Gilpin observer., 1908-09-17
new TOWN MODEL
FILIPINO VILLAGE is RUN IN
YANKEE FASHION,.
General Bliss Report Of Conditions In
Dependencies Tells of Efforts to
Give Natives a Clean Mu-
nicipality.


nicipality.
Within earshot of the bugles of I'm
Gle Sam and on the opposite side of
the Agus river from the military post
Of Camp Keithley, District of Lanao
Moro Province, p. l., has sprung up
the town of Dansalan, which Gen
Tasker II. Bliss, U. S. A., in his annual
report says is 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-SaXon
| settlers of the United States" His
| description OF its beginning throws an
instructive sidelight upon the strange
| land laws" of the country. and shows
how things often have to be done there
outside the pale of the law to obtain
| results that are demanded by The
needs of the people.
The new town grew out of the ne
cessity of removing the settlement
of squatters at Marahui ON the mill
tary reservation of Camp Keithley. AT.
ter much deliberation 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 5000 pesos, which
they placed in the hands of commit
| tee of three Americans of their mum
| ber, who negotiated with the Moros
! for an eligible site near enough to the
military reservation TO be assured Of
some protection, and purchased it. The
site was then carefully laid out, and in
| accordance with previous agreement
icts were sold at public auction to an
amount sufficient to reimburse the sub
scriberE of the original purchase price
Of the site. The remaining lots We're
then decided to the town to be sold
to new settlers.
| This well-cQnsidered, 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.
t 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 a 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
| Titles 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 AngloSaXon with
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
| inaton and guidance of a few Ameri-
cans. 1T is an illustration of what
would happen could a 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 Ii
rurayes south of Cotabato Gen. Bliss
finds territory especially inviting
TO the investor. The people are teach
able, and with kind and just treatment
would become reliable laborors. 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"