The Filipino Insurgent

Driven to Revolt by Centuries of Spanish Oppression.

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THE CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES.

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They Think For Themselves, Love With Fervor and Hate With Intensity - Tribal Relations of the Population of the Archipelago - The Views of an American Soldier.
[Copyright, 189, by the Author.] .

Dwelling in a genial clime, where a kindly Providence has placed ready at hand the means of subsistence, it seems that nature had intended that the Filipino should be docile, tractable, hospitable and kindly disposed.
Indeed the natives of the Philippine Islands possess in a measure these virtues, but centuries of oppression have made them in the main revengeful, suspicious, often treacherous and sometimes as cruel as the Spanish, from whom they have learned lessons in brutality and crime.

It is a hard matter to fathom the character of the native Filipino. He has been a mysterious factor to all civilized races; with whom he has had to deal.
The Spanish have been unable to fathom him in all the years of their dealing with him. He has a mind of his own and is keenly sensible to oppression. He is too, not proof against the flattery of the world, and, best of all, loves position and prestige.
It is doubtful whether there is a man in Aguinaldo's army who has not some mark of rank. Almost every man claims to be a colonel, a major or a captain.
Perhaps a lieutenant or a sergeant or a corporal will be enough rank for a few of the lesser personages.
Under Spanish rule the natives were anxious to be made petty rulers in the outlying towns, and until the recent insurrection broke out these positions were much sought after by them.

The native Filipino, whether Negrote, Tagal or Igorrote, thinks for himself. He can love with all fervor, and he can hate as can no other race, He is not slow to forget wrongs, and when his enemy is once within his power he shows no mercy.
This was shown at Cavite, at Bacoor, at Paranique and elsewhere, when, a few months ago, some of his former oppressors were placed under his power through conditions resulting from the destruction of the Spanish fleet and the reduction of fortifications by the guns of Admiral Dewey's ships.
The horrors enacted at these places have already been told to the world. The retribution of the Filipinos was swift and sure, and in the short time which elapsed between the reduction of the works by our fleet and the landing of our marines the streets of these places literally ran with Spanish blood.

The source of most of the native uprisings can be traced directly to the Spaniards themselves. Too lazy to do their own work, they employed natives to perform it for them.
Native soldiers were employed in the Spanish army at the same time, and all the while these intelligent natives were permitted to familiarize themselves with the Spanish maladministration.
Excessive taxes, cruelties of Spanish soldiers in the enforcement of unjust Spanish laws, excesses of officials of church and state, were originally responsible for these native uprisings, and after they were inaugurated there were continual barbarities of Spanish rule which kept these natives in constant rebellion against unjust laws.
Here in the Philippines the Cuban horrors have been duplicated a hundredfold, and these abuses have gone so far that, even were we disposed to permit it,
Spain could never reclaim these islands.
Our timely arrival relieved her from the further humiliation of defeat at the hands of the revolting natives, as there is little doubt that sooner or later, through fair means or treachery, Manila and indeed all the Spanish possessions here would have fallen into the hands of her rebellious subjects.

For over three centuries they have been in unsuccessful conflict with the fierce tribes of the interior and those of the smaller islands of the group.
Through all these years the native tribes have baffled the Spaniards at every point, and had our interference not cut short the successful operations of the insurgents about Manila it is difficult to tell what the outcome would have been, for the insurgents were making great inroads upon the Spanish defenses about Manila. But it is not solely in the insurgents now in arms that the trouble in subduing the Philippines lies.

On the various islands there are no less than 23 native tribes, either of the Negrote or aboriginal race or of pagan Malays, and of these 8 are Mohammedan and 17 pagan.
In all the years of Spanish rule but little has been done toward the civilization of these wild tribes. They have sent out many expeditions from Manila to subdue them, but nearly all of these have resulted in dismal failure.
Next to Luzon, Mindanao is the largest of the group, but Spanish rule has never been asserted here except at a few points along the coasts.
The natives of Mindanao are especially bloodthirsty. The Moslem population of Basilan, Sulu and Tawee-Tawee are still independent.
In some parts of Luzon and in Panay and Samar there are wild Malay tribes who fight with spears and poisoned arrows, and in past years thousands of Spanish soldiers have met death at their hands.
In Mindoro and Palawan the Spanish have been more successful than they have elsewhere.

The varied native races are known as Negrotes, Mohammedans, Malaya and pagan Malays, and all the various tribes can be brought under one of these classes. Probably the most warlike are the Moros, who are found chiefly on Mindanao and the Zebus. But in some instances they have taken kindly to Spanish rule, and with proper treatment it will be possible for us to make orderly people of them.

The question of dealing with the native tribes is only one of the many racial problems to be met.
These native classes compose not more than one-half the population of the islands. The mixed native and foreign class, the mestizos, are an important factor in the Philippines. The Chinese and Spanish mestizos form a large proportion of the population of these islands, especially of Luzon, and these classes are quite intellectual and are the leaders in the latest as well as other recent revolts against Spanish rule in Luzon.

It must not be thought for a moment that since Manila is in our possession the Philippines are taken. As yet we control only a few dozen miles of territory about Manila bay of the entire 114,000 square miles of land embraced in this vast oriental archipelago.
But a very small portion of these islands has yet been touched by our army. The greater section is still in possession of armed insurgents and fierce native tribes, whose intentions toward us are not yet fully defined.
With that suspicion born of centuries of oppression and cherishing dreams of independence, the followers of Aguinaldo do not look kindly upon the occupancy of the United States, doubtless because they do not understand the beneficent purposes of our mission in the archipelago.
There is no discounting the courage of the native soldiers.
As shown in their battles with Spain, they are hard and fearless fighters.
Aguinaldo 's army is now fairly well equipped and provisioned, but, of course, would be no match for our troops in a fight.

                                     WILLIAM GILBERT IRWIN

Manila.