Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-07
URGES DIVISION
OF PHILIPPINES
WOULD FORM TERRITORY OF
SOUTHERN ISLANDS
RETIRING GOVERNOR OF MORO
PROVINCE GIVES VIEWS
Believes Separation of Archipelago
Would Insure Permanent Amerl-
can FoothoId in orient-Na-
tlves Still Unclvlized
tBy Associated Press.l

SEATTLE, Wash, Oct 6.-Recom-
mending as a means Of securing a
permanent foothold of absolute Am
erican influence in the Orient, the es-
tablishment of an American territory
including the southern islands OF the
Philippine archipelago, Col Ralph
w. Hoyt Of the twenty-fifth u. ). IN
fantry,. former commanding ohlcer OF
the department of Mindanao, has
rendered his resignation as civil COVER
nor of Moro province and has sent his
final report to the War Department
at Washington.
Col. Hoyt has just returned with
his regiment and is now commandant
at Fort Lawton.
In his report to the department, Col.
Hoyt urges that the attention Of the
government be invited to the great
difference in the actual conditions that
exist in Moro province as compared
with the remainder of the Philippines
and that congress be requested to en-
act laws and regulations to effect an
early and permanent separation of the
southern islands, including Mindanao,
Sulu archipelago, and Palawan with
all the smaller adjacent islands from
the rest of the Philippine archipelago
In discussing this question today
Col. Hoyt said:
1.-THE southern groups of islands thus
separated might be called the Min
danao plantations to designate IT
from the rest of the Philippines. 1t
should be declared territory of the
United States, not colony, to be oc-
cupied by coaling stations and used
as a naval base with a civil military
government, similar to the present
government of the Moro province, with
policy SO plainly expressed that 1t
would settle any question of inde-
pendence or political agitation for an
7exation to the northern group.
Education Languishes
:" e natives might be assigned to
the h ervations, secured in all of their
rights pder military protection. The
remainder of the territory should be
divided into plantations and forest re-
serves open to occupation and develop
ment under such laws as might be
found best. The immense possibilities
of increased production under this ar
rangement, the impetus given to labor
and trade in establishing business on a
permanent basis, would add to the ar
guments for the continued occupation
Of these southern islands by the United
States, besides providing a permanent
foothold of absolute American influence
IN the orent.
"The Moros have no conception of
representative government or the
meaning of independence, having no
word in their language to give 1t ex-
preston. We have not yet built up a
state nor reached the mass of the peo-
Pile in any general uplifting movement.
The little red schoolhouse has been
started, but instruction languishes for
want of trained teachers or the desire
of the natives to profit by or appre-
ciate the advantages of education.
"The mailed fist is the first law of
the land-peace would be impossible
without the actual presence of troops
for this country is neither ready for
nor has it ever known any other form
of government The civil-military gov
ernment, in which the government con-
trolls the armed forces, is indispensable
now and will be for generations to
come. A purely civil government is
quite impossible, and at the present
time would carry with 1t untold misery
and suffering"