The Washington herald., 1913-12-28

Later he fled to Japan, returning to
Manila after the amnesty bill had guar
anteed immunity from prosecution to all
Offenders. His accomplices were SEN
fenced by the courts, however.
The airing Of this piece Of history was
OF Mr.. Harrison.
A few weeks later Mr. Harrison was
discharging from office several veteran
American officials and putting in their
places Filipinos. Among those who went
was the secretary of the interior, Dean
c. Worcester, a scientist He had been
acquainted with the Philippines several
years before Congress declared war with
Spain. Worcester is admitted to know
more about the Philippines than any
other living man. Some have called him
then natives greatest friend. Certainly
he has devoted his life to them, has
gone into great danger for them time
and again, and has accomplished mar
vels in many lines.
Attacked by Worcester.
Coming to this country, Worcester at
tackled the new regime as endangering
all that has been gained in the islands.
Although many Americans in the army,
the scouts, or the constabuiary. have
written home OF slavery, it is Worcester
who has exposed the system with great
est wealth of detail.
He says the Filipinos obtain by theft
or purchase the children OF Negritos
Tagbanans, Eongotsy or Ifugaos, and en-
slave them. Some children are sold to
Chinese to receive a Chinese haircut, are
dressed in Chinese clothes. and, perhaps
finally transported to China. II ques-
ticned, the Chinese say the children are
adopted" The FiIipinos make a like
reply. In Neuva Viscaya, conditions are
very bad, women as well as children be-
ing bartered almost as freely as cattle.
Once. in a while a slave girl becomes
famous. There is the thirteen-year-old
child, for instance, whose mother sold
her for some pigs, chickens, rice and a
cloak, to Thomas Cabanag, a we'll
known slave trader. Cabanag in turn
sold her to a man in Nueva Viscaya, and
the latter found a purchaser. This thing
became known by chance and Cabanag
was hailed to court. He was charged
with illegal detention. for there was no
prohibition of slavery by name in the
law. He was convicted and appealed to
a higher court. The higher court found
him Guiltless. He had not detained the
girl by actual physical force. He was
turned loose and slavery Immediately
had a boom, a great increase in pros
perity, for the case was followed all
over the Islands as a precedent.
This led to agitation by indignant
Americans for a statute making slavery
illegal and punishable. The Philippine
Assembly refused to act. For years ii
put off taking cognizance OF slavery, as
serting it did not exist and therefore
the request to penalize it was an insult
to Filipino civilization.
slave Girl Is Heard.
One day the slave girl of an assembly
man made herself heard. She did not OBJ
ject to the system of slavery. She did
not have any arguments about the
rights of man. But she was being
brutaIly treated. She asked a kinder
Master.
Finally the Assembly did pass the pro-
after Dean Worcester had departed
of slavery to the United States.
Whether the law will be enforced so as
to end the dealing in human Chattels re-
mains to be seen. The FilipinUs them
selves will have the statute to enforce
and, according to some observers, Nney
are not prone to enforce anything.
AS to the Filipinos' efficiency in gov
ernment it is apropos to note that none
of the governors general before Harrison
believes in independence for the islands.
These eX-governors are Luke +. Wright.
James Smith. ". Cameron Forbes. and
William II. Taft. EX-President Taft. the
first governor general, said recently:
Are we to let these islands go and
turn them over to an oligarchy Of elo-