The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-06-08
American Officer Tells Of the
Work Of the Most Ef-
hcient Military Police in
the World"

1t Ia long call from the United States
to the jungles Of Mindanao, to the crags
and precipices of Samar. or to any of the
other OF the thousand and more islands
which form our Philippine possessions,
and that 10 the only excuse which the
average citizen can make for not know
ing more about that small body Of Amer
lean frontiersmen whose hard and con-
scientious work, deeds of daring, and in
domitable spirit have organized the
Philippine Constabulary and made 1t
what 1t Is today-probably the most eff
cient body Of military police in, the world.
writes Lieut.. John Robert White in a
letter to the Boston Transcript.
A corps Of some 1000 enlisted men. with
800 officers. about 800 Of whom are Ameri-
cans and 100 Filipinos. its khaki and red
UNIFORM Is known and respected alike by
the naughty Moro chieftain. lord of rich
acres In Mindanao or Jolo; by the humble
peasant toiling in the rice paddles OF
Luzon; by the Chinese storekeeper Of the
foothills village; by the Spanish man
ager OF the big sugar hacienda: by the
Filipino municipal and provincial officials.
and, In fact. by all classes Of the varied
society Of the islands.
Leaders Won Over.
In August OF 1901. when the Philippine
Constabulary was organized, the regular
army and volunteer troops had defeated
and broken up the insurgent army, while
Mr.. McKinley's far-seeing policy had
won over most Of the leaders OF the in
surrection to the work Of organizing the
new civil government. But the aftermath
of war remained. Bands of robbers in
Tested the jungles on the mountain sides
and the sparsely cultivated lands outside
town limits Their rapid and rapacious
raids spared none. A trail Of blood and
fire showed where they had passed. In
different islands they went by different
names: Ladrones tulisanes, pulajanes,
dios-dioses or babaylanes. They are the
counterparts of the dacoits of Burmah.
India, and the Malay States. Indeed,
banditry in some form or other has been
for centuries a recognized. and almost
tolerated. institution in far Eastern coun-
tries. and particularly in the Malayan
possessions of European powers. In the
Philippines during the whole period of
Spanish rule the ''tulisanes'' made travel
unsafe even in the provinces nearest to
the capital. Indeed, Cavite Province was
known as the ''madre de tulisanes," (the
mother OF the bandits. Today banditry
is practically extinct throughout the
islands. The old-time recurring raids are
unknown. few miserable individuals
Skuiklng IN Ine deep JuISlcs. udys Joui
ney from human habitation. and con-
stantly chased by the constabulary from
one mountain clearing to another. are all
that remain Of the once proud and pow
erful bands of outlaws.
Power of Commander.
What of the work that has brought
about this tranquil state? Kipltng
could find a lifetime's material in the
l. - - ha,la rN-
There have been desperate hand-to-hand
fights against overwhelming numbers.
and with neither doctor nor ambulance
behind. Scores, nay. hundreds Of times,
has some young officer taken a handful
Of Constabulary and plunged into the
gloomy tropical forests which clothe the
Philippine mountains. He is in pursuit
Of some outlaw band retreating to its
mountain stronghold after a raid on the
fat lowlands. Two, three days-a week
OF training-and a week away from help
of any other American-the band is found
tsrongly fortified in some rocky canyon
and vastly outnumbering its pursuers.
But there is no turning back. The Con-
stabulary code does not recognize su-
periority in the numbers of the enemy
as a reason for failure. Odds of ten, yes,
Of fifty to one are cheerfully met; and
not a culver of the officers eyelid must
betray nervousness or hesitation. The
Filipino enlisted men. brave though they
are. fully realize the danger. and moth
ing but the psychic influence OF their
commander can carry them through.
Perhaps there is a short rest before the
assault The officer jokes with his men
in Spanish or dialect: "Hola, sargento!
Themes hambre? No importa! Aquellos
caballeros ariba deben tener guardos
bastante comida comeremos blen dem
tro de POGO" CWhat. sergeant! Are
you hungry? Never mind! Those gen.
tlemen up there will have collected lots
of food and we'll have a square meal
very soon)! He keeps smiling face
but his mind wanders back to the we'll