Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-10-09


do all the work possible for the well
being of the people.
General Pershing IL ct present fol-
| lowing policy In Zamboanga COM
pletely different from that of his pre-
decessors for he attends to the desires
and needs of the inhabitants and tries
to lead them by the road which will
conduct them most directly towards
progress.
The very radicals, who, in past
years, clamored against the regime,
who could in no wise speak words in
praise of those who governed the prov
ince, are Low the first to eulogize the
gentlemanly general who does not lose
any occasion which presents itself to
/ him to establish closer bonds of friend
ship between himself and the natives"
Nv. Cameron Forbes of Boston was
governor general of the Philippines at
the time. Soon after Pershing as
sumed his new duties-civil and mill
tary-Forbes made an inspection trip
through the Moro Province. Upon its
completion he wrote to Jacob M. Dick
son, then secretary of war, under date
Of March 10, making this report:
Il have just returned from another
/ trip south in which l again visited the
Moro Province The change there is
most startling and enheartening; the
result of General Pershings arrival.
and his work there Is something magi-
cal.
Everyone Of the things which I
found to critfcise with the administra-
ton of Moro Province has been RENEE
died and with a firm hand"
Indeed, reviewing the situation after
the lapse of years Pershng's accom-
plishments in the province were "magi-
cal" Magical and wonderful they
were. He knew Mindanao, knew it af-
ter years Of campaigning there when
he had been only a subordinate Off
GER. Now he was In supreme command.
He was the military head and he was
the civil head of the government. He
intended to finish the work he had
started when he was a subordinate Off
GER He attained his desire. BY the
end of 1913 peace reigned throughout
the province and our government, for
the first time since It's occupation and
Investment of the Philippine Islands,
was able TO withdraw the military
forces from Mindanao and from all
other parts of the Moro Province, in
Guiding the Sulu archipelago, not even
excepting the island of Jolo.
! What a task!
The first big step taken by Pershing
was in September 1911. On the 18th
of that month he issued an order
Executive Order No. "a 1t called for
the disarmament of the Moros, stating:
1 TT shall be unlawful to have a rifle,
IiluStl, CdIDlnp. shotgun, revolver, DIS
tol. or other deadly weapons from which
a bullet, ball, shot, shell, or other mis-
sile may be discharged by means of
gun powder or other explosive, or to
carry, concealed or otherwise, on the
person, any bowie knife, dirk, dagger,
KRIS, campilan, spear, or other deadly
cutting or thruSting weapon"
Easily written, that order. But put
into execution in the Moro Province:
4, one must remember that weapons, es-
pecially knives, dirks, daggers, krises,
complains, spears, were a part OF the
Moro's dress. He placed his kris In his
belt as we place our watch in our
pocket; caught up his spear as he left
his hut as we catch up our hat when
we leave our house. And the Moro used
his weapons. Human llfe--t was moth
ing to him, not even his own. He
killed and he murdered, singly, by
scores.
! Pershing knew that until the order
was carried out to the letter peace
could never come in Mindanao. And
Pershing intended that the order should
be carried out.
Personally he visited the different
! districts of the province and to those
! dattos who were his friends-those
dattos whom in the days gone by, he
had inspired with friendliness and con-
fidence to the extent that they had
made him datto to sit with them in
iudgment--he explained the order.
Hundreds of Moros surrendered their
weapons. But there was other hun
dreds who did not who defied the au-
ithorities. Campaigns were instituted
against those hostile.
| Towards the end of 1911 disarma-
ment was progressing quietly except
in the island of Jolo. The Moros there,
Sulu Moros, the most unregenerated of
all in the province and swayed by
tflnptiTiErD which than, hot
ter than wild beasts, held out against
the government. Some 600 or more of
them, all carrying arms not krlses
lalone, but high powered, modern guns,
retreating to the crater of an extinct
volcano known as Bud Dajo and mobi-
lized there In what they thought was
an impregnable position.
A CHRISTMAS VICTORY.
Pershing took ton Christmas day,
The savage defenders were killed or
made prisoners.
Their weapons were seized.
report of the Bud Dajo affair as
written by Pershing himself, follows:
THE final stand of the hostile ele-
met opposing disarmament was made
on the sacred mountain, Bud Dajo.
The Moros had hastily and secretly
retired 10 that stronghold, expecting
the troops to assault the fortified slopes
or that historic battle ground.
I'm handling the situation, however.
our troops did not assault as the Moros
expected and desired, but promptly
surrounded them, cut off their supplies
tand held them fast until they were
starved into submission.
"They would all have preferred death
to surrender.
The effect of their defeat in this
fashion was signal. There have been
other smaller encounters but the dis
armament has not since met with
serious opposition. II may be conf