Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-02

who have done difficult work faith
FULLY, and who are now forced out by
the principles of our political theory.
The Americans still necessary to the
service must be retained. Finally,
there is the question of whether there
are not certain functions of govern
ment which natives will be incapable
of fulfilling for many years to come.
Pre-eminent among these, is the
administration of the affairs of the So
called nonChristian tribes. The nom
Christian tribes include both the pa
gans, or hill people, who have only
been won the last decade from their
head-huntinS and continual savage
warfare, as well as the Moros of
Mindanao and Sulu. warlike Moham-
medans who terrorized the archipel-
ago for centuries. At present the
Philippine Commission has full charge
of the affairs of these people, who
number probably an eighth of the to-
tai population, and whose territories
embrace third of the land area of
the archipelago. The purely Filipino
Assembly has nothing to say about
them.
The question is basically political,
for any change in the existing ar
rangement will have to be made by an
act of Congress, such as is now pend
Ing before the House of Representa-
tives. In it's details, however, it is a
question of the civil service, for the
men in actual charge of the wild
tribes-the provincial governors-are
Americans. They have Won the saw
ages to law and order and to some
thing approaching social progress by
combination of tact and reckless
courage that is an eternal credit to
the American nation. The question
arises as to when, if ever. their places
can be filed by F'ilipinos.
In this connection it is we'll to note
that the term Filipino" does not ap-
ply to all inhabitants of the Philip
pines, but only to the Christian peo-
pies who, to the number of some
seven million, form about seven
eighths of the population. This class
Is the only one capable of administra-
tion. and it is from them that the men
to govern the wild tribes will be
drawn.
Americans are also in favor of the
administrative features of the bill,
but in respect to the actual govern
ment of the wild tribes, some of them
express doubt. They point out that
between the Filipinos and the hill
men is an enmity centuries old, and
that the Moros hold the fighting abili-
ties of the Filipinos in contempt.
They say. too, that unless checked,
certain Filipinos are liable to take
I
stition of the savage to exploit him,
and that the confidence and friend
ship SO carefully built up by Ameri-
cans will be destroyed.
There seems little doubt that the
Moros and the hill peoples would be
thorn in the side of a purely Fill
pino administration. When the prov
inces of Mindanao and Sulu were re-
Gently turned over from the military
to the civil government, the last ac-
tivity of the army was ended, and to-
day our troops in the Philippines are
on exactly the same sort of a peace
footing that they occupy in the con-
| tinehtal United States. The Philip
pine Constabulary is maintaining al
most perfect order, but the commits
stoned officers for the most part are
Americans.
No critic of American or Filipino
! in the islands has attacked the con-
stabulary. They are a remarkably
able and efficient body of men, re-
cruited both from the Filipinos and
the hill peoples. They may be taken
as conclusive proof that the Filipino
and his wilder neighbors have the
making of frst-rate soldiers when
properly led. The order they are
preserving, the five thousand outlaws
| killed and the twelve thousand cap
tured, shows their efficiency.