LUKBAN sion of this provision would be “ dealt with severely .”
War vs local elite
Like the pronouncements of commanders that preceded him , Smith made it clear in his circulars that “ every native will be regarded and treated as an enemy until he has conclusively shown that he is a friend .” There was no such thing as neutrality . One was either a friend or an enemy . A native ’ s loyalty was to be “ be measured directly and solely by his acts .” Every Samar native was guilty unless he could prove his loyalty to the Americans . Even the wealthier class among the native population was not spared this deep suspicion . For Smith , they were secretly supporting Lukban and the insurgency , and were not to be trusted . 12 This class was in fact the “ most dangerous threat to the counterinsurgency effort .” Smith ’ s circular allowed the arrest and confinement of suspected sympa thizers as prisoners of war solely on the basis of suspicion , even in the absence of sufficient evidence to convict in a military court . This relaxation of legal protections was designed to prevent contributions and other support from reaching the insurgents .
Smith also continued the practice of hamletting done by his predecessors , using threats and violence to coax the native into withdrawing support for the insurrection . Natives were told that they could be given protection by the American soldiers if they desired so and fully cooperated with their new protectors . But first they had to be placed inside a concentration camp where all their movements were closely monitored . Any native living outside these camps was considered an insurgent or a sympathizer and could be targeted .
With these policies — the reduction of illicit trade , the intolerance of neutrality , and the provision of security through population concentration — Filipino natives were put in the unenviable position of having to choose sides openly between the insurgency or the Americans . Presented with the option of accepting the protection offered by American concentration camps , natives could no longer claim that they were supporting the insurgents involuntarily . 13
A subsequent US Senate investigation of these so-called “ concentration camps ” offered the American public a glimpse into life inside such camps . The newspaper account , dated Nov . 4 , 1901 , comes from a correspondent in Catbalogan , Samar where Brig . Gen . Jacob Smith had established his headquarters .
The transport “ Lawton ” returned yesterday afternoon from a two weeks ’ cruise , touching at Catbalogan , Cebu , Perang-Perang , and Davao . On her outward passage she took two hundred Ilocano scouts
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