Alcohol, Labor, and Land

This chapter assesses the difficulty that arose when John Early defended the rights of Igorots in opposition to the provincial board's policies that were detrimental to Bontoc's inhabitants. The initial conflict between Early and the provincial officials centered on the use of cargadores. As most outsiders used all of their physical strength just to climb the mountains, they required Igorots to carry all their food, blankets, clothes, tents, pots and pans, utensils, and tools. Thus, an industry grew around hiring Igorots to serve as porters. Early knew that this new business opened the door for potential exploitation because the first experiences between Americans and Igorot cargadores were horrific and widely known in Bontoc. Within just a few months of the cargadores conflict, Samuel Kane and Early almost came to blows over the importation of alcohol into Bontoc. However, the last proverbial straw that reportedly ended Early's administrative career in Bontoc was an issue very dear to Dean Worcester: land. The chapter then looks at the land laws, particularly the Public Land Act which limited the purchase of land to 40 acres for individuals and 2,500 acres for corporations.