lders and rather
than stay in the neighborhood of the pirates over night they would
sell their goods for anything they could get and hurry up into the
hills again before dark. Moro, Filipino and Chinese traders had for
centuries systematically robbed them. Money was of little use to them
and therefore all trading was by barter. It was a long campaign of
education which Wood instituted to build up confidence amongst these
timid people, and he sent young American officers among them,
traveling often-times hundreds of miles on foot and practically
without any protection to help them and give them confidence.

Little by little confidence was built up; great peace meetings were
arranged among the different tribes; old grudges were wiped out;
scores were balanced and old feuds settled. It took time and brains
and painstaking patience, but it was done and done well.

At the same time, taking a leaf from his own Cuban notebook, Wood
started schools in the Filipino villages and took steps to do the same
among the Moros. It was very difficult to {191} find teachers who
would be received by these Moslems. It was at first almost impossible
to get them to send their children to school at all. Nothing but time
and sound, honest methods in dealing with these people made all or any
of this possible.

Patrol boats were put on duty in the waters about the islands.
Simultaneous with this building up went the organization of the
customs service, since the province had to be entirely
self-supporting. Native people from among the Moros and Filipinos were
organized into what was called the constabulary. Every effort was made
to turn the attention of the people from irregular and piratical
activities to the activities of commerce. School laws were put in
force, written in terms to meet the situation. Increased cultivation
of new land, cultivation of cocoanuts, cocoa, and various local
products, including hemp, was encouraged by exempting it from taxation
provided certain amounts of useful crops were planted thereon.

Communications by land and water were built up as fast as possible.
After a time taxation was {192} imposed very gradually in the form of
a cedula, or poll tax. The money so collected was spent so far as
possible in the district where it was collected. The headmen of the
tribes and sub-tribes were made officials of the province and given a
baldric bearing a brass shield with the seal of the province. In time
they were given c