Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-25
NEW POLICY IN JOLO
WAS BOUND TO STIR UP THE
MoRoS TO RESENTMENT.
Letter From the Governor of the Archi-
pelago Describing Conditions Before
General Woods Arrival.

A strong picture of the conditions that
exist in the Jolo group of the Philippine
archipelago is contained in the following
letter from the governor of that group to
Colonel Edwards, chief of the insular bu-
reau of the War Department. The letter
is made public as an explanation of the
campaign now being waged in the Jolo
group:
JOLO, P. T.. September %, 1903.
My Dear Edwards: You asked me to let
you know something about the conditions
here, and 1 have waited to find out what
they really are before writing You may
have noticed that l have been appointed
governor Of the Sulu archipelago and find
that the condition is one of peace so long
as the big Moro chiefs are allowed to have
their own way unreservedly-to rob and to
steal and enSlave
The sultan is a man Of no power Of his
own, and must depend on the chiefs, who
may or may not do what he wishes. They
who do no useful work, but who Nve
through robbery and by fining both sides
in case, irrespective of who may be
guilty, the full amount of the ability to
pay, and II the victim refuses to pay he is
enslaved. No peace or order can be main
tanned in these islands SO long as these
conditions exist. Movable property is al
ways on the move without the desire of
the owner. Men say they will not work
and accumulate property which they will
not be permitted to enjoy, and there are
constant turmoils. murders and enslave-
mentS going on
''The policy heretofore enforced from Ma
Mia has heen to permit this to go on in
f1uenced only by moral suasion; no one is
allowed to go beyond the outpostS here
without an armed guard and it is even
advisable to go about the streets here arm
ed, on account of iuramentados, one of
whom got through the gate past. a senti
mel about four days ago with his arms,
ran through the barrack yard, slashed
soldier across the back and fell dead on
the main plaza and in front of the COM
missary office. shot through five times by
a fusillade from our soldiers, which killed
also a trumpeter who was getting ready for
guard This makes the sixth or seventh
juramentado since last spring-one engi-
neer soldier was chopped up last spring
by one of them after he had seven Colts
.3S balls in him-he chopped off a leg and
an arm at one stroke of his barong.
'Al during the spring the garrison has
practically been in state of siege.
when Capt. Elting's troop went out
they surrounded it, brandishing their
back because his orders were by no
means to have a conflict. The Moros had
five horses, stolen from the government,
and I got the last of them last week and
brought in the man who mad had him for
the past four months. You will see by
this way peace has been kept heretofore
and at what sacrifice.
Now the Moro province act contem-
plates changes-among others the abol-
ishment of slavery, a very sore point
with them 1t contemplates trials of of
tenders by district courts, and these
htings will surely bring on conflicts in
the enforcement which cannot be avoid
ed. and If this is to be an American island
an American should be able to travel on
1t without an armed escort after three
years occupation, or effort should be
made to make it safe, and I think the
time is now here, in Gen. Woods estima-
ton.
I'VE are very much cut off from you in
the United States and very little news
percolates this far, and that little long
out of date. Spare little of your valu-
able time and let me hear from you
Sincerely youres H L. SCOTT"