Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-26
Philippine Problems
Iv--TAMING THE WILD MEN.
~ BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN -
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

washington, ID. o., rep. lS.--AuFo
Gates of Philippine Independence hold
that the non-C Christian tribes are no
more of a problem that are the In.
dams in the United States. Their op-
ponents say that the parallel would
be more accurate if there were four.
teen million Indians in this country,
if they had recently come off the war
path and were anxious to go back to
It, The truth lies somewhere between
these extremes of opinion, but at best
the non Christian tribes are a prob
lem, and at worst they can be a seri-
Gus menace.
The total population of the archipei-
ago is about eight millions. Thus sew
en- million Filipinos will have from
half a million to million non-Chris-
tians, whose territory embraces about
half the land area of the islands, to
police, educate, sanitate, administer
and govern.
The question is somewhat simplifisd
by the fact that these wild tribes are
in some ways not exactly wild. They
are savage, and in the very recent
past waged savage warfare, but they
are intelligent and quick to progress.
There Is a tribe in the interior OF
Mindanao that lived in the tree tops
five years ago. Today that tribe lives
in a village, uses late model disc plows
and trims the public plaza with a
lawn mower.
Such tribes have been won to law
and order by the American civil and
military officers who had charge OF
them. The task called for utter fear
lessness, infinite patience and NAH
who could set for each crime an ade-
quate punishment and see that 1t was
carried out. These American officers
risked their lives a dozen times a day.
They travelled unarmed through re-
mote and hostile regions where every
man boosted lance and strong de-
sire to increase his head score. They
decorated their quarters with the
spears thrown at them. They arbi-
trated feuds between villages when
only the presence of the other tribe
prevented each warning party from
90 III oripo in tho arhitor
Once the new government was es-
friendly relations between
the officers of administration and their
districts grew rapidly. The wild
tribes are quick to appreciate courage
and square deal. They obeyed the
law. and regarded the local lawmaker
as sort of demi-god; for the ruling
Of such people is largely personal
matter: they cannot grasp principles
Of government. Give them a man
who deals fairly with them. Furnishes
them when necessary, without malice.
but without favor, respects their GUS
toms as far as possible, and works
for the general good, and they will
admire that man and the government
he stands for. ... ..u
All these phases of the American
regime must be spoken of in the past
tense, but not because they are an
Gent history. They happened in the
twentieth century: some of them hap
pened five and six years ago. Today
head hunting has practically been
out; the wild tribes are be-
ginning to 60 to- school; they are
working ten days a year
On the roads, and are proud Of the
wonderful system of trails they have
built. Century-old feuds between hos
lie tribes have been adjusted, men
nave come down from the tree tops
o live in model villages, agriculture
has been stimulated among the hill
people, the guileless savage is getting
! fair price for his produce and buy
ng what he needs reasonably at gov
stores-in fact, everything
goes as smoothly as could be asked.
Yet, in considering what problem the
tribes present for the
uture, it is we'll to remember their