The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-01-03
THE FILIPINO Police.
NATIVES EMPLOYED BY THE
COMMISSION.
An InsuIar Force Established In Each
Province with Special orders TO Sup
press lusureCtiOu.

sion, up To October 10, 1901, just made
at Washington, contains an interesting I.
account of the commissions work i'm /
a Filipino police force. The
plan of the organization is outineu asI
follows:
In its last report to the Secretary of
War, me commission presented it's
views at some length upon the question
whether native troops and native police
should be used i'm establishing and
maintaining order in the islands and
whether they could with safety be
largely substituted for American sol
diers.
Among the reasons given for reaching
an affirmative conclusion, the undesi-
rability of maintaining a large army
of Americans in the islands, both on
the score of public policy and economy,
was pointed out. Attention was called
to the fact that such resistance to Anne
rican authority, as then existed, was in
no sense an organized war, but merely
the resistance of guerrilla and ladrone
bands, generally hiding i'm obscure
mountain Businesses and making desul-
tory attacks on small bodies of our men
usually without effect, dispensing when
hard pressed and assuming the role Of
inoffensive nOncombatants.
1t was further shown that a double
role of this sort was possible with
American soldiers, who found it diff
cult to distinguish one Filipino from an
other were unacquainted with theiF
language and habits, and had no means
or acquiring an accurate knowledge Of
.
and police would experience no such
difficulty and could be readily enabled
to put an end to such methods.
The commission further directed at
tention to the fact that the masses of
the people were anxious for peace and
quiet and ready to accept American
sovereignty, but as matters then stood
| they were terrorized and often forced
| into an attitude of hostility which they
diI not feel and that organizing troops
and police from their own people would
| inspire them with confidence and cour-
age and convince them that they could
I best protect themselves by actively aid
| ing the civil and military authorities.
! The objection made as to the loyalty
and effectiveness Of native troops and
police was discussed and the conclusion
| reached that it was without founda-
ton.
| The commission has now had nearly a
year within which to make further OBJ
servations as to the characteristics, ha-
bits, and customs of the natives and as
to the most effective methods to be
pursued in reestablishing anu maintain.
ing order, and begs to say that subse.
lquent investigation and reflection have
confirmed the views originally express
ed. The military authorities have from
time to time organized numerous com
panies of native scouts commanded by
American officers aggregating abou
$500 men. These organizations hav,
uniformaly performed .aithful and eff
fective service and we are Informed
that there has not been a single in
stance of treacherX or desertiOn. A
fact so significant would seem to pu
at rest the only practical question
which ever arose as to their availability
The obvious and indeed the only ade
Quate remedy is - be found in the es
tablishment of an effective police force
Under the provisions of the municipa
code enacted by the commission, the
local authorities were empowered to or
ganize and maintain a local police fore,
for the respective municipalities. The
presidents and councillors Of the towns
however, are all FilipInos, many OF
them ex-insurrectos, and it was not be
lieved that purely native force, con
trolled by them, could or WOULD be uni
formly efficient. In addition to tnIS
many of the municipalities, as a resui
Of the ravages of war and from Other
causes, were too poor to support the
burden thus incurred.
Furthermore the municipalities in
these islands are not, as a rule, COM
posed of small areas of territory dense,
ly populated, as in the United States
but are of considerable extent, in many
instances almost as large as an or
| binary county in the United States, and
finally, there is quite a considerable
Nerritory, generally remote and in the
mountains, which is not included in any
municipality and in which lawless mer
Ereadily find refuge and a base Of opera
ton.
In order to meet these conditions and
to establish an effective and mobile
force under competent and reliable di-
ITecuOn, adequate at all times to meet
any emergency that might arise, the
| commission has enacted law estab-
| fishing the Philippine constabulary The
! general scheme Of this act is to create
an insular force of not exceeding one
hundred and fifty men for each pro-
vince, selected from the natives thereof,
/ who may be mounted in whole or in
part, and who are placed under the inn
mediate command of one OF more, not
exceeding four, provincial inspectors.
| The whole body is placed under the
control Of a chief and four assistant
chiefs of constabulary. The islands are
divided into four departments, and eacn
assistant chief is in immediate charge
lOf a department. Full powers are Civ
en- TO properly arm, equip, maintain,
| land discipline the force, which is en-
listed for two years, unless sooner dis