The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1908-10-08
NEW TOWN MODEL
iFiLiPIaoa vlLlAGEf 70 RUN IN
4 AM, YANKEE FASHION.
osnsraIf Bliss Report ficondltlcns In
Dependencies Tells Of Efforts to
\ Give Natives a Clean Mu-
nIclpaIlty.

Dependencies Tells OF Enorts 20
Give Natives q Clean Mu-
nlclpaIIty.
Within earshot ofthe bugles OF Un.
clio Sam and on the opposite side Of
the Agus river from, the military post
Of Camp KeithleH District of Lanao,
Moro Province, P. r., has sprung up
the town Of Dansalan. which Gen.
Tasker II. Bliss, " STA, IA his annual
report says ID probably the first and
only instance in the Philippine islands
of the establishment Of an orderly and
well-regulated community after the
manner followed by the Anglo-S Saxon
settlers Of the United States" His
description ofSits begInning throws an
instructive sidelight upon the strange
land "laws' of the country. and shows
how things often have to Big, done there
outside the pale of the law to obtain
results that are demanded. by the
needs OF tho people.
The new town grew out Of the me-
cessity of removing the settlement
of squatters at Marahui ON the mill
tary reservation Of Camp Keithley. AT.
ter much elaboration they decided to
transfer themselves from the northern
to the eastern shore Of Lake Lanao.
They then raised by voluntary sub.
scription the sum of 4, 900 pesos, which
they placed in the hands Of commit
toe Of three Americans of their num-
Der, who negotiated with the Moros
for an eligible site near enough to the
military reservation to be assured OF
some protection, and purchased 1t. The
site was then carefully laid out, and in
accordance with previous agreement
lots we're sold at public auction to an
amount sufficient to reimburse the SUBJ
scribers of the original purchase price
Of the site. The remaining lots were
then decided to the town to be sold
to new settlers.
This well-considered, orderly and
sensible procedure is, strange to say,
In its entirety without sanction OF
law" the report admits Neither the
datto, with whom the settlers negotiat-
ed, nor any Of his followers had proved
nor could prove title under existing
laws. Neither the individual settlers
nor the town could acquire title
through the datto. But the datto and
all his followers believed that the land
belonged to him under Moro law or
customs and that he could dispose Of
1t as he did. If the settlers had not
recognized these believed rights Of his
If they had camped upon the site as
being waste, unoccupied, uncultivated
public land and should have proceeded
to acquire title under the provisions
of the land law whenever the latter
should be made to apply. without COM
pensation to the Moros, they would
have brought on war. There can
be no doubt that their recognition of
the fact that the Moro was there with
his gun and his spear, and that his
gun and spear Tin the absence of a
greater number Of opposing guns)
gave him valid title fer which they
had to negotiate, was the only SEN
sible, civilized and just thing for them
to do. No doubt the rights they have
thus acquired will in due time be
confirmed"
A narrow-minded stickler for equity
might in this instance, as probably in
many others, have brought on hos
tilities which the tact of an army af-
ficer was able to avoid. A novel fea-
ture in this case is that the mass of
the settlers are not Anglo-Saxon with
a long inheritance of the principles of
independent and self-governing village
life, but are Chinese, Japanese, Fill
pinos and Moros who, without hesita-
ton, submitted themselves to the dom
nation and guidance of few Ameri-
cans. 1T Is an illustration of what
would happen could sufficient num-
Der Of American settlers of the old
sturdy stock-just such as those who
are already here-be induced to set
tie in the province"
In the country occupied by the IT.
rufayes south of Cotabato Gen. Bliss
finds a territory especially inviting
to the investor The people are teach
able, and with kind and just treatment,
would become reliable laborers. No
white man, however, should invest
either his own labor or his capital
without assurance Of this native labor.
The people are kindly disposed toward
the white men, which cannot be said
Of the Moros, who, paradoxically,
like the white mans government,
which is just and firm, but have no
liking for the white man himself"