HOO % 200O rifles in the province there is no doubt that Batangas will be as peaceful as any of the other prov inces.
 q do not think General Bell will have need to apply the. reconcontrado prin- ciple to Batangas as his dispatch plain ly indicates that the province is in a sair way of pacfcation.
 ''The dispatch says that there are S43 teachers in the islands in 45O places and 200 of these places are unoccupied by United States troops. I may say that the Filipino is not hostile to the teach er One was captured some time ago but he was sent back in a hammock. The inference is plain that they enter tain no hostility toward pedagogues or pedagogy.
 Civil Government a Success.
 "I wish to impress upon everybody that civil government is a success There Is a strong peace party in the islands and 1t Is composed of the most influential men among the Filipinos. They are work ing earnestly and zealously toward bring ing about happy relations between their countrymep and the government. They are using all that Is in their power to bring in the recalcitrant leaders. 1 have never been so encouraged as to the pros poets of the Philippines as 1 have with in the past three months. There has cer- tainly been a great change in the atti- tude of the people They are beginning to appreciate the fact that civil govern ment means better times for them.
 If you had seen the farewell recep- tions that were given me by the peo- pie on my leaving the islands, you would have realized that there was sincerity in the expression of the wish for civil government to continue. Before I left I received reports from the governors of the different provinces and the tone of each report was most encouraging.
 ''I am encouraged and I shall so re- port to Washington there are 8 prov inces capable of government The only place where there Is trouble Is in the Is- land of Samar. That is the most difficult island for military operations. There are no roads and the troops have to use water courses when water is pouring down the runnels to follow the natives to their fastnesses. But we are all con fident that 1t is only a question of a short time when the island will be paci- fled.
 Island of Cebu Tranquil.
 Judge Carlock of the Court of First Instance has reported to me that the is- land of Cebu is quite tranquil. Mindinao is an island of great wealth It is as yet undeveloped and when it is 1t will be of great value.
 Speaking of the Moros, they are not capable of receiving civil government; they still have tribal relations, as did our Indians, and obey their chiefs There are two sets of Moros-the river Moros and the lake Moros. The lake Moros have been distinctly hostile to us and were ever active against the Spaniards. am glad to say that better feeling has sprung up among them and they are now commencing to bring in the products of their lands and barter them. The river Moros have always been submissive. do not wish to create the impression that the lake Moros are in state of war fare.
 ''The great question and difficulty that presents itself to the government is the land question. The titles to lands are very unsatisfactory and it is difficult matter to adjust them"
 Governor Taft expects to return to the islands about March 1.