The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-02
so DECLARES JUDGE TAFT
And Names the Provinces Were War
Flames Hottest.
ORGANIZING THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT
When Laguua and Samar Are Taken in Practi-
caIly All The Archipelago Capable of
Being Organized VIII be I'm
der Civil Rule.
lBy the Assoclated Press


Washington, Feb. 1.-Governor Taft
today continued his statement concern
ing conditions in the Philippine archi-
pelago before the Senate Committee on
the Philippines. He resumed his ac-
count of his last years tour of the prov
inces. 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 archi-
pelago. The Island of Cebu he said is
the most densely settled of the group
Speaking generally, Governor Taft
said there were no roads in the Philip
pine Islands under the Spanish, but that
since the establishment of American
control 81 100000 had been appropriated
for road Improvement both for strate-
gle and commercial purposes. In most
If not all the islands, Governor Taft
said, there is a mountain backbone
which is practically impossible. Gen.
Hall had succeeded in crossing the Luz
on mountains but his men were almost
dead when they emerged.
In his tour, Governor Taft had found
the industries in rogress. though much
interrupted, largely on account of the
destruction of the water buffalo or carl
bao, the work cattle of the island. This
animal he described as 1.-The beast of
burden, the family friend, the wealth
of the individual and the Object of al,
the robber raids of the mountain dis
tricts'' FL
Governor Taft said that the Island of
Cebu was not long organized into civ
ilized government until it was found
necessary to return TO military control
He had, however, been informed just
before his departure for the United
States that the 500 or 400 insurgents on
the island had surrendered and that the
island had been entirely tranquilized.
This statement led Senator Hale to
ask a question: Il have observed by
the newspapers that there were forty
one small fights within the space of
thirty days: where do they occur?"
The reply was that most of those en-
counters had taken place in Batangas,
Laguna, Mindoro, BohoI, Samar, Cebu
and few other places. Most of the
troops are in those provinces
Referring to the Maccaebes, Governor
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 transferred
their allegiance to the United States. He
thought there were 5000 or 10000 of
them.
You spoke" said Senator Culberson,
as the witness progressed, "of disagree
ments between the civil and the military
authorities as to whether there should
be civil or military control of certain
district; in such cases who determines as
to what shall be done?"
That" replied Governor Taft, SIS a
question of Instructions or rather of
construction of Instructions: but we
have gotten along so far without radi-
cal disagreement One difficulty of this
kind was submitted to Washington and
we were told we must reconcile our diff
ferences if we could. We did so and
have had no other material difficulties
of the kind
Governor Taft spoke frequently of the
unreliabiity of all estimates of the
population but said there are probably
six million F'ilipinos or Christians, one
and a half or two millions of non Chris
tans and probably million of Moros.
However, census was badly needed.
The members of the committee smiled
when Governor Taft said that the Chris
tians had made all the troule. He ex-
planned that it is necessary to provide
more paternal form of government for
the Igorrotes than for the Filipinos. 1t
was also impracticabe to place Filipino
governors over those people.
In reply to Senator Patterson, Cover
nor Taft said that there probably were
two thousand rifles in the hands of in
surrectos in the islands, and there are
some of the latter who do not carry
guns He could not he said tell where
the rifles and the ammunition came from.
AS to the Juntas most of them are con-
centratcd now at Hong Kong, composed
mostly of natives of Batangas who had
made THEN money in coffee growing.
Replying to Senator Dubois the wit
ness said that Laguna and Samar are
the only considerable Filipino province
which have not been organized, and with
those provinces organized. practically
all the Philippines capable of being taken
in would be under civil government.
In reply TO other questions from Mr.
Dubois, Governor Taft said that the
Fiiipinos have a greater attachment for
their country than for instance. the
Chinese have for theirs
The Filipino, he said, is attached