Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-23
THE CONSTABULARY
Philippine Natives Armed by
the Government.
APPARENTLY FAITHFUL
INVESTIGATIONS OF THE SECRET
SERVICE BUREAU.
Trouble Caused by a Fakir Named
Rios-Reforms in the Service
Recommended.
APPARENTLY FAITHFUL
By WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
"A N T.. KITS.
special Correspondence OF The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald

| Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
| MANILA, June ~. 1904.
The native constabuiary COCO strong, who
| are responsible for the political peace of the
| islands in addition to the United States
| troops. the native scouts and the municipal
police, are a common topic of discussion
| and good many people distrust them
Judging the future by a short past. their
| loyalty should not be questioned. but there
| are complaints that the government is ed
| ucating a lot of dangerous irresponsible ma
| tives to fight against 1t should another rev.
| olution occur. These critics find the chief
| ground for their apprehension in a recent
| mutiny, and also in the fact that many of
| the privates were in the army of Aguinaldo,
| and that after serving terms of two years
| and learning all there is to know they de-
| cline to re-enlist.
| 1t is true that there was a mutiny or
| rather desertion I'm the constabulary forces
| In northern LuZon last February Ricarte.
! captain general and supreme dictator of the
| democratic republic of the Philippines,
| whose headquarters are in the bush. and
| who has succeeded in eluding capture up to
| date, managed somewhere or another to get
! into communication with a corporal and six
| men in charge of one of the constabuiary
posts in the mountains. By appealing to
| their vanity and craze for titles he per-
| suaded them to desert their posts and be
| come major generals and brigadier generals
in his phantom army. The Ftlipinos are
| always dramatic, and this corporal ana SIX
men deserted with as much ceremony as
| might attend the organization OF an empire
| They were almost Immediately captured,
however. Two OF them have been sentenced
| to death and the rest have gone to the PEN
! itentiary for life. These severe penaitles
were considered not only expedient put
necessary for moral erect upon the re- re,
mainder of the corps. and to convince all
| whom it might concern of the folly ana
| danger of trifing with the sovereignty OF
! the United States:
| constabulary have proved faithless. and II
| is known that they have been tempted
many times.
At Constabulary Headquarters.
| A visit to their headquarters is interest
ing They occupy an ancient Spanish mil
| itary barracks and the lower floor has been
fitted up for IA house of detention for polit-
| cal prisoners The cells are kept filled with
| lieutenant generals. major generals CAP
met ministers, ambassadors, Judges, Jeto
| politicos collectors of customs, poStmaS-
| ters and other officials of imaginary repuo-
| lies which have been and are still beins
organized by the proteges or the antl-ih-
perialist organization in the United states
and the junta at Hong Kong. Ihey are
mostly Young men. some of them mere
| bows and only few of them can read ana
| write Nearly all of them are baretooted
| and their clothing is limited to an under,
shirt a pair of cheap cotton trousers ana
| an old straw hat, but they all bear high
sounding commissions. printed upon imlta-
| ton parchment signed with great iorr,ai,
! ity and bearing pretentous scans. ihe1
| have been promised big pay and hlgh nom
ors whenever the Americans are driven out
| of the islands and the Filipinos are allowed
| to enjoy the blessings of liberty ana sen
government Ii Senators Hoar, Patterson,
Carmack Governor Boutwell, and other
wise men who have been oecialihi,s
against Imperialism illustrated by the
American administration OF the fhiiippiies,
and demanding the independence OF TINS
people could only step into the Quarter
Anda and permit General Allen .he chlel'
or Colonel Scott. assistant chlet OF the CON
stabulary to introduce them TO the leauerS
of the independent movement in the Philip
pines and show them some OF the docu-
ments that have been captured, tney mlsht
not be so confident of the capacity OF the
Filipinos for Self-government and the char-
acter of the apostles of liberty VINO are
dema ndng the independence of the Philip
pines.
Work of the Secret Service.
Mai. Samuel D. Crawford, who used to
be a newspaper reporter at Erie, Ia, ana
was a good one, is al the head OF the secret
service bureau of the constabulary, ana
hence knows pretty much all that is going
on of political nature in these islands. He
has car load of amusing documents which
illustrate the methods that have been ana
are still being used to stir up discomfort
and disloyalty among the people: For they
are still going on, and they Will continue
inst as long as they receive the slightest
encouragement from the United States. II
ANYBODY makes a speech In Congress IN
favor of Filipino independence or II some
convention passes a resolution to that ef-
feet which gets into the newspapers, 1t is
almost certain to be followed by the or
ganization of some new society or club or
movement over here. and furnish ground
for shrewd Adventures to eXtort money
from the people. Most of the active pro-
paganda in favor of Independence, | have
explained to you in previous letters, is car
ried on for pecuniary profit, and it is easy
for a cunning fellow to make a living by
appealing to the patriotism of ignorant peo-
pie.
For example, a man named Rios recently
made a great deal of trouble for the police
by representing himself to be an inspired
prophet, and found little difficulty in work
Ing on the supersutionS OF the extremely
ignorant and credulous nhabitants of dis
tricts distant from centers of .popula ton.
So well did he succeed that he organized
what he designated as an exterior munich
pal government" with an elaborate corps
of officials. He promoted himself and his
followers in rapid succession until he finally
had under him captain general, one
lieutenant general, twenty-five major gen.
erals, fifty brigadier generals and host of
officers Of lower grades. In appreciation of
his own abilities he appointed himself gen
eralissimo" and ''viceroy," and stated his
intention of having himself crowned king
of the Philippines" Earthly titles not
proving sufficient he announced himself as
the "son Of Cod and dispensed "anting-
antings," which were guaranteed to make
the wearer invulnerable to attack. OF the |
ladrones killed during this period few We're |
discovered who were not wearing these
anting-antings"
Ignorance of Rios Followers
The dense ignorance and credulity of the
followers of Rios were clearly shown by the
fanatical paraphernalia captured by Capt.
Murphy. Among these was a box, on the
cover Of which was painted the word ''inde-
pendencia." The followers of Rios pro-
foundry believed that when they had proved
themselves worthy the box would be opened
and mysterious something called indie
pendence, for which they had so long been
fighting, would be disclosed, and there
would be no more labor, no taxes. no jais
and no constabulary to restrain their pro-
clivities.
When this mysterious chest was opened 1t
was found to contain nothing but some old
Spanish Gazettes and a few hieroglyphics,
among which appear the names and rank
of the distinguished officials of the organi-
Zatfon.
The constabulary Is based upon the the
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