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Show IcommlsAK" I MUCH MOVED I Id Philippine island LLI ft : jSIOASj Wonderful Strides Have Eeen Taken Toward Americanizing American-izing Them. Annual Repoi t by Philippines Coru-L-m mission Will Bo Found Full of Satisfaction and Interest I WASHINGTON, .tun 15. Secretary of War Taft has submitted to the President the nnnual report of the Philippines com-mlMion, com-mlMion, together with the separate rc-Iort rc-Iort of the commission to the Civil Governor Gov-ernor of tho Islands and of the heads of the four departments. The report says that as soon as the people ramo to understand that the Gov-srnment Gov-srnment hod both the ability and tho will to protect them, they Ivsan to co-operate cordially with the constabulary and other peace officers by six lug Information against the lawleof. so that It became nosslblo to kill or rapture them. An S result, re-sult, the report Kay, not a nlnjflo or-Kanlz'd or-Kanlz'd body ( ladronas Is now to he found In the Island Of Luzon; nearly r.ll the leaders, nave live or six, have been killed or captured, and the same may bo said of the vlsayan Islands, v.lth the exception ex-ception of S.i mar The commission adds thai these li no reason to suppose that orderly eonditl lis will be otherwise Lhan permanent. The relations betwei u Americans and Filipinos Fili-pinos are Bald to be generally .ordial. with a steady growth of confidence and Rood feeling between them Leaders Join Amciicaus. "All thOSC v. ho ft re Justly entitled to be 'ailed leaders of public opinion among the Filipinos," til.- report continues, "have definitely cast their lot with the Americans Ameri-cans " IK' K.i i lli. the Murois. lie vepoi t says the great nra of ,.the Morn province, which Includes practically nil of the Islands Is-lands ir Mindanao and tho Snlu arclilpe-lago. arclilpe-lago. exenpt for 66,000 Filipinos, spoken of as dencendanls cf convicts Sent fum the. north by Spaniards. Is Inhabited by M. I..-. prf.:-tiig Mohammedanism, apt! by other non-Christian tribe. The authority au-thority of tho Sultan of Snlu ".as found, upon Investigation, to be repudiated I dnttos In the Sulu archipelago, Who "' -BSSSed itH much authority h he. although he was the titular head of the Moros. The report says: "From time immemorial the Moms hf.vo praetlced polygamy nnd have 1m n a'-eus-tomed to mslte raids upon other non-Christian non-Christian tribes to replenish their stock of slave, a-: well as to engage in piracy, while the Arabs langht them tho use of firearms The non-Christian tribes ( the province, ns soon as they understood the Americana would protect them against their snclenl foes, the sforOB, were only too willing to recognise American authority author-ity and receive the benefits of protection, iii a number of Instances they uav been induced to establish tnems Ives In tillages and till the adjacent soil They are said not to be racking in Intelligence ' In speaking of the abrogation of the treaty with the Sultan of Snlu. the report says; Stilus Violate Treaties. "While it bad never been recognized valid nnd Mi ding. nnd. Indeed, as the piolln relating to slavery had t .n repudiated re-pudiated by the President, still It had bssn lived up to by the Americans In every particular Including the payment oi mnuw Miiusiuies to tno sultan and Ms principal dattos. but it had been system- matlcally and persistently violated ty The report says that a pacific pnllej toward the Moros seemed to give th. m the impression that th-1 America ns v . r.-nfrnld r.-nfrnld of them, but a short, decisive enm-pa enm-pa Ian gave them to understand that the Americans had not only tho purpose, bul the power, to support its authority and enforce order. "There Is no reason." it is added, "to expect further trouble v.lth the H Sulu Moros." Referring to the confer, nee with the Stiltun of Sulu at Manila the report says thnt u:on his explanation that the an-nulment an-nulment of the trenty left htm without means of subsistence, he being deprived of th.- revenues received as Sultan, the H commit slon thought II would be inequi- table to pei-mlt this, and agreed to give him and the members of his houi bold T3.00O nesos annually, with the understnnd-ing understnnd-ing that h and they gave every aid i the Governor. It was found thai the m Sulu Moros have p., general system or 1 iws. each tribe having an unwritten code of its own. t ut all so Incongruous as to make them worthless ns a basis upon which to build As an Illustration, It Is m statol that in some of the codes murder m Is punishable by a nmnJl fine, nnd In i of adultery the man Is fined ;uid the an burled ' W With reforcne.. to the friar lands, the commission, sfter repeating the itate-m itate-m ic.ents of opposition "ii i he pari or the -WM lorttgr of ifcr Filipinos to Ihe friars, saya: American Catholic Directorate. BBBBBsl Ts.'rhc Ho,y Sw' recoKnl2lng that the mmm Filipino wepr, r nerally speaking. Ro- man Catholics, and the v Isdom ..f sup- plying them with priests who would ie m acceptable Co them, has appointed an mmm American archbishop Hn.l bishop.. N,,, have taken the places formerly occupied by Snanlfh churchmen, and has pursued the wise nn-i conciliatory policy at ds r.-luetnrit r.,rlshl..i., r-. and has hro,lh-ht lis gMat Influence to bear in facilitating the purchase by the Government of the landed properties under the control of the friur orders' The report says there still continues to bo much controversy and lll.f. rllnir ' b. -tiu- independent Filipino church party, or AjUpayan. as they are cpm- ssasas! VlnnK c.n,U'(1' nn,(i Roman apor.f.l C . hurch In regard to the churches Con- vents and cemcterio in manv loeallties Tho revort says It has been charged that BbH the movem-in Lnaugurnle,! by Aglpav w" political rath, r than r. ilclons. ,,, ,, Its motive another InsurreeJor th, , il Is unquestionably true that ne i,,. .,. BBaH 'm0'1 a lorp(' f;llow'"e: ol the broom. clllable reslleps ement among the nu nlnos but It Is also true that he has"-large has"-large following nf tnoso who cannot thus be classified and there Is nn , "v d re which even lends color to the belief that BbH TTTv" ",h"r ,ha build un a church at hi. . own. which ho seeks "o make purely Filipino. c"s to Th report orgea that the commission bsH 8 & ftUhr,r,,y to ,nkc reductions In BbH h ,,ar.'. chedu'. e commission av" tntr in this connection that it alwav. H felt there should exist most Intimate bH Fh!S2iBtw! th l'n,,'l BtZtes and the Islands, unobstructed, f ir t ,Z?. H Me. by tariff barriers. Having that' fn BaH ) !M,Wi lntrrna rcvenuo system ha been BaB C m in"rc" he eomrnltlee hoiMs ntimately may permit of material reduc" Uonj In existing tariff rates, at leait S goods coming from the United States Free Sugur Advisable. BbH i Vr I;,!n'r' H,r!ff rat'8 on "Kar and obacco Imported Int., the United states the report says. .,r. prohibitive The ad- mission o' tbeao products free of duty into tho Fnlted Slates, it Is asserted, would not seriously Injure Amerh an Interests, but would be a boon to the Filipino sugar planters and tobacco growers A recommendation recom-mendation Is made for the repeal Of tpa law authorising the refunding of duuea, tho statement being made that since its enactment Jl.OSMrtl has been collected In refundable duties principally 0fi hemp exportation to tho United States. The committee makes the following recommendatlonf . Reduction of the tralffs on sugar ana tobacco to not more than 25 per cent or tin Dlnglev tariff rate That authority be given the commission with the approval of tho President and Secretary of War. to issue bonds from lime to time for future Improvements, not to exceed ;:,.J0.(i00 In the aRKrcKHte Reduction Of tht- tariffs on sugar Hnd Philippine Goi eminent or any of the pro. vlnclal or municipal Govi rnmnt not fr. m only Federal or Philippine taxation but from State, municipal and other taxation tax-ation In the United States. That control of shipping be left wholly i.. a, .1 r h., Phiiii,nlni com mission, subject to the approval of the President and Secretary of war That the applications of the United States coastwise laws to the trade bc-tweep bc-tweep the Philippines and mainland of Ununited Un-united states be iostpnod by congressional congres-sional action until July I 1W, or. In the alternative, that the coastwise laws of the United States be marie not applicable to the trade between the Islands and the mainland of the United States, except with a proviso or condition that the f' upon Imports from the Philippines Into the United States shall not pay duty in excess of 25 nor cent of tho Dlnglev tariff. Should Encourage Railroads. f'onrre.sonal action authorising the Philippine commission with the approval of the President and Secretary of war t.' uraR. i. .Hi. a,l c .n-l ruction In the Islands Is-lands by accompanying the grants of inclines, when deemed necessary, with a guarantee by Iho Phl.lpplne Government of Income on the amount of the investment invest-ment to be fixed In advance In the act of g-jarantv, the Income guaranteed not to exceed annually 1 per cent of the fixed prinelp.il. That the amount of land which may be acquired bj an) Individual or corporation be extended to screa, and that the law whhh forbids the nilng of more than one mining claim by th same Individual upon a lode or deposit he repealed. Legislation suthorlafng ths commission to make reductions on present and future tariff .schedules whn In its opinion to do s.. Will be In the public Interest also to provide proper authority for the extradition extradi-tion of fugitives to and from the i lands in his annual report as Civil Governor. Mr. Wright says that with the exception of a very few provinces marked progress lias been made In the cultivation or ncius tnd production of crops as compared with the preceding year, and as a consequence there hns been no B ifferlng anvuig the poor for tho necessaries of life. Mr. wrighi saya that life and property are now safe to a degree never before experienced ex-perienced by the pc.ple of the Islands, nnd the outlook is more favorable than for ye irs nasi. Gov. Wright recommends greater safeguards safe-guards for provincial and munlclpnl elec-tiona, elec-tiona, saving It I- difficult to make candidates can-didates and voters understand that on-. on-. i ni m thods may not be resorted to Good Order Prevails The report Of Mr Worcester as Secre tary of the Interior calls attention to ihe rc"t that forestry agents visit all parts r the It-lands without arms ai.d ungunrd- as an Illustration f the order prevailing. prevail-ing. Ileal h conditions he reports good throughout the Islands. Cholera has dls- appeared and th plague has been held within a very limited area. Mr. Worcester s report says there aro . . v . r establishments In Manila .ah. r. opium is smoked, lie adds "They are filthy and unsanitary, and i re at present not recognized by law or n onlr.-d l talc out license." In his report ..s i iii Governor of Moro province. Gen. WpOfl says slave trading bus been brought practically to an end through the seacousl Moro districts, although al-though he Bays n undoubtedly continues to s-.nie extent between the Inl i Moros ami the savage tribes of the- Interior, fjen Wood says it would be difficult to Imagine a worse form of slavery, the slave having absolutely no rights. No effort has been made to release their former slavca from their masters, but all have been told that they are free to leave them with the result that many former Slav, s left their masters. "With all their faults." says i,.ii. Wood, "the Moros an brave ,' resolute, and under good laws and an honest Government In time will give a good account of themselves." He says the standing of the American people among the natives of his province has been much Injured by the presence of n large tough class of Amerh ins. "whose rii-Tgl. have been principally ev-pi ev-pi ndeil In tin- construction, malnlcnan- o pnd patronage of rum-shops which outnumber out-number other American business establishments estab-lishments " |
