The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-11-05
AMERICAN CONSULATE AT MANILA.

AMERICAN CONSULATE AT MANILA.
thing has happened very often before.
Both the English and the American ma
tions owe their supremacy to somewhat
similar combination of circumstances.
Naturally this new and strong class
gradually assumed control of the business
Of the country. They became the planters,
who cultivated by means of native labor
extensive plantations on which sugar,
hemp and tobacco were grown. They be-
came the manufacturers, brokers, commits
sion merchants and stOrekeepers Every
thing was open to them but the control of
their own government, and that was in
the hands of the Spaniards, who for over
rule the islands.
AS an indication of the way the mesti-
EOS compare in point of numbers with
the Spaniards, it may be stated that Of the
1870, 900 population of Manila, the capital
city of the Philippines, only $4,000 are
Spanish, while the rest are mestizos,
Malays, Chinese and foreign business men.
But the Spaniards have not failed to
make themselves felt While they have
produced nothing and added not bit to
the prosperity of the islands, they have
been very industrious in devising ingeni-
Gus methods of taxation. The system
which they have prepared for squeezing an
income from the thrifty islanders is most
elaborate one. The cedua personal, or
poll tax, is levied upon every man, woman
and child whom the tax collector can find.
For 16-year-old boy it is 75 cents and in
creascs as he grows older until at 81 it Is
So 75. After that he is made to pay as
much as possible. Every person who en-
cages in business has to pay so much a
year for the privilege. A man who runs
a small drug store in Manila pays $500 a
year for his business license. The planters
are also heavily loaded with taxes. Every
district for instance, is compelled to raise
so much tobacco annually, and the tobacco
raisers are made to pay for producing their
crops, while they are Obliged to sell their
products to the government, which holds
monopoly on tobacco.
There is also a complicated code of gov
ernment regulations concerning business
transactions, exporting and importing par
ticularly, and when any of these are vio-
lated, even technically, the offending mer-
chant is subject to heavy fine. Inasmuch
as the fines are the perquisites of the reve-
nue. officials, they are invariably assessed
and collected. When mestizos happens
to be the transgressor the slightest excuse
is made a preteXt for cOnlsCatlng his prop
erty and throwing him into Jail.
For years the islanders stood this treat
ment, but they have finally risen. The
mestizos are, of course, the leaders in the
revolt, and were it not for the fact that the
Spanish possess the advantages of arms
and fortified strongholds the question
would be speedily settled AS it is, Spain
has very slender hold on the islands.
While their number is small, there are
few American citizens in the Philip
pines, most of them being engaged in
business. They have suffered from Spanish
tyranny with the rest of the foreigners, We
have a consul there who is said to be the
right man for the present situation. His
name Is Elliott. Consul Elliott is handi-
capped, however, by having no United
States warship at hand to back up his de-
mands, and he has been forced TO submit
tamely TO several instances of high handed
interference on the part of the Spanish au-
thorities. The United States consulate at
Manila, IN which he resides, is stout 6Sd
building surrounded by a high iron fence,
behind which he could withstand quite u
siege. 5. K MACDONALD.