REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND POLICE. The honorable the PHILIPPINE COMMISSION: I have the honor to make the following report of the operations during the last twelve months of the various bureaus of the department of commerce and police. BUREAU OF PHILIPPINES CONSTABULARY. It became obvious to the Commission at an early period in its administration that after the suppression by the Army of the insurrection considerable time must elapse before the ordinary police force of the municipalities of the Archipelago could be relied on to maintain order. The people of the islands under the Spanish régime were always more or less subjected to the incursions of bands of ladrones, or gangs of robbers, who preyed upon the peaceable and industrious masses and when pursued found refuge in the jungle and mountain fastnesses. It was to be expected that after more than four years of insurrection these bands would be increased rather than diminished. It was inconsistent with any proper idea of civil government that the military forces should be used for the purpose of suppressing this evil. Aside from this consideration, the expense involved in their use was very great, and, besides, the soldier was ill-adapted by his training to perform the functions of a policeman. To meet the requirements of the situation, therefore, it seemed necessary to organize a constabulary force directly responsible to the civil governor. It was believed that after the suppression of the insurrection a constabulary organization could be created from the natives of the islands, commanded by Americans, who would be efficient and reliable in the maintenance of peace and order, and as a result the Philippine Constabulary, pursuant to legislation enacted by the Commission, was organized in accordance with these views. In the beginning the employment of natives for such a purpose was regarded as a dubious experiment. There were prophets of evil who did not hesitate to foretell disaster as the result of such a course of procedure. It was asserted, both by friendly and unfriendly critics, that the native would prove cruel, inefficient, and disloyal. A careful study, however, of oriental peoples, and especially of the Filipino people, caused the Commission to conclude that these fears were groundless, and that under American direction and leadership they would not only prove reliable, but, in addition, could be made far more effective for service to be performed than even a greater number of American soldiers. It seemed plain to the Commission that the 3 American people would be adverse to a policy which eliminated the native Filipino as a factor in maintaining order. Not only did the consideration of expense cut a most important figure, but, in addition, continued occupancy of the islands under a purely military régime, in which the Filipinos were to have no part, seemed wholly opposed to American ideas. In short, it was believed that unless the Filipinos themselves could be largely utilized in this and all other branches of the government, American administration must prove an expensive and mortifying failure. The plan evolved by constabulary act No. 175 of the Commission for the organization of the constabulary contemplated First. That Americans should, as a general rule, be in command of the constabulary forces to be organized in the provinces and that noncommissioned officers and privates should be Filipinos; and Second. That each province should furnish its quota of men, whose operations ordinarily were to be confined to their province. This latter principle involved a departure from the rule which had invariably controlled the English in their colonial possessions and the Spaniards in their dealing with the Filipinos, their policy having been to utilize native troops and constabulary in other sections than that from which they were drawn, thereby taking advantage of supposed tribal prejudices and, as it was believed, removing the tendency to disloyalty or inefficiency which would exist when dealing with their own immediate friends and neighbors. The Commission, however, thought that as against these possible disadvantages there were substantial benefits to be derived from pursuing the opposite course. It was believed that with proper treatment there need be no fear of treachery, that there was a great advantage in having the police operating in a particular province familiar with its terrain and the people living therein, and finally that in view of the fact that these people were kinsmen and neighbors of the constabulary there would be absent that disposition to abuse and oppression, which has always been found to exist when native military or constabulary forces were operating among strangers and often hereditary enemies. We believe that events have proven the soundness of the views entertained by the Commission. The past year has fully tested the constabulary organization and has demonstrated both its theoretical and practical soundness. The men have proved obedient, loyal, and brave. They have been almost constantly engaged in cleaning up the provinces of cattle thieves and highway robbers. These bands have not, as a rule, been formidable, and almost without exception may be described as ordinary marauders. The people of the islands have been sorely tried during the past year by an epidemic of cholera, the loss of their draft animals by rinderpest and other cattle plagues, and, finally, the crops in many provinces have again and again been destroyed by locusts. The effect of all this upon a people just emerging from more than five years of insurrection. can be readily understood, especially when it is remembered that even under ordinary conditions these robber bands have always existed and that the mass of the people are ignorant and credulous and can be easily cajoled or intimidated by the leaders of these bands. Besides, there has been left over as a legacy of the insurrection a few insurrecto officers of more or less ability and shrewdness who are unwilling to sink back into the obscurity from which they had emerged during the insurrection and address themselves to peaceful vocations, but prefer to continue secret intriguing and fomenting disturbances in a small way. While in a large majority of the provinces life and property have been safe and peace and order have prevailed, as a result of the conditions above referred to, several instances have occurred when organized bands of considerable magnitude have sprung into existence. Some of them have claimed to have a political object, others to establish some strange and fanatical religious creed, and still others without any apparently well-defined purpose except to live without labor upon the peaceful, the inoffensive, and the industrious. We have had two or three new popes, several alleged Sons of God, and Virgin Marys, together with here and there a leader who claimed charm-working powers and ability to make his followers proof against bullets. As a rule, however, they have been able to accomplish nothing beyond the creation of momentary local disorder, and have been killed or captured by the constabulary. The only bands which have been in the least formidable have confined their operations to the provinces of Rizal, Cavite, Albay, Iloilo, Cebu, Surigao, and Misamis. In the province of Rizal, one San Miguel, an ex-insurrecto general who had never surrendered, having a number of guns left over from the insurrection, was enabled to gather a considerable following in the mountains and surprised two small detachments of constabulary and scouts stationed in remote barrios and possessed himself of their guns, and with them added to his effective strength. Colonel Scott, first assistant chief of constabulary, however, promptly took the field against him and by well-directed operations succeeded in bringing him to bay and killed him, together with about 60 of his followers, and captured and dispersed the remainder. In the province of Cavite, Felizardo and Montalon, two ladrones who were outlaws during the Spanish times, have from time to time given trouble. The constabulary of the province have frequently come into collision with them and the bands they have been able to organize, and have killed, captured, or dispersed them, but the leaders have so far succeeded in evading arrest and are now concealed in the remote mountains of that province. It is believed to be only a question of time when they will be killed or captured. In the province of Albay three ex-insurrecto officers, Ola, Toledo, and Sarria, having also some 40 or 50 guns which had never been surrendered, managed to surprise a small detachment of constabulary stationed in the town of Oas and captured their guns, about 40 in number; they also procured a few additional guns belonging to the municipal police in several of the towns. Albay is one of the richest provinces in the islands, producing as it does about one-fourth of the hemp crop. These outlaws inaugurated a reign of terror. In many of the towns the municipal authorities, generally the wealthiest men in the community, were so intimidated as to prefer to submit to the exactions of these bandits rather than oppose them. They were enabled to live off of the people without difficulty. The province is largely mountainous and covered with a heavy growth of abacá and timber. It was exceedingly difficult for the constabulary to come in contact with these outlaws, the latter receiving information from the people of the towns of the movements of the former, and thereby being enabled readily to evade them. As this was an intolerable state of things, which could not be prolonged without immense damage to the province, it was determined to draw in the people from the remote and outlying barrios pursuant to the provisions of Act No. 781, which authorizes this step, and thereby cut off the source of supplies of the outlaws. This course was pursued and the people of a number of the municipalities were concentrated within certain defined zones which were large enough to enable them to work at hemp making and obtain food supplies. They were thus concentrated for several months. Wherever necessary, rice was furnished them for work done, so that sickness or suffering from hunger was prevented. The result of this policy was, that a few weeks since, these outlaws, having been unable to obtain supplies and being constantly kept on the run by the constabulary and scouts concentrated in the province, were forced to come in and render themselves and their arms. The inhabitants of the province who had been thus concentrated were permitted to return to their homes. sur The effect of these operations was, temporarily, largely to reduce the output of hemp and thereby inflict considerable loss upon the province. Albay is now entirely quiet and order prevails; while the temporary loss occasioned by reduction of the hemp output was very considerable, the effect of the energetic methods pursued has been undoubtedly, most beneficial, and it is believed will be permanent in character. The people are now busily engaged in gathering hemp and preparing it for market and a larger amount is being brought into the towns for sale than ever before in the history of the province. It may be further stated that nearly all the outlaws are either dead or in Bilibid prison. In the province of Iloilo there have been several roving bands engaged in cattle stealing on an extensive scale and raiding remote and unprotected villages. They have, however, been gradually killed or captured through the energetic course of the constabulary. In the province of Cebu there was an organization of what is known as Pulujanes, a combination of religious fanatics and ladrones that assumed considerable proportions and succeeded in repulsing a small band of constabulary who first attacked them, killing Lieutenant Walker, their commander. Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor, assistant chief of constabulary, however, speedily concentrated a force of constabulary and attacked and completely routed them, killing many of them and capturing or dispersing the remainder. There have been no other disturbances of any sort in Cebu. Serious disturbances also occurred in the provinces of Surigao and Misamis, island of Mindanao. These two provinces are the most remote in the Archipelago. While inhabited principally by Christian Filipinos the great majority of them are extremely ignorant and inclined to fanatical superstition. They come in close touch on their southern boundery with the Moros and other non-Christian tribes. In the latter part of March there was quite a large number of men charged with crime confined in the provincial jail at Surigao, and among them one Concepcion, a bandit of some local note, who succeeded in effecting their escape and fled to the adjacent mountains. Captain Clark, senior inspector of constabulary of the province, seems to have been careless and unsuspicious of any danger of attack from them. However, Concepcion and his men came into the town of Surigao undetected, and while the constabulary were at dinner, rushed the |