ements, not only differentiated from one another
by speech, but physically separated, in many cases, by the seas,
would tend to fall apart. The Visayas, for example, would refuse
sooner or later to acknowledge the Tagalog supremacy of Luzon. If
we proceed farther south still, what practicable bond can be found
to exist between Mindanao, peopled by Mohammedans and savages,
and Luzon or Panay or Negros? The consequences of such a disruption
as is here predicted must occur to everyone. The gravest of these,
gravest in that it would defeat our purpose in granting independence,
would be foreign intervention. Japan would most certainly insist on
being heard. Now, the Filipinos, as a whole, prefer our sovereignty
to that of the Japanese. England, too, would have a right to interfere
for the protection of her commercial interests in the Archipelago. It
exercised this sort of right, in 1882, by seizing Egypt in behalf of
civilization in general. In the meantime, the Moros of Mindanao and
Jolo would have resumed their piratical excursions to the northward,
burning, killing, and carrying off slaves. If this be questioned,
then let us recollect that as recently as 1897 they carried off slaves
from the Visayas, a sporadic case, probably, but giving evidence that
the disease of piracy is to-day merely latent. Given an opportunity,
it will break out again. Under independence, the large, beautiful,
and fertile island of Mindanao would be left to its own devices,
would be lost to civilization. Upon this point we need have no doubt
whatever. The issue of Filipino control of Mindanao was very clearly
raised, when Mr. Dickinson, the late Secretary of War, visited Mindanao
in August of 1910. Upon this occasion Mr. Dickinson, in response to
a Filipino plea for immediate independence, with consequent control
of the Moros, made a speech in which he declared the unwillingness
of the Government to entrust to the 66,000 Filipinos living in
Mindanao the government of the 350,000 Moros of this province. At
the close of this speech, four _datus_ (chiefs), present with 2,000
of their people, and controlling the destinies of 40,000 souls,
swore allegiance to the United States; and, requesting that, if the
Americans ever withdrew from Mindanao, the Moros should be placed
in control, firmly announced, at the same time, their intention
to fight if the Americans should ever take their departure. One of
the _datus_, Mandi by name, was outspoken in praise of