01 FIGHT M
D
THE
HIMPPIES. i
Tlie Perils That Confront the Soldiers oi
Major General Mcrritt Some Queer
Facts Attout tii3 Islands Uncle
Sam May Acquire.
Bear Admiral Dowry may well repeat the famous words of Marshal Mac
Mahon, "Jy suU; j'y ri'sfi;' "I am hero; here I shall remain." Ho has Ma
nilla ut his worry and when re-enforced by l.'i.uuu troops under command of
Major General Wesley Mcrritt, tho new military governor of tho Philippines
and by tho cruisers Philadelphia and C'liarl .-tun and tho formidable monitor
Moutoroy, 110 forco tho Spaniards havo at their disposal will ho ublo to dish !gn
him. Our soldiers, howovcr, will ho faro to faro with many perils. Tho cli
mato is said to be worse than that of Cuba. The heat is almost unl-earablo t j
mi unacclimatod person, deadly levers aro prevalent in Manilla and the bu
bonic pluguo iu epidemic form prevails at Ilonglcon;-, only 000 miles from Ma
nilla, und at several points in tho Philippines. This disease, according to uc
cepted reports, is more fatal than yellow fever and preys with particular vio
lenco upon unacclimuted strangers. Trilling earthquakes aro of almost daily
occurrence and now nnd 1 hen one of tremendous force kills hundreds of peo
ple Thon thero is tho simoom that sweeps over sea and land, leaving death ami
desolation in Its woko. I
Tho Amorieaa troops, with Dewey's cxamplo before them, will not shrink
before such perils. They aro strong und bravo, and their leader. Major General
Wesley Merritt, is ft soldier of experieneo who knows the magnitude of his 1
tusk, but is fully competent to carry it out successfully. '
The Experience of Concul Elliott.
Isaac M. Elliott of New York, who was United States consul nt Manilla
two years ago, tells Home interesting tales of tho eliiuatu und of Spanish mis-
government in tho Phili pines. Spanish oflicials iu tho 1'hilippiuo capital, :
alarmed nt tho growth of American trado in tho islands and determined to
stamp it out, wero nngori d by Elliott's vigorous defense of American rights.
Spain nsked for his recull, trumping up tho charge that ho was aiding the in
surgents. Tho administration,' unwilling to offend tho Madrid foreign oflice, 1
transferred Elliott to La liuayra. Two months after Consul Elliott set sail
from tho Philippino capil.il tho colonial o'Uoia'.s had driven from tho islands
tho last of tho American :ommoreial houses. This was thu house of Warner,
Blodgett & Co., which h;. 1 built up a great business, the profits of 1805 amount- I
ing to $234,000, and tho money handled in the ca-h department alone amount
ing to $4,000,000. ;
Heavy taxes had to l;o pnid by tho last American company into tho over-
flowing privato purses of :ho corrupt Spanish o!!icials, and these taxes increased
as American sympathy w ith tho Cuban insurgents increased Spanish hatred of
Americans. Extraordinn y fines wero levied. Tho collector of customs at Ma- j
nilla receives threo-fourths of tho lines ho collects for tho government, and tho
Now York Sun says it is :i matter of record that tho customs official who helped
to drlvo Americans out of tho islands put away fTS.OD'j.OO into his own pockets
in 23 mouths. Tho law , rovides that an importer must pay a lino of f 100 for
every ortielo listed in the invoice found in tho cargo. Once, tho Amorican com
pany pnid a $100 fitio because ono cobblestone out of thousands was missing iu
a cargo.
A Robbery Foiled
Tho most high handed attempt at robbery was niado the summer heforo Con- 1
sul Elliott left tho Philii pines. Ono afterno n a customs official called at tho
company's ollico and kuiidud a bill for $32,38.1. 13 to Blodgett, saying that it
must bo paid within 24 hours. Somo smuggled goods had boon found in tho
suburbs of Manilla, and tho customs collector concluded ho could not make
$25,000 in any easier w y than by charging tho smuggled goods against tho
American ship Esmeralda. Even had tho company been disposed to ay this,
lino, tho money could not have been had within 21 hours, for tho following day
was Sunday. Tho order, which was from tho supremo court, gavo uotioothat if
tho fine was not raid tli ' company's property would bo cotillscated. Spanish
colonial officials had used this method of destroying tho business of foreigners
on inoro than ono occasio n.
Pludgett went nt on o to Consul Elliott's residence, and when ho had
briefly related tho story of tho new Spanish outrage tho two went down to tho
cablo office. Admiral On ;eutcr was thi n at Yokohama with tho Asiatic squad
ron, Tho consul vroto a short messago to tho admiral and handed it to tho op
erator. Tho messago was in cipher. "Send assistance," it read. "American in
terests in peril. Elliott. "
"Send in English. Carpenter," was tho answer received by tho consul a '
short timo afterward. Eliiott could not understand why Admiral Carpenter
wished tho inessago sent in English, for ho know that tho admiral must under- ;
stand tho cipher. Eut tho consul hastened back to tiio cablo oillco and vroto
out a second messago in plain English. An hour later Governor General Blanco's
secretary called at tho consulate and said that Blanco wished to seo tho con- :
6ul at onco. Elliott went over to tho governor general's residence. Blanco
handed him tho second message ho had left at tho cablo office, j
"I am astonished, sir, " exclaimed Elliott, "that a consul's messago has
been held." , 1
"I am sorry it had to bo done," replied Blanco, "but you seo wo couldn t
let that go. It might causo somo unpleasantness between your country and .
mino."
"But no government has a right to hold back a consul's message, and if
this messago is not sent at onco I will reporo tho fact to my government " ,
Tho consul then produced tho bill presented to tho American company by
tho customs official and asked by what right an officer of tho government could
trump up such a charge. Blanco said ho was sorry that there was any mismi-1
dorstanding between tho company and tho officials, but tho "embargo was ac-,
cording to law, having como from tho supremo court, and ho could do nothing
about it. !
General Blanco's Eackdown. i
"Then I shall tako tho first steamer for Hongkong, ' 1 stoutly replied Consul
Elliott, "nnd return with tho American squadron to protect American intorests. (
"I will look into tho matter moro thoroughly," said Blanco after a mo-;
mcnt's thought. "Seo me again beforo you do anything. " That evening Blanco
sent again for tho consul to tell him that tho law had been looked up, and It
had been found that tho embargo could bo raised. Warner. Blodgett a to.
never paid tho lino of f33.8So.13, nnd Admiral Carpenter's hint about plain
English saved tho United States tho cost of sending a fleet and petting into a
tanglo with Spain, but tho petty robberies continued, and tho oflicials rom.Q .
new way .,f injuring thu company buun.. '1 iu , uumi i, w no gn;t
that the company reluctantly decided to sock tho protection of t!i luit:h iiag,
and tho American house ,,f Warner, Pledget! A- Co. ln-iamc the i nti-h hoUs
of Warner. Panics A Co.
;p.. iu's uisgi.venmient of her rich K"Nioii iu tho c.;.-: beg n .r.'i '
iimss.K--.if tit native by their Spanish conquerors iu tho mm., n li . . ntu ,,
hascoutinu.-l uninterruptedly for more than throe centuries simc and mi, id
have gene mi hundreds of year more had iiot SivmUli misrule . n the American
isluiid i f Cut brought uliout awar for humuu rights between thisooautry and
Spam. In the far-away Philippine, a laud of volcau.ii, earth pukes mi I tv.
phoons. Spuiu could carry out her iniquitous colonial ystem i f i;.,v. rum ut
uway from tho eyes of tho civilized world. Onlv when some travel, r liu- re
turned to tell if the life of tho islander ho anything been heard of tho nc
diaival government perpetuated in that wild country for tho enrichment of the
private pur of f.ivorrd Spanish cAlciuls, und the replenishing of th publie
treasury, depleted by corruption ut homo and wars iu tho colonics.
,, "w fl"lt Wl aro at wur vrl,u ttl"1 pur ttvaU iu ,h" capital of
tho Philippines, American who have Nvu in the islands aro free to np,iU their
minds. No one is better qualified toiHak thuu funner Consul Elliott, who w.u
three years nt Manilla. Dunn tlm W nix month of hi niay the cmsulate
was gunrdo.1 by six Spanish uoldier. und Elliott constantly carried two pist. N
und a cartridge belt. Kvauso of hi Americanism he was as obnoxious to the
Siuuiiards of MuniV a us was General Leo to Havana' loyiJist.
Corrupt Spanisli Eule.
"fl-ani'h rulo in the Philippine i thoroughly iNirmpt," says Mr. Elliott
"Tho system of government nominally iu operation is bail inuagli, but it i.l
made uuiuy tim. worse by tho official from Spain who g to the Philippine
for no other purpoHo than to make a fortune. The salary of th. govern, r g. n
eral is 40,uoo u year, nearly a lurge u the president's but th s ;! iry is in
sigiiilleunt in comparison with tho amount the oflleial steal. Weyl, r.'oii bis
return from tho Philippim, hml to his credit iu tho bank of London mid Pnria
evural million dollar, squeezed out of tho people and tho for. i-n im nhant.
General D.-spuyol, who uceoideil him. was an honest man, und it is n l.it. -d
that lie kuin'kml down a Chine" menhiiiit wliocume to him with a gift i f bag
of silver coins amounting to 10,000. Blanco, who ruled the province while I
. was there, was also an honest luun, but he had to carry out the laws.
"The Philippines cover inoro squaro miles of territory than nio-t Ameri
cans dream of. Imagine the state of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Dela
ware. Massachusetts Connecticut, lthode lland. Vermont! New ll.iiiqohii'."
and Maine transport. to the China sea iiu.l cut up into 1.200 islands, ranging
in size from one as largo as New York and Massachusetts combined to lit : la
isletsn.it huge enough for a boy to turn a handspring on. Then put nil tho
New York state pwplo on tho largest island, Luzon, with a city about the m,-.o
of Washington for its capital, Manilhi, und spread the other 0,000,000 people
nlwiut on the other island. Now you have some idea of the Philippine. No'.th
and south the islands extend 1,200 miles, und east end wist somo 700 miles,
lUld the urehipchigo is well knit together too.
"Who live there? Now you've got me. I was thero thrco years, 1 nt I le v- '
er was sure whether a man was Hpauihh, Chinese, Malay, Siamese, Negrito or j
something else, or till combined. I don't believe tin re can lo found such a mix- ;
tore of races anywhere in tho world. Outside of tho island of Luzon nnd one ,
or two others the population is divided between tho Negritos nnd the Malays, j
Tho Negritos are dwarfish blink, tho original settlers iu tho inlands some f00 '
years ago. Tho Malays swarmed in upon them from tho south and drove them
into the hills so that now the cuist are held by the Malay tril s who Npcuk
some 30 different dialects, and tho interiors are held by the Negrito tribes, ,
spenking some 200 dialect, perhaps moro, for little is known of tho wild, uuex
p'.orod interior country on any of tho islonds, even Liu. n.
A Very Mixed Population,
"Manilla is a cosmopolitan city. Tho Spaniards, the rulers, numl rr less
than !, 000, mid there were not fi00 Euroieans there vh. n Tleft. Am.ricans
are seldom seen. The Chinese number (10.000. T hey are the si!mll shops... i r.
Malays are us thick as Chiuese. The great middle class is made up of nmio 0,-
i
yiw ''h':f y? v ' N (
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'
A.
MAJOR GENERAL WESLEY MERTtlTT, V. S.
(Military governor of the Philippine.)
SOME Cr UNCLE SAM'S NEW WARDS.
000 mestizos, tho offspring of Malay mothers and Chiueso fatliors in tho ma
jority of cases but Spanish blood run iu tho veins of many of tho mestizo.
These half castes, superior in iutelligonco to tho natives nro in n perpetual
stuto of unrest. They havo led all tho revolution in tho inlands and uro tho
people who are exjiected to aid this country in taking possession of tho Philip
pines. Somo of their leader aro bright meu, who chafo under tho Spanish yoke
and long for moro humane rulers, or, if possible, independence.
"Everybody and everything is taxed. Spain draws on enormous revenue
from tho Philippines how much no ono know. Tho nnnnal budget, when I
was at Manilla, amounted to aomo $15,000,000, nnd must havo been increased
sinco to help carry on tho war in Cuba. But tho nmount squeezed from nil
classes of people by the thioviug oflicials is many millions more. Ut mo read
you somo riguros from a recent budget
"Tho eedulu personal, a 'document for identification,' must bo rarnixl by
every person over 18 year old. Tho tax varies, according to ugo and flnuneiul
condition, from 75 oeuts to 25. Tho sum expected to be realized in this budget
was 14 401,020.23. The head tax on tho Chineso wus f a:ifl,250. The tobacco
tax on tho Chineso was 11.250, and on the other persons $222,600. In addition
totheso personal taxes tho natives must pay taxes for owning cocoanut trees
and busts of burden ; for every wh801 0,1 ,hclr wKons tul'v mU:(t W.f' B J"!'"''
they must pay taxes for keeping shop, killing animal, running nulls und oil
presses, holding ooekf.-hts owning fighting cocks and burylmr bodies.
"Cockfighting is tho great national sport, and tho budget estimated tiio
tax on tho sport at 1149,030. Tho opium contract was to realize IH3. 400.
From lotteries tho estimated rovenno was placed nt f 501,fiC3. AH kinds of pa
per must bo tami)ed-54S,4O0i tho convict ore hind out-tAOOO; tho mint
manipulates' tho bullion-eMO.OoO; government lands are sol.l-5.j0, 000. The
natives back in tho hills are taxed, but only a few thousand ero readied by tho
collectors. The tribute from tho tribes in this bad-(e was estimated at f 13. 000
"Evcryliodv iu business mnst havo a license, like our liquor h-enso. I
knew one dnU who paid 11.200 a year for tho privilege , f doin;.; bus.nes,.
His store was small. The foreign importers and nportt n t.ro forced to pay
enormous taxes and fine If they complain, the .he.aN furl excuse , for con
fiseatiug their property and driving them frmn the i hmds. N.-arly nil tho for
oign trado is Iu the bunds of the English, French. Uulch and (.irmans toe
Spaniards not having the ability of tho other Europeans Lwr wnco tho is
lauds were couquer-d Spain lias fought tho foreign merchants, fii;iii tho n ost
absurd legislation to divide their profits with the gAiriiiucn IhoBmoiiiit
exacted to be realized iu busiuca licenses m this buog. t was .gi,.0,COO.
A Possission Worth Holding,
"The United States, I believe, should hold i:,,- Philippines. Tho mestizos
and tho European would welcome American control, and of course the Malay.
Chinese and Negri would bo glad of any chance of escaping from thoir Span
lib oppressors. We bould, I belive, set up a provisional government in tho
islands, (fiviag tho control to tha half castes, among whom ors many oapabls
W- II. " t. I . 'B-SsriU HSh. 1 ML- tmr mm sr. . -"
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A GCIANOA WAURIOIt.
men. Over them should bo placed a few strong American or lanizer nnd ex
wutivo olVuvrs. The foreign trade has ben greatly injured by tho Insurrection
of tho past two year, but before tho lighting began it annually amounted to
aboutf I0.0oo.0oo. Thocx'xirtsof hemp, supirnnd other prodi cts totho United
States amounted to fl, 000, 000 a mouth. Hemp Is the most important product
of tho Islands, the eijKirt amounting to $9,000,000 a year, and we receive nearly
all of it. The sugar export is nearly ns large, but tho quality is not good. Tho
tobacco export amounts to uboutf 4, 000,000, whilo about the Mine amount will
cover the lc important products coffee, cocon, cotton, pej per. quicksilver,
ebony, mahogany, indigoes, cedar, saltpeter, corul, vanilla nnd medicinal barks.
"Ten years ugo 104 American vessels wero engaged iu tho Philippino trado,
tho number having doubled in livo years. Now tho number must Ik) iiislgnlfi
cant. Tho Philippines havo wonderful undeveloped resource.'1. Tho output of
hemp, sugar aii'l tobacco could bo greatly Increased under a civilized govoru
nient. Coal and iroiiurothero in great quantities, I believe, aad might now bo
jmportnnt articles of export had we taken the islands ten yean ago. Now that
tho American (lug has replaced tho Spanish at Manilla I look for a great futuro
for tho Philippine."
What Yankee Invention Would Do,
Munluy K. Sherman of Los Angeles, Cal., l i another American who has
spent yours in the Philippine und knows tho country well, lie has born In tho
employ of a trading comiiany which has been buying indigo, camphor, sugar,
spice und hump iu l ho Philippino Islands for 80 years
"If tho Uuitixl States should tako tho Philippino Islandi ns a possession,
they would havo a most valuublo pioco of property. Tho po nihilities of tho
Philippines as wealth producer can hardly to overestimated. Tho export iu
1 fill 7 amounted to uliout $!J0, 000,000, and that iu tho faeo of tho blighting op
pression of the Spanish on every euterpriso except tobacco anil sugar. United
States Consul Williams ut Manilla and I havo discussed many times tiio agri
cultural possibilities of tho Philippines under Amorican push mid with Yankeo
iuveution. I Miovo tho export from tho Islands might bo increased to B0,
000,000 annually In ti few years Thero aro now hero iu Crntial America land
and water facilities thut approach those of tho island of Negros fr growing
coffee. The exportation of ooffeo In 18B7 amounted toaliout fO.OOO. It ought
to have been ten times that amount
"I aui wondering in these days, when UueJo Sum is abont sending troops
from tho Paciio count to the Philippines what the American boys will think
of tho climatoaver there. With tho possible eioeption of somo parts of Interior
India and Aruhhi. I doubt if tliero is any hotter oliiuato than that of Manilla.
Tho Islands reach within four degrees of tho oquator. Tho tompuruturo is not
ho very high, but the humidity Is Tho most oxtromo caro must constantly bo
exercised to keep one's physical condition properly tonod all summer long. Tho
hottest days in the year aro in May and Juno. Fortunately a breozo usually
springs up iu tho early evening, nnd that tempers tho atmosphero so tliat ono
can get somo sleep If ho is projierly flxod for it when midnight comes. The
moan temperature at tho Philippines is 73 dogrocs. Iu November tho weather
cools and then for week at a timo along tho scuooosls it is about as near per
fection a any ono can imagine.
"For Htvou months iu the year, front April to October, no ono but th poor
est lalmrer goes out of doors, unless oompollod to do so. between 8 in the morn
ing and 4 la tho afternoon. In Manilla tho wholo population rises at 4 and 0 a.
m. and gets tho work of tho day out of tho way beforo 8 o'clock. Tho houses an
opened, servants clean up, uioroliuuts do thoir business and tho school children
aro busy with thoir teachers. Thon whon Old Sol begins to shoot his darts down
upon tho conutry moro perpendicularly tho wholo iopulation go into their
house and stay thero until sundown. It Is a laud of siestas. Every one who
can sleeps there all day long, and slumber thero is reduced to a soionoo. Busi
ness is 8uspoudc4 all day long. Even tho men nt tho wharfs quit work for sis
or seven hour when tho sun is highest.
"At sundown Manilla wakes up. Thero is an opening of tho hoavy board
window blinds and an exodus of pooplo from their homes. Tiio principal meal
of tho day is served ut about 0 o'clock, and with tho rich Spanish It Is a owe
mouious affair. Thereafter tho wholo population goes out for a walk. The cook
lights tako placo iu tho evening. Tho old theater is always crowded at night
especially Sunday nights (
Insurrections and Earthquakes.
"Thero ere 10,000 Sinuiish regulars on guard in tho islund. Tho Insur
gents last fall numbered uliout 40,000, of whom 6,000 wore armed with good
guns The insurgents have a few good cannon cast from melted church bolls and
bits of metal that they gathered hero and thero. Manilla, liko Havana, has nat
urally lieou in control of tho Spanish troops, and tho Insurgents havo been car
rying on a warfare 40 and CO miles from Manilla similar to that of tho Cu
bans about Havana.
"In tho summer of 1800 tho order of tho Katipunan was wicrctly fonnod
among tho MViysund Chinese. Tho purpose wasto'removo by blood tho bond
ago by Spain. ' Tho members of tho order wero sworn by a gai u across tho loft
upper arm. With tho blood which Issued from tho wound the initiate crossed
lii m self und duubod his mouth and solemnly sworo that ho would spill tho
blood of ut least one Spaniard overy six months. Tho Spanish got hold of tho
plot Iiy trials that lasted an hour or two in somo cases and 10 or 40 minutes
euch in most cases 4, 700 of tho persons gmqwtod as being in tl o plot wero con
victed and shot to d. ath. In tho month of November, IB'JO, tliero wero 800
execution ou tho outskirts of Manilla, In ono day somo 73 mi n wero stood op
beforo a wall and shot.
"Tho earthquake iu tho Philippines, especially on Luzon and Negros l
huid.t, deservo a sjieciul story by themselves. Tho wholo grou.) of islauds is of
volcanic origin. There aro 70 volcanoes in constant eruption on tho islands.
Tho famous volcano Mayara is within sight of Manilla. An w rtuquuko occur
on an uverage of once every teu days. I havo known small q-takes to come at
the rate of a dfiz. it u day for a week at a timo. About a do u times a year
lie-re uro shocks so sever.) that pooplo will run about in flight i.nd daiuago will
bo done to the buildings. Tho big brldgo over tho Paslg river at Manilla has
been so swerved by oi.rthquuke twico during my residence iu th city that it lias
been inudo unsafo for travel. In IHHi an earthquake neurly mined tho great
stone cathedral iu Manilla, razed many buildings to tho grou id. rocked hun
dreds more, und 2,00') people on Luzon island were killed by falling tiraln i i
and walls. In 1WO tho great earthquake occurred nu Ncgnis island. It hits
never Lwou known how many people were killed then, but tho number Is esti
mated ut 7,000. Almost every structure on tho island was sink on down, and
great gups, yards wide und miles long, wero cracked ucros t io Uland. Thu
quake opened booms iu the earth from the seucoast and mudo p msages from the
interior lakes to tho ocean. I suppose if such a j nuke should occur in New
York city there wouldn't bo ono building left ou uil Muuhattaa Island."
it iiltilit t
OUNatlLI A I lt)N FHPr.