Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-03

they are in many respects highly ingenious
One OF them is the cedula personal, n
species OF passport or ticket of leave which
| must be possessed by every person. male
and female. in the island over Is years and
who is accessible TO the tax-gatherers
Robbery by the Cedula.
The cedula must be renewed annually
at a cost varying from sl5O to as much
as $50. according to circumstances depend
| ing chiefly upon the chances of obtaining
the amount the victim is assessed To ap-
preciate this one must bear in mind that
mems wages are often as low as cents
day. If man pays less than s. for his
cedula he is obliged to give the govern
ment from fifteen to forty days free labor
in the year.
There are many other mean schemes re-
sorted to to draw blood from the stone of
Philippine poverty. A native has to pay a
fee for permission to kill a hog or a buf-
falo. and even for the privilege of pressing
the oil from his own cocoanuts. In fact,
the cocoanut grove itself has to pay tax,
as everything must on the Philippines.
The Chinese residents in addition to the
cedula personal. have to pay a special tax
and in many ways they are subjected to
the most shameless injustice.
The levies of the church and state have
| played havoc with the small savings of the
poorer classes, and have led to the forma-
| ton OF the secret orders resulting in in
I surrection, and which to-day back up the
attempt to throw off Spanish rule. The
| poverty-stricken village of thatched houses.
with its grass huts and ill-kempt children,
rfnf md
| church. whose solid walls and lofty tram
| septs could almost shelter the entire set
| tiement. has shown where the drain came
| on one side. The frequent arrests in Ma
niias streets of men and boys who could
not produce receipted taxbills from their
! pockets at the command of the civil
guard and who were then pressed into
| service in the native regiments to be sent
| Off to fight the wild aboriginal tribes in
the fever-stricken districts of Mindanao,
that graveyard for so many at the south.
have shown the provocation for revolt on
| the other.
Rich Citizens Attainted.
Especially in the last few years has this
| revolt spread into many of the districts,
and the government with its eye to funds
| for putting down the outbreak, has sought
| to find the richest of the native citizens
| implicated, and it has so found them. with
| the result that the large estates of some
| of Manilas wealthiest men with half-casJe
blood have passed into the states possess
| sion, while the owners have disappeared or
been imprisoned. Executions have been
/ frequent The big band on the Esplanade
| has discoursed gay music as groups of in
surgeHts, with hands bound behind them
| have been shot on the green grass oppo-
site. Guards have been doubled, moats
cleaned out. drawbridges pulled up night
| ~. passwords given, and challenges made.
Those who could do so have left Manila.
| Spaniards and Chinese have gone home,
and those who remain have moved into the
protection of the city walls around old
Manila in anticipation of bombardment by
the Asiatic squadron of the United States
| navy. The natives, however. generally
favor demolshment OF the city if neces-
sary to rout the Spaniards.
The entrance to the harbor is twelve
| miles in width. The land fortifications are
| weak, and the feet of Spanish warshfps
drawn up at the mouth of the bay Is all
| most entirely depended on for the city's
protection.
After the famous Manila hemp, the great
est wealth of the Philippines is in sugar.
as is that of Cuba. While Cuban tobacco
| in the shape of fragrant Havanas rules the
| market of the New World. the Manila c-
| gars supply the demand of the Old World.
The United States buys goodly portion
of the exports Of the Philippines, the bulk
of which is shipped from Manila
few figures will assist in giving an ac-
curate idea of the Philippines. The area of
the entire group nearly equals that of Cal
ifornia or Japan, being variously estimated
from 10000 to 10000 square miles. The prin-
cipal island. Luzon, on which Manila Is
built, is approximately equal in area to
Illinois, or about $500 square miles. The
total population is slightly in excess Of
that of New York state and now numbers
100000. In this connection it can be noted
that Luzon alone exceeds Cuba in area by
1900 square miles, and has over double the
population. The second largest island is
Mindanao This Is to the south. and oc-
cupies nearly the same area as West Vir-
gnia, or 1900 square miles.
Extent of Education.
It is a mistake to suppose that Manila or
any other city on this group of Islands is
the home of barbaric. uncivilized people.
In Manila are colleges with advanced cur
riculums and modern facilities of all kinds.
notably the fine institution Of the Jesuits.
whose famous observatory contains one OF
the most complete collections Of seismic
instruments in the world.
OF the several millions Of people in Luzon
not over half million are beyond the con-
troll of the priests, whose efforts to preserve
order are SO respected that lawlessnesS. 1t
is said. is seldom displayed within the
sphere of their influence. Except in wild
portions of the interior and in distant. un-
exploited islands of the group a consider
able proportion of the inha abitants can read
and write. Spanish is the language of the
more advanced classes. while the ''pidgin
-, x1,s, .1t,ca ta1