54:2 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



self-government was to make a government partly 

 of Americans and partly of Filipinos, with abso- 

 lute control in American hands for some time to 

 come. Even the educated have but a faint con- 

 ception of civil liberty. In the schools the Eng- 

 lish language wae made the basis of all public in- 

 struction, and the people showed a remarkable 

 eagerness to learn English. When the normal 

 school was opened for training Filipino teachers, 

 600 pupils were enrolled at once. In the night- 

 schools 10,000 adults sought instruction. Young 

 Filipinos were instructed in telegraphy so as to 

 take over the telegraph service from the army. 

 Manual training-schools and agricultural colleges 

 were a part of the plan of education. The people 

 of the islands were found by the Philippine Com- 

 mission to be divided into three parties: one op- 

 posed entirely to the American occupation; one 

 favoring the established government; and one, 

 larger than both the others and composed of the 

 ignorant mass, which was indifferent and would 

 support any government able to restore order and 

 tranquillity and protect the people from violence. 



The Federal party asked for amnesty for polit- 

 ical offenders and the organization of local and in- 

 sular government on a basis partially popular 

 and desired to have the Filipinos represented be- 

 fore the executive and legislative departments in 

 Washington by two or three delegates. This par- 

 ty, which was composed of the majority of the 

 educated people, ultimately looked forward to 

 statehood or to political independence. Its lead- 

 erg proposed to impose higher restrictions on the 

 municipal franchise than those adopted by the 

 Philippine Commission. This party was an effi- 

 cient ally of the Government in procuring the sub- 

 mission of insurrectos and the pacification of the 

 country. Wherever the Philippine Commission 

 went the Federal party prepared a favorable recep- 

 tion. The other active party, the one opposed to 

 American rule, was the Conservative party, com- 

 posed largely of Spanish mestizos, and having 

 the most sympathy for the Spanish clerical hier- 

 archy that was obnoxious to the Filipinos in gen- 

 eral. This party was in favor of peace as well as 

 the Federal party, and the great party that de- 

 sired only peace and advanced no political views. 

 The Conservatives wished to establish an inde- 

 pendent native government with an American pro- 

 tectorate. 



The Philippine Islands, owing to the influence 

 of the friars and Spaniards owning large hacien- 

 das, had no land tax in Spanish times. The 

 American Commission imposed one, which en- 

 countered some opposition at first. The yield can 

 only be small at first, because out of 65,000,000 

 acres of agricultural land in the Philippines only 

 5,000,000 acres belong to private owners. 



The sanitary measures taken at Manila practi- 

 cally stamped out the plague, which caused 20 

 deaths a week at the beginning of 1901, but not 

 more than 3 on the average at its close. Small- 

 pox is endemic in the Philippines, and vaccina- 

 tion was made compulsory. Beriberi, another 

 endemic disease, has been studied with a view to 

 curbing its propagation. A plan was formed for 

 isolating the lepers, of whom there are believed 

 to be 60,000 in the islands. In 1902 an epidemic 

 of cholera raged in many towns and districts and 

 caused fearful mortality. 



On July 1 civil government was proclaimed 

 throughout the Philippines, excepting in the 

 southern islands of the Moros, according to the 

 bill passed by Congress. Gen. ChafFee's powers as 

 Military Governor-General ceased, and he became 

 merely commanding general of the military divi- 

 sion of the Philippines. The Philippine Govern- 



ment remained under the absolute direction of the- 

 President and received instructions from the War 

 Department. A provincial government was inau- 

 gurated at Laguna on the same date, completiiig- 

 the establishment of local civil rule throughout 

 the civilized parts of the archipelago. The pacifi- 

 cation was pronounced complete and the accept- 

 ance of American authority universal. The army 

 was reduced to 27,000 men. Its duties were con- 

 fined to police work, except in the Moros country, 

 and it was expected to replace it eventually by a 

 native constabulary. On July 4 a proclamation 

 of the President announced that peace had been 

 established and offered amnesty to all who had 

 participated in insurrections against Spain or the 

 United States or had been guilty of treason, sedi- 

 tion, or any other political crime. Pardon was 

 granted even for acts in violation of the rules of 

 civilized warfare in the belief that they were com- 

 mitted in ignorance and under orders of the rev- 

 olutionary leaders, but not for such acts commit- 

 ted since May 1, nor for murder, rape, arson, or rob- 

 bery. Those held for these crimes at common law 

 were promised such clemency as would be consist- 

 ent with justice and humanity. To political pris- 

 oners and all who had committed political crimes 

 the only condition of a full pardon and amnesty 

 was that they should subscribe to an oath recog- 

 nizing the authority of and assuming allegiance 

 to the United States. Aguinaldo and the other 

 officers of the revolutionary junta and insurgent 

 leaders who were in confinement took the oath 

 and were set at liberty. The prisoners in Guam 

 were brought back in September. In the autumn 

 ladrones and irreconcilable fanatics became active 

 in the provinces of Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan. 

 In Tayabas a leader named Rios with 150 bolo- 

 men attacked a town, and the constabulary, after 

 driving them away, arrested 700 persons who were 

 suspected of complicity with Rios, who claimed to 

 be divine and immortal. In Samar the American 

 constabulary suffered from attacks of robbers. 

 Ladrone bands gave trouble to the constabulary 

 in the vicinity of Manila. In Cavite a leader 

 named Felizardo had a large following. There 

 were several bands of from 200 to 300 in the prov- 

 inces affected. W T hen driven from Cavite, which 

 has been the home of ladronism for ages, they 

 crossed into Bulacan, and from there were chased 

 into Rizal by volunteers. After committing dep- 

 redations on the plains in the provinces surround- 

 ing Manila it was easy for the robbers to escape 

 from the constabulary into the mountains. In 

 November the civil authorities called for the aid 

 of the army, which had remained inactive, and it 

 was decided to protect the towns with military 

 gai-risons in order to release the constabulary for 

 vigorous field operations. For the suppression of 

 ladronism it was enacted early in November that 

 highway robbery committed by three or more per- 

 sons shall be a capital crime. The United States 

 garrison for 1903 was fixed at 17,000 troops. 



The Question of the Friars. Spanish regular 

 priests were, under the Spanish regime, the actual 

 rulers of the island, the only representatives of au- 

 thority with whom the Filipinos came in contact, 

 and it was against their rule that the successive 

 revolutions were directed. It was because their 

 vested rights were reserved by the treaty of Paris 

 that the insurrection against American authority 

 gained such rapid headway and became so gen- 

 eral. These monks, through gifts and bequests 

 and Government grants and by confiscation and 

 expropriation in various guises, had, in the course 

 of ages, acquired for their establishments a large 

 part of the best lands. When the insurrection 

 broke out they fled to Manila for safety. The 



