Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 276, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1911 — FILIPINO WARDS NOW INTELLIGENT SOLDIERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FILIPINO WARDS NOW INTELLIGENT SOLDIERS

HOW to efficiently police the Philippine islands was the most perplexing problem which the United States had to face when it assumed guardianship of the little btown men that so thickly inhabit the group. If expense had been the only consideration the solution would have been comparatively easy. But sanitary conditions and a certain amount of diplomacy and tact made the solution doubly complicated. To station American troops permanently throughout the islands would at that time nave been a source from which an inherited hatred of foreigners by the natives would have grown, and to exposthose same troops, unacclimated and unhardened to the dampness of the rice marshes, would have meant the loss of perhaps thousands. Little knowing the American soldiers at first, the natives transferred their hatred from the departed Spaniards to their new rulers, and those Who did not hate preserved a stoicism Impossible to break. It made the authorities query. How could we expect the natives to develop under such circumstances? It was just about the time that the bandits of the islands had everything coming their way that the native soldiery of Porto Rico became fully established and was pronounced a marked success. The Idea at once appealed to Gov. Taft. It seemed the only solution of the problem in spite of the many obstacles which appeared as the result of the Investigations. How the American officers overcame these obstacles, however, proved not only a revelation, but an easy task. The had overlooked the fact that the Philippine islanders like strength, their ideal in humanity. The American discipline was firm and the American soldiers sent to organize the corps were husky men, and the Filipinos took to their ways with the greatest eagerness. The duties of the American colonial military police are much the same as those of the mounted police throughout the states, except that the men must be not only skilled riders but good soldiers, tactful, energetic fearless. The Philippine constabtjgry assume all these duties because they must preserve order in the smaller towns of the interior as as patrol the rural districts. Outside of breaking up the bandits of the interior districts and protecting the plantations, the constabulary force is also confronted each year during the dry season with the task of pacifying some of the younger element of the provinces bent on adventure which takes them to the wilds. In barracks the routine duties of the constabulary are much the same as those of the army. Early morning reveille is followed by coffee, and after that comes the stable duties through which the trim little horses receive the daily polish which makes their coats look so slick. Then comes 20 minutes of the famous army setting-up exercises, which makes the most supple and perfect figures out of loosejointed, round-shouldered men. Guard mounting occurs Immediately after breakfast. This is the time when the various patrols issue forth to follow their beaten tracks, but when it comes to capturing an offender, they often leave those tracks. It may be said to the credit and efficiency of the corps that the lawlessness which the Americans first found there has almost disappeared. Drill either mounted or on foot, takes up the greater part of the morning, and all except those who are on guard or have just come off patrol duty take part. After that nothing occurs except at meal times, unless It is the day for weekly dress parade or some special occasion. Once a week, also, there Is an Inspection of the men's clothing and property and quarters. One of the proudest assets of the Philippine constabulary Is Its band of 55 men which has made-itself famous not only op the Islands, but in Amer* lea and Europe. The Islanders are natural musicians, and in the effort to recruit this band little difficulty was encountered. The band la a full concert organization. but It is also thoroughly military when It takes part in guard mounts, dress parades and reviews. At present the organization of the onstabulary is of the cavalry class In

the Bongot Igorot division there are over 800 men, and the Moros number about 750. These organizations are divided into battalions and companies, and are officered by Americans, and on drill or parade they have that easy, confident air of the seasoned veteran.

The Bongot Igorots were the first to organize. In 1900. Originally they were head hunters fatalists. The advances of the American emissaries made them suspicious at first, but when it was seen that the first company organized was quartered in the old Spanish barracks and given good food and clothing the distrust faded. Many friends came to see them which spread such news quickly, and the balance of the companies were easily recruited. It was just about a year after the Bongot Igorots were organized that Gen. Leonard Wood, then governor of the Moro provinces, tackled the even more difficult work of organizing a constabulary from the Moros. The Moros were so named by the Spaniards just after their expedition against Morocco, because they so resembled the dark men of the desert. In traits, too, they were very similar. Gen. Wood sent five selected American officers to the five different Moro districts. What those officers found were obstacles almost insurmountable. In one district alone one officer found 18 entirely distinct dialects and absolutely foreign to each other, and in the provinces nine out of every ten natives were mongrel Mohammedans, tied to the Moslem customs. The quickness with which the Moros took up the work was even more surprising than in the case of the Bongot Igorots. The Americans found that their greatest fault was unbridled impulses. A firm leader was all they needed, and the American army drill sergeant supplied that wanL From a line of ill-shaped, awkward recruits they soon began to show the marks of the military man. But th,e carbine was the greatest puzzle to them when they first handled these weapons, and they handled it gingerly ‘because they thought it was a work of the devil, and feared the intricate mechanism and the recoil of the shots. A month passed before they were finally persuaded to pick up the guns with that ease necessary to master the manual of arms, v

Among the Moro organizations Mohammets and Alls as common as the Smiths and Joneses in the American army. And the fact that it is next to Impossible to separate the Mohammedan from his customs put the brains of the Americans to the most severe test in scheming in selecting the proper clothing, food and the organization of the companies. When bacon and pork was first served with the army ration the sons of Mohammet stood aghast. Mohammet had decreed what kinds of meat his followers shall eat, and how It shall be prepared, and each company, therefore, has two cooks, two sets of cooking utensils, and two kinds of rations issued for the Christian and Mohammedan members.

Both the Bongots and Moros were quick to appreciate the change which soldier life made in their condition. In four months the Moro contingent was transformed from a dirty, indolent semi-savage set of men to trim, ambitious American soldiers. At first they objected to the two-year enlistment but good clothes, regular meals and money in their pockety at the end of each month opened their eyes. They were conditions which they had never experienced, and as they are inveterate gamblers, the money proposition especially pleased them. The Malays are a race which has the greatest respect for firmness and strength of character, and they admired the ways of the American soldier because the strict discipline indicated those traits. Nobility, also, has existed among the race for generations. and it has created a desire to excel in blood and rank equal to the zeal of some of the great European bouses of royalty. Some of these men are in every company. and in their race for chevrons of non-commissioned rank they have created a spirit of competition that has wonderfully increased the efficiency. Being therefore well trained as a soldier of a great government,* they are looked up to as a class by the natives. 4 ALFRKD C. PICKKLLS.