Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-30
CRUEL AS APACH Els
MASTERS OF LIVES AND PROP
ERTY OF THEIR SUBJECTS.
Recommendations Regarding Line OF
Conduct Toward Them on tho
Part Of the Government.
BIZ WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
cial Correspondence Of The Evening star ana


Although tho Sultan Of Sulu Is nomi-
nally overload and supreme authority
among the Moro tribes. there are several
sultans and dattos OF equal title and pedi-
gree who owe theoretical allegiance to
him. but do not recognize his royal preros-
alive In any practical way. Their Is sui
a so-called sultan of Mndanao, but his
claim Is not recognized Ito. the last or
the royal line. died in 1902. and favorite
slave q Chinese half-breed. Piang by name.
succeeded to his authority and Is now per-
haps the most powerful datto among the
islands. Another powerful Moro datto Is
Mandi. a Spanish half-breed. brought up
among Spaniards and entirely friendly to
them. He has shown loyalty to Spain from
the beginning of his influence and his con-.
duct toward the Americans has been equal
ly friendly Another is Pedro Cuevas.
full-blood Tagalo from Luzon. who former
~ lived in Manila, where he was condemn
ed to prison for highway robbery, but man.
aged to escape and fled to the Island OF
Basilan, where by his ability and force
of character, he managed to obtain In
fiuence and became datto by killing his
predecessor and proclaiming himself chief
He was afterward pardoned by the Spanish
government. which also confirmed his
authority as sultan. with secret under
standing that he should render such sup
port and cooperation against disloyal
dattos as he was able. He also has been
friendly toward the Americans.
Several other dattos Were also loyal to
Spain and have shown friendly DISPOSE
ton to the American government from the
time it took possession of this territory.
Naughty, Cruel and Ignorant.
AS a rule the datto is a naughty. ignorant
and cruel savage. much more so than the
chiefs of our Norh American Indian tribes.
He is an absolute despot. exercising his
own will and gratifying his passions and
whims regardless of the lives and property
of his subjects. and turning them to his
own account whenever he desires. His
authority is supported by the panditas or
Moslem priests who teach the people that his
person is divine. that he is the representa-
tive of Allah. and that whoever raises his
hand against him will suffer eternal tor
ment. And so strong Is the hold Of the
Moslem religion upon the people that, in
spite Of the injustice, tyranny and cruelty
of the dattos there Is not single case Of
rebellion; no one cite a single instance
in which slave a vasSal has been in
subordinate or has used violence against
his datto.
According to Very Rev Pho Pi. superior
of the Society Of JeSuits In the Philippines
who spent twenty years a missionary
among them, the hill tribes of savages are
not less intelligent than the Moros and are
certainly more docile and accessible. Padre
Pi considers them quite as susceptible Of
conversion and culture as the best races of
the archipelago and the labor undertaken in
their reduction and ChristianiZing under
equal circumstances gives much better
suits than that employed In civilizing the
Moros." He declares that IF these hill
tribes could be protected from the harass-
Ing tyranny of the Moros they would soon
be civilized and converted and made useful
citizens, but as long as the Moro dattos are
permitted to rob and harass them no prog
ress can be made in that part of the archi-
pelago."
Father Pi also says that the ordinary
MoroS are naturally we'll meaning and in
dustriOus, and that they also might be edu-
Gated and elevated II the power and au-
thority now exercised by the dattos were
destroyed for they look upon their chiefs
almost supernatural. a belief to which
the panditas or medicine men contribute
with their tricks and sOrceries, and thus
control the minds and the acts of the igno-
rant without regard to other Influences"
He claims that the ordinary Moros are
honest. peaceful and "as eager to learn and
improve themselves as any other people In
the Philippines. but as long as the govern
ment permits the dattos to exercise au-
thority and the panditas to practice their
sorceries and impose upon the credulity of
the natives there is no hope for them or
for progress or peace"
Practices of the Dattos.
Father Pi prepared an elaborate report
Gen. Davis. in which he gives some in
teresting information concerning the people
and offers recommendations for their treat
mcnt. The dattos. a rule. he says spend
their lives In gambling and leave the de-
tails of their government to the panditas.
who are priests. teachers, advisers and
medicine men. and really exercise the great
est influence and authority because of their
supposed sanctity. They perform all the
ba
trines and glories of their religion, which
has been much corrupted by ignorance and
superstition, and conduct worship each
Friday in the mosques. where the faithful
are called together by the beating of a
drum or hollow piece of wood. There the
pandita reads passages from the Koran and
the wOrshipers recite the prayers in unison.
when datto needs money he sells the
first thing of value that comes into his
hands. no matter who it belongs to. for he
has the authority to dispose not only of the
property but of the lives of his subjects.
They have even sold their own children to
pay their gambling debts"
Father III tells some extraordinary sto-
ries of the cruelty of the dattos The once
famous Ito" he says, perhaps one of the
most cruel men OF these later days at times
gave hts slaves and sdcopes. even for In
significant shortcomings. unheard-of pun
tshments, and other dattos used to do the
same thing, although less frequently. Those
who escaped from him he punished by cut
llile the lemons DSiOW the knees, that
they would be unable to run, and could
walk only with difficulty Others he ordered
To be bound In n place swarming with red
ants. which are very vicious and whose
bites are poisonous and insupportable
Others lie caused To be bound naked to the
trunks OF trees and exposed by day to the
burning rays OF the sun and by night to the
asonizing torments of the mosquitoes which
infest and modest that part of the world
That an idea may be formed of this tor
ment, Will state that calf was once pur-
chased in Tumbas for the purpose OF
slaughter on the following day; the calf
was left that night bound to the trunk of
q tree. and on the following morning was
found dead. Everyone attributed its death
to cloud Of mosquitoes that passed that
way."
The good father then relates his own ex-
pertence. which is scarcely consoling to
those who intend or expect to assist in the
development of that part Of oar insular pos
sessions. One night in Tumbas," he relates
Il was seated In "A canvas chair and was
compelled to rise because the mosquitoes
penetrated with their lancelas' not only the
canvas. but also the habit and the trousers
The men OF the garrison OF Refine Regente
always put newspapers over the seats of
their chairs. this being the only way to pre-
vent the bites OF the mosquitoes
Another of the punishments melted out
by the dattos." according to Father Pr lis
that OF throwing those whom they wish to
chastise into the river. with their bodies in
bar x.vNfE A...s.N -.