Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-02
ORDER OUT Of CHAOS
Keynote of the Philippine Com
missions Report.
OUTBREAKS ARE VERY FEW
Attachment of the People Being
Gradually Won.
LADRoNIsM PRACTICALLY DEAD
Pacifying the Discomfort in Samar
Over the Irregular Practices of
Officials of Coast Towns.

Order out of chaos is the general note
sounded i'll the report of the Philippine
commission, published today. The report
states that with the exception of the prov
inces of Cavite. Batangas and Samar the
conditions have improved SO that ladronlsm
is practically dead. In fife three provinces
mentioned there are still occasional out
breaks, but these are being put down, and
ment is strong enough and willing enough
being forced to disclose themselves in :halr
real guise of marauders, who are footing
for personal gain, rather than to pose as
patriots of the army of liberation"
General industrial conditions have I'M
proved, and the currency of the Islands is
being placed on a stable basis The fiscal
resources are good. Some recommendations
for liberalizing the mining laws are made,
and the passage of the Philippine taliff bill
with its reduced duties is strongly urged.
"Grafting" officials Cause Discomfort.
The report says that the governor general
visited the Island of Samar, and found great
unrest and dissatisfaction prevailing there.
1T was discovered that much of the discon-
tent was due to the fact that he local offi-
Gals of the coast towns were acting as
agents for the big foreign houses purchas-
ing hemp, the chief product of the Island.
They would buy the hemp at a merely ncm-
inal valuation and urn it over TO :Ee big
buyers at regular market prices. If pro-
Queer protested he was sr.~93t II on same
trumpedup charge, and punished TOR what
he had not done, in nd ii-iJn to being TGb-
bed of his crop.
The result was that the isIlnd was 4 hot
bed of discomfort and raIiow ground for
political and religious UpflsinSs. The gov
ernor who fortunately could take
Tagalog, got in touch win tne poor IcpIle
back in the hills, many of whom had rever
seen a white man, and after redressirg
some of their grievances helped to estab-
lish a school system ana 4 decent ofdtI iy
government. AS soon as the people iCund
that the government was willing anil abe
to protect them, and that they were not TO
get the worst of It," they were willing to
settle down Conditions there have been
improving from that time
"Black Hand" in Cavite.
Much the same conditions prevailed in
Cavite and Batangas. Cattle stealing and
the mutation of prisoners was common
and there was a regular black hand or
ganization. waiting to pounce on and carry
killed. but more often horribly mutilated
and hamstrung, after which they were al
lowed to crawl back to the settIemHn
warning to their acknowledges
Energetic measures were taken to wipe
out these bandits. and most of them have
been already killed or captured The area
of farm land has consequently Increased,
and the whole region is on a much more
prosperous basis.
Improvement on Jolo Island.
Since the last report G. the commission
there is said to be a marked Improvement
In the conditions of the Moro province
With the exception of the opposition NAM
tanned by Dato Ali, who was later Killed
and his band dispersed, everything,
rule, has been peaceful ana quiet. There
has been on the whole a considerable change
for the better among those living On the
Island of Jolo A renegade Moro. who fed
from north Borneo after having committed
many crimes there, succeeded in gathering
a considerable following around him IN Jolo
and headed a spaSmodic outbreak, rut he
was finally killed and his following dis
persed. There has been considerable prog
resS and development along agricultural
lines. both exports and imports have con-
increased, and the outlook for the
future of this great province IS distinctly
The commission believes that, generally
speaking, II may De SdlQ tfldL DIS 10 TINS
province it is a work of time, tact and
watchfulness to change the feel
ings of the Moros from suspicion I'D dis
trust to friendship and confidence.
Falling Off in Rice Imports
There has been general improvement in
conditions In many provinces
there is fully much land under ciiitlva-
ton as ever before, and IN all of them the
only drawback to the full cultIra ton of an
lands heretofore cultivated has been the
lack of carabaos and other draft animals
on account of the death of many from lind
erpest and other cattle diseases. There was
an increase in exports over the preceding
year of S2129,73S. There is a falling off in
the imports of $2.3I2 213, entirely que to
the falling off in importations of rice the
principal article of eoo1 7f the people. More
than S4,0O0,00o less WAS expended for rec
than the year previous. This single state
ynent tells its own story
The prospect for the next rice crop is I'M
good, and it Is confidently expected
that. unless some unforeseen disaster oc-
ours still further decrease In iic. impor-
tations will be made he coming wear. The
ordinary American plow, reape.. harrow
and hoe are gradually being Introduced and
the Filipinos readily appreciate the differ