Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26
ISLAND OF MINDANA0
NEEDS FREEDOM FROM ITS.
FIGHTING DATToS.
Most Fertile Soil in the World-Await-
ing Colonization and the Advance
Guard of Civilization.


a recent letter from the special Corresponds
ent of the Manila Freedom. The corre-
spondent writes:
The public have become acquainted
and probably interested in the recent doings
of Americans in Mindanao. the writer
deems it in order that description OF the
island, it's people and its resources would
prove interesting and to that end l shall
endeavor to portray the conditions as /
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 reIfETon Is concerned.
Otherwise the sultan 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,
chief. who styles himself datto or sultan, as
his means will allow
Sixty or Seventy Dattos.
Each Datto is independent Of the Others
and has fort in his respective princ,paiity.
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 q
general uprising among them and a united
resistance against what they would con-
slider as the common enemy. They are IA
natisai in Their warfare and are really only
in a sem-civilized state.
They have no conception Of civilized war
fare and resort to savage methods in their
fighting. They are mostly armed with
spears or bolos, but have many rifles among
them. both Remington and Mauscrs, the
use of which they have not thor ouShly
learned. In the forts Of the stronger dat
tos may be found cannon of very ancient
type; some are of the sixteenth century,
while the most modern are at east a CEN
fury old. The charge Of one OF these can
non consists Of old pieces of iron, Jumps Of
lead in crude form and rocks. The peo-
pie make their own gunpoxder. 1t is the
general opinion that they secure their
arms through the Chinese people in the
islands, although this is not an assured fact.
Hard to Civilize.
1t Will take many years to thoroughly
civflize these peoples. especially n the lake
region, as they are the most OBSTINATE. and
the hardest to convince that the Americans
mean we'll. They are very sensitive and the
easiest people in the world to insult. How
ever, their ignorance will not prevent the
development Of the islands, and it is pre-
dicted 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
ieaped suddenly out of waste into the fair
est and richest region of America, so the
island of Mipdanao will spring into it's
rightfui position of supremacy In the Philip
pine archipelago.
Agricultural Possibilities.
The region around Lake Lanao for many
miles has most wonderful facilities for ag-
ricultural development. In fact, the entire
island Is country of most marvellous
promise. The seeker after fortune, be he
agriculturalist, miner or business man,
will find in Mindanao the most fruitful field
in the orient.
With its farm lands like those Of west
ern America, It's mining regions of I'M
doubted wealth and it's forests like those of
Maine. it will soon develop into the most
prosperous island of the Philippine group
What Mindanao lacks is freedom-free-
dom for its people to cultivate the lands,
freedom for them to travel with some de-
gree of safety throughout the island, to
enable them to reach an outlet for the pro-
ducts of the interior.
Freedom and Peace Needed.
The present system of forts and the fire.
Quent hostility of sultans and dattos toward
one another will not allow Of this and not
until all Of the forts are destroyed or rem
dered impracticable for use, and the people
disarmed, will the island be in a condition
for development. 1t Is to be hoped that the
troops now in Mindanao will accomolish
this latter end as speedily as possible, but
the acquisition of at least one more regi-
ment is in the opinion Of many a necessity
in order to accomplish the desired end. The
present force can only maintain a small
part OF the lake region but with strong
force the more defiant dattos could be
justly chastised and would soon learn the
folly of resistance.
Content With Their Condition.
The next step toward the pacifcation Of
the island would be to enlighten this primi-
tive race OF people with established theo-
ries OF administration, and raise them from
their primitive state into more modern
condition OF civilization. This, however
Will take time, but the migration of Amer
lcan farmers, miners and business men to
TINS country, which is sure to occur in a
snort while VIII be a valuable aid in civil
izing the Moros. What they need most Ia
an opportunity to learn-to learn from
books the methods of the west and tba
methods of civil government They do NOT
hunger for it. They do not understand #
They need to be taught AS it is they are
content with their present method of living
and with Mohammedani
|Fhey do not like the Christian heathens."
as they call us, and want nothing to do
with the white man.
AGAIN tiie pTODlem OF educating these
people confronts us. 1t 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 ueces-
sary for our teachers to master Arabic in
order to accomplish anything, as only a
very small percentage,of the Moros under
stand Spanish. II ;"
Most Fertile Soil in the World. >,
Backed by American capital Mindanao
would become strong competitor of Java
in its sugar plantations. having the most
fertile soil in the world and being pecu-
liarly adapted to the raising of this staple
article. The region to the north of Lake
Depao is fourishing hemp country. Su-
gar, 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 are many miners
here now, but they are keeping quiet and
saying nothing. However, there have been
exhibited rich specimens Of gold taken from
the hills about Parang Parang grains about
the size of wheat grains. In the popular
mind Mindanao has been pictured as
wild. unexplored country, peopled by saw