The Philippine islands

Preface

Abundant has been the crop of niagazine articles and even more formal treatises on the Philippine Islands since our war with Spain ; yet superabundant liave been the showers of inquiries which the writer has encountered time and again since his return from the Islands, in connection both with a series of lectures recently delivered upon the subject and with infonnal talks from time to time. The existence of so much available material and at the same time the lack of precise information concerning the Philippines in those who show a real interest in the matter have by the very incompatibility thus suggested engaged his attention and seemed significant. The explanation which alone seems possible, assuming that the interest is as sincere and active as he has been led to believe, is that this material has not been prepared and presented in such a way as to attract the ordinary reader and enable him easily to get an accurate and substantial knowledge of the situation. '

In the administration of his duties as general superintendent of education the writer was given abundant opportunity of learning the actual conditions by visits to practically every part of the archipelago, by conferences, interviews, and personal association with

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IV PREFACE

prominent Filipinos and naturally with American officials both civil and military, and bj correspondence with assistants in every part of the field. Furthermore, trips to such countries as Java, China, Japan, and India have aided him, by the possibility of comparison thus afforded, in his study of conditions in the Philippines.

To present the results of this observation in such a way as to give an accurate and comprehensive idea of just what our Philippine possessions are; to show the real conditions, geographical, economic, social, and political; to picture the people and their characteristics, the different phases of this problem of tropical colonization, the possibilities and the prospects, — such is

the writer's endeavor.

FRED W. ATKINSON

Brooklyn, 1905

Contents

Chapter Page

I. General Geography 19

II. History 45

Introduction

Of the few countries to-daj where the old order still continues with but slight modification, where virgin fields have awaited tlie student of politics, economics, sociology, philology, ethnology, where such a diversity of conditions, interests, and hinguages exists as to make the problem bewildering in the infinity of its phases, the Philippine Islands are among the foremost ; while in us Americans who have assumed the tutelage of these oriental islanders, who have taken upon ourselves the solution of a problem that is unique, this general interest becomes merged in the feeling of serious responsibility which rests upon us for the ultimate successful accomplishment of the task.

Opportunities for research are ample, and the Insular Government through the employment of experts is carrying on many lines of investigation, the result of which will be valuable. What the conditions were before Spain's influence began to be felt, and how much the Spaniards did for the Filipinos it is difficult to say; it depends, as all things Philippine depend, on the point of view. The question is primarily one for the trained philologist, who, by a study of the dialects and their acquisitions from the Spanish language, may learn much concerning the early history and customs of the Filipino people. It was of absorbing interest to the writer while there in the Islands, bearing in mind always what the past had been, to watch and study the kaleidoscopic happenings, and to speculate on what course the current will take in coming years. Such events were likewise watched with a similar interest by our thoughtful citizens at home, who were supplied with a comparatively small amount of information, which was essentially conflicting.

There seems to be a dearth of acciu^ate, whole-truth information on the Philippine situation. The testimony of an army officer on the one hand and that of a civil official on the other, based upon different points of view and perhaps a knowledge of entirely different parts of the archipelago, could not be other than contradictory ; and similarly with any reports which did not first look beyond the immediate vicinity to confirm impressions there gained, for the inaccuracy of any such information varied directly with the distance from the particular place in which the conditions were observed. In short, it was unsafe to note the existence of any peculiar practice, habit, or dialect without labeling it with the exact locality where found, for such might be but a far-removed, modified specimen of a most diversified family ; and the error lay in assuming that to be the generic which was merely the specific, — an error which has led to a most unfortunate difference of conceptions as to what the problem really is, and what the solution ought to be.

The Philippines should not properly be a party issue ; and the inclination of Americans generally to refrain from reviewing the story of our acquisition of them, and rather to center their attention upon the one possible phase of the question oj)en to discussion, — the speed with which we can grant the inhabitants larger powers of self-government, is cause for a feeling of satisfaction. The Islands are a part of our country; as a nation we have become responsible for their external relations and their internal administration. To the world, to the Filipino people, and to ourselves we have a duty to perform, however unpleasant and unpalatable it may be. The executive department of our government took cognizance of this duty as soon as the treaty of peace with Spain was ratified in February, 1899 ; Congress later recognized our responsibility by prescribing a form of government ; and our Supreme Court has established the status of the Islands as a part of the United States. The problem is thus larger than any party ; and hence, even with a change of party, a material variation from our present policy would not be possible. In facing the situation to-day, thoughts of what might have been will be rather a hindrance than a help. A work, the very immensity of which is just beginning to be perceived by us, has been undertaken without any prospect of immediate.

satisfactory completion ; but it is our task, and we have made an encouraging start.

It would be well, indeed, if all here at home could be led to join in the opinion of Americans in the Philippines, of whatever party, that democratic principles of government must be considerably modified when the people to be governed have the racial qualities, traditions, and history of the Filipinos. Unless there be a unity of sentiment among the American people, an eagerness of spirit to solve the problem in the best possible way with the sole view of the welfare of the Filipino, the experiment now inaugurated will fail. The difficulties of the problem we are only now learning to appreciate ; until the conditions are better known, we should suspend judgment and certainly be less prone to destructive criticism of the pioneer service now being performed.

No amount of books, magazine articles, and lectures can transport the American at home to the Philippines, nor adequately supply the results of a practical acquaintance wdth the Islands. It is impossible for our legislators in Washington who have not been on the ground to realize that this group is not the United States simply a few centuries younger ; and hence, in the present discussion of the question of independence, comparisons with conditions which existed just before our own Revolutionary War are apt to be misleading. Vain speculation without knowledge of facts is useless ; what did happen in the Philippines could not have been prevented from happening.

I^^TRUDUCTIUX 5

The Filipinos are incapable of self-government ; in their affairs they are managed by few ambitious leaders. They have not yet cultivated a sense of fair play and tolerance for those who differ in opinion. Although the gift of self-government in full measure was not possible, yet to a degree it was bestowed by granting practical autonomy in provincial and municipal affairs. Independence is a cherished ideal of the Filipinos, and that they may ultimately realize this ideal is, the writer believes, the unexpressed purpose of those who have undertaken the tutelage of these peoples. How far removed is this realization, it is beyond his power to predict ; the proximity or distance of it must remain a matter of opinion. Certainty that these peoples will or will not become an independent nation is equally out of the question. For some time to come the political dependence of the Islands upon the United States must be very real. Granting independence in any near future would be a great error sure to result in serious harm ; and in the policy of not attempting to fix the day when the connection between the two countries shall be merely nominal, we are pursuing a wise course. The doctrine of the consent of the governed is indeed included in our scheme of administration in these Islands to the fullest extent to which it ever laid claim in the minds of those who first propounded it, namely, the granting of self-government to all who were competent to exercise it for their own Ijenefit and that of society. The question of the right of a liigher civilization to dominate a lower is one capable of mncli discnssion ; the only justification, sureh', for such an extension of sovereignty is the material improvement and the intellectual and moral elevation of the weaker race.

The United States Philippine Commissioners have erred, if in any direction, in giving too great a degree of self-government in both provincial and municipal affairs. It is an open secret that they went farther in bestowing local self-government than the Filipino leaders themselves advised; in fact, as President Roosevelt expressed it in a message, they reached the danger point. Only, indeed, by our belief that the privilege of voting is in itself an educative force in the state and that it constantly increases the self-respect of the voter can we justify the establishment of the present form of civil government in the Philippines.

The Filipino people, taken as a body, are children and, childlike, do not know what is best for them. That they possess ideals and ideas creates a faith and a hope that ultimately they may be able to institute a republic modeled on the American lines. In the ideal spirit of preparing them for the work of governing themselves finally, their American guardianship has begun. Our political sway has not been imposed upon the people to any greater extent than was necessary; and by the very fact of our superiority of civilization and our greater capacity for industrial activity we are bound to exercise over them a profound social influence. In speaking of the future of this country, the

INTRODUCTION one thing to be emphasized throughout is that all depends upon the temper we exercise in the work wdiich is mapped out for us. What is best for the Filipinos is the foremost consideration ; and this desire to put their

The Taft Philippine Commission Commissioner Worcester is not present

interests first rather than to foster American exploitation has animated the United States Philippine Commission in all its legislative and administrative acts.

The solution of the Philippine problem is in the hands of men of large and generous sympathies, whose abilities as practical statesmen have been shown. Governor Taft's has been a brilliant career in which success is attributable in no small degree to a personality that won the love and admiration of the natives and the support of all thoughtful persous. Besides the five Americans ou the Commissiou are three Filipino members, who from the beginning have been left free to do all they could do effectively. The details of the organization of civil government will be taken up fully later ; suffice it here to say that by formulating civil and criminal codes, and organizing on a comj^rehensive scale departments and bureaus of government which are modern and efficient, the Commission has done much in the matter of paving the way to ultimate success.

As a result of our general policy there are signs of an increased friendliness between Americans and Filipinos, and much now apjDears in the situation to create a feeling of cheerfulness. Bitter memories of w^hat has been naturall}^ still exist ; blood has been poured out and money contributed ; and there are Filipinos who view our presence with a feeling of dislike, the predominant reason for which is the natural idea that through the Americans they have lost an independence all but attained. Yet there is reason for sounding a cheerful note in the fact, that in spite of all, the large body of the people tolerate us even though somewhat half-heartedlv ; and without overrating the intensity and permanence of the manifestations of good will which have greeted our efforts, we may feel that the leading Filipinos, whether from expediency or real appreciation, are cooperating with the Commissioners and their subordinates. As we shall see, the danger lies in the conservatism of these people, who want to do as they have always done, and in the dissimilarity of the racial qualities, traditions, history, and manners of the two peoples.

From a purely scientific point of view the experiment is interesting as an attempt to do what has never been done before with an oriental race of Malay origin in the tropics. The Filipinos will become Americanized only in the sense that they will speak English and adopt American innovations as they are introduced; the character of the people and their stronger, more individual characteristics will be retained. What is good in Philippine civilization must not be handled roughly ; the Filipino himself will always remain such as he was under the Latinizing process of the Spaniards. With such considerations in mind, those in authority have been very careful not to go too far in the attempt to introduce American ideas and institutions, in spite of the demand by the press and public opinion at home for a wholesale clearance of the native customs and beliefs. Sweeping administrative reforms were found necessary ; yet our government has not met with as much to change that is Malay as that which is Spanish. The Commission has attempted to establish a firm and strong government as a condition precedent to the country's political future ; but, on the other hand, it has interfered just as little as possible with the customs, manners, ceremonials, and beliefs which go to make up the individuality of a people.

For nearly five years now our government has been operating a free pul)lic-scliool system, tlie cardinal point of which is the introduction of English, which the Filipino wanted, and in teaching which not the slightest attempt has been made to stamp out any of the native dialects. Our educational efforts have possibly done more to give these people a true conception of the benefits of civilization and good government than all the other influences we have brought to bear upon them ; indeed, in tliis work is to be found the solution for a large part of the problem. Up to the present time it has hardly advanced beyond the teachings of the rudiments of English, though considerable progress is now being made in arithmetic, geography, and the other elementary branches, while in the various centers work of an advanced nature is carried on. Thus popular education, on which naturally the whole structure in this field must ultimately rest, has been strengthened and broadened, steps have been taken in the direction of higher training, and for tlie future, when the time is ripe, a university has been planned as an apex of the school system. Among the greatest difficulties that the promoters of free education have to contend with are the ajjathy of the lowest class and the antagonism of the liighest. In democratic United States it has been possible to advance popular education rapidly during the past century because those who had influence were men who themselves possessed a true conception of its benefits and were able to see the whole question in the proper perspective ; in the Philippines the masses have learned little else than the catechism, and the higher classes have acquired hardly more than a veneer.

Education is now desired apparently with the greatest eagerness, but when the novelty wears off and hard work is required the attendance decreases. Through Spanish misteaching education has come to have a false meaning there. Scarcely a Filipino understands its significance ; his view is a narrow, social one, possibly tinged with ecclesiasticism. To turn out facile penmen, glib talkers, or formal observers of the faith will not satisfy us. For the present, at least, a purely utilitarian view of education must be accepted ; yet to the American teacher now and to the Filipino reformer of the future the ideal must be a higher one, namely, development of physical and intellectual powers, formation aud strengthening of moral character, widening of the syuipathies, and, incidentally, preparation for citizenship. Frequently in the jDress of the Dutch and English colonies of the Orient, and occasionally in our American papers, oj^inions have been put forth to the effect that the institution of popular education in the Philippines is likely to do more harm than good, and that the people would remain better and happier without it. With this view it is impossible to agree. The writer's liking for the people and knowledge of their character arouses the hope, sincere belief in the ability, tact, and courage of the American teacher creates the faith, and personal observation and judgment confirm in him the conviction.

that the popular education of the Filipino, if not unduly hurried and if conducted along practical lines, will prove ah ultimate success.

We have not only made an encouraging start in governing this distant group of sixteen hundred islands properly and efficiently and in furnishing an adequate system of education, but we have already attempted to develop then- rich resources. The economic aspect of the question is by no means the least interesting. Since the writer's return, the question whether the Philippines will continue a great expense to the United States without any corresponding profit has l^een frequently asked, and has invariably revealed ignorance of a fact which was supposed to be generally known, namely, that the United States government pays only for the expenses of the American army of occupation and the Insular Government maintains itself from its custom and revenue receipts. The Islands are exceedingly fertile and productive, and yet the writer must confess that he is not optimistic in his belief that the Philippines will immediately pay largely in a commercial AN'ay. This question depends upon many factors. It involves a labor problem of exceeding seriousness; the prolmbility of American colonization in the Islands ; the investment of American capital ; the need of new markets for American products, and the increase of Filipino wants ; the character of later congressional and insular legislation ; the development of means of land and interisland transportation ; and such kindred matters.

Among the resources timber is the richest, and yet owing to the condition of the country, the difficulty in getting the wood out, and the lack of labor, nearly all the lumber used for the past three years in the Islands has been Oregon pine. It would, indeed, be far easier to prove to an academic reformer that in the Philippines we have a great national duty to observe and an opportunity for individual service of trying pioneer character, than to convince a practical business man that they will pay. The wealth of this rich country may or may not under American enterprise amount to as much as sanguine Americans think, but there can be little doubt that it is being governed with a consciousness of the trust which has been assumed.

By accident the United States found itself in the Philippines. Can any one question the advantage of the change from Spanish domination to American protection ? First had to come war with the rifle, then military commission with the rope, and finally civil government with the benefits of American sovereignty, — separation of church and state ; division and coordination of judicial, legislative, and executive powers ; rights of suffrage, writs of habeas corpus, assembly, and free speech ; abrogation of obligatory military service and abolition of the practice of banishment. Spain justified her conquest here only on religious grounds and failed because she did not take upon herself in addition just that moral obligation which we have accepted.

Thirty-nine years have now passed since the close of the Civil War and the negro problem is still unsolved ; at the end of a like period of time we shall be struggling with the Philippine question. In trying to solve it we must leave the tune element out of consideration; and we shall be gravely disajDpointed if we do not look the facts in the face and thus keep from building our hopes too high. This is not sajang that we must be discouraged or that we have not done much ; a careful consideration of the real difficulties and complexities will show us how much has really been accomplished. One of our leading thinkers writes of American civilization in a recent work : ^ " Our people are too imjDatient for peerless fruitage from tlie slow-growing tree of liberty ; we all expect sudden miracles of material and moral welfare — we get only a slow development and a halting progress." If this is true, how much less should we expect in the way of fruitage if this very tree is torn up and transplanted in the Philippines, — a foreign soil where local government has hardly taken root, and where the sanctions of order and justice which promote industrial development are scarcely understood. It is a huge and novel work — this training some six or eight millions of tropical, indolent people for self-government.

Social or rather political trustworthiness, respect for the minority, and freedom from everything resembling castes or insurmountable social or political barriers are

^ President Eliot, More Muney for the Public Schools, p. 5G.

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KeLIKF MaI' ok TIIK I'HILIPPIXE INLANDS requisite conditions for a democratic form of government ; and these are lacking. In the past under Spanish domination these people were restricted by numerous social limitations, with an ecclesiastical atmosphere pervading all. In our work we must assure to the Filipino every\vhere free and prompt justice and security of property in the interior, and must instill in him such moral restraint and ideal standards as will help him through the perils of an unknown freedom.

Although it is impossible in a day or in a generation even to enable these peojDle to raise themselves from the condition of semicivilization to the rank of a civilized nation, the difficulties of our task are not insuperable. The question is a national one, and to the extent of his opportunities every citizen should do his part in assisting by encouragement those to whom has been assigned this difficult pioneer service. To judge intelligently the results, one needs to be acquainted wdth the situation ; to possess a knowledge of the climate and other geographical conditions, especially their influence on Philippine character and civilization ; to be acquainted with the history and life of the different peoples ; and to know the ethnological constitution of the Islands. A clearer understanding of certain elements of native character also will lead to saner expectations as to the results of the American protectorate. Unless we inform ourselves on these matters, there is bound to be disappointment in the future. And yet how is the person at home to obtain this clearer understanding from the mass of conflicting opinions which he hears ? This is a difficult question to answer. To one the Filipino is almost inhuman, detestable in his cold-blooded warfare; to another he appears Western-wise, childlike, gentle. A maze of contradiction is encountered by one who studies the Filipinos. To one man our endeavor to govern and educate him is to oppress him, to uncreate him ; to another it is to teacli him really to live.

With a view toward helping to gain this better understanding of the true situation these chapters are written. The plan of presentation is what has seemed to the writer simple and natural : first, a consideration of the general geography, treating of the location, size, and physical features of the various islands, mountain and river systems, volcanoes and earthquakes ; and next, such a treatment of the discovery, settlement, and history of the Islands as to give a background of information sufficiently substantial for a proper setting for later developments. Then follows a consideration of these later developments, — the end of Spanish dominion, the beginning of American rule, and events under American sovereignty to date ; a discussion of the commercial geography, products, resources, and possibilities ; of the climate, meteorological conditions, and storms ; the question of public health ; and a description of Manila itself. Attention is later directed to a study of the people, their characteristics and capacities, their superstitions and religion ;

an examination is made into the former method of government and administration, native and Spanish, together with a survey of our own work of establishing and operating tlie present systems, insular, provincial, and municipal ; and finally, an account is given of the educational work, the justification for introducing English, the kind of training needed, the results and prospects, with a concluding estimate of what we have already done and w^hat the outlook is.

Chapter I General Geography

This group of more than sixteen hundred islands forming the Philippine archipelago is situated almost precisely on the opposite side of the globe to our Atlantic coast, eleven thousand miles distant from and thirteen hours four minutes earlier than New York, southwest of Japan and Korea, some six hundred miles southeast of China, and a few miles northeast of Borneo. It is washed on the north and west by the China sea, on the east by the Pacific, and on the south by the Celebes sea. With its southern extremity less than 5° and its northern limit 21° north of the equator, it is situated wholly within the tropics and extends some eleven hundred miles over a latitudinal expanse equal to that between the southern shore of lake Superior and the northern coast of the gulf of Mexico ; while the extreme breadth, between 116° and 126° east, nearly seven hundred miles, is greater than the longitudinal distance between Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

The total area is 127,853 square miles, seven thousand square miles greater than that of the British Isles ; or, to use an American standard, larger than the combined areas of the New England states with New York and

New Jersey. And taken together with the waters which surround and are included within the treaty lines of boundary, the Islands extend over a space embracing roughly 800,000 square miles of the earth's surface.

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Of the total land area it is computed that tlie combined extent of 1583 of the 1600 islands is less than GOOO square miles, thus leaving almost the entire land portion distributed among the comparatively few large islands. Beginning at the north, the eleven islands with an area of 1000 square miles or more are Luzon (43,075), Mindoro (4050), Masbate (3872), Samar (5198), Panay (4752), Leyte (3872), Palawan (4839), Negros (4839), Cebu (1688), Bohol (1400), Mindanao (45,559). Mindanao is a little larger, and Luzon a little smaller, than Pennsylvania ; Samar, Negros, Panay, and Palawan are each about tlie size of Connecticut ; Mindoro,

GENERAL GEOGRAPHY

Masbate, and Leyte are each of the same area as Porto Rico; while the remaining two, Bohol and Cebu, are each the size of Rhode IsUind.

The country is everywhere very mountainous, the chief ranges running along the greater axis of each island, generally speaking, with several arms ])ranching therefrom. Thus their general direction is from north to south, with more or less inclination to the east or west, according to the general direction of the largest islands of the archipelago.

The mountain system of Luzon comprises principally three large ranges, the nucleus of which is the Caraballo

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Sur. They are (1) Caraballos Occidentales, which form the Pacific-China sea watershed of northern Luzon and extend north for a distance of about 150 miles, dividing into two branches, the Cordillera Central and Cordillera Norte, the northernmost peak of which, Mt. Irada in the Babuyan island, is only ninety-three miles from Formosa ; (2) Sierra Madre, or Pacific coast range, which forms a continuous chain of mountains from the Caraballos de Baler to cape Engailo, the extreme northeastern point of Luzon, and is the longest continuous range in the archipelago ; (3) and a third range starting from the common point, the Caraballos Sur, and extending south, one branch traversing Tayabas province, the other the provinces of Camarines, Albay, and Sorsogon, and terminating in the spurs of the volcano of Bulusan.

Besides these three principal ones are two other ranges worthy of mention, — the Zambales range, which, starting at cape Bolinao, the extreme northwest point of Luzon, follows closely the China sea coast to the end of the Bataan peninsula, fronting Corregidor, the promontory at the entrance of Manila bay ; and the Tagaytay range, which forms the boundary between Cavite and Batangas provinces and contains the Taal volcano.

While the larger islands have defined systems of their own, these are brought by means of submarine ranges into harmony with the general scheme of the archipelago. The mountains of Marinduque, Burias, Masbate, Romblon, and Ticao are simjjly elevated portions of the hidden ranges connecting Luzon with the systems of the Visayan grouj^ of islands, including Panay, Negros, Cebii, Leyte, and Sttmar, which in turn are continued in the lofty Cordilleras of Mindanao to the southeast, and with less elevation in the hills of Basilan and the larger islands of the Sulu archipelago to the southwest. From Luzon, too, through Mindoro, the Calamianes, and the long narrow island of Palawan, extends another system, terminating with the peak of Bahil)ac in the Sierra Empinada in the extreme northwestern part of our possessions, less than fifty miles distant from the northernmost point of Borneo.