The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-05-18
the second message he lad left at the ca.

the second message he had left at the ca
BILE Office
Il am astonished, SIR" exclaimed Elliott
that consurs message has been held
Il am sorry 1t had to be DONE" replied
Eianco, but you see We couldn't let that
go. 1t might cause some unpleasantness
tetWeen your country and mine"
But no government has right to hol,l
hack a consul's message, ard II this mes
s9se is not sent at once, will report the
fact to my government.
The consul then produced the bill present.
ed to the American company by the CHS
toms official and asked by what right the
officer of the government could trump up
SUCH charge Blanco said he was sorry
that there was any misunderstanding be-
tween the company and the officials. but the
embargo" was according to law, having
come from the supreme court and he could
do nothing about it.
Then 1 shall take the first steamer for
Hong Kong" stoutly replied Consul Eli
oft. "and return with the American SQUAD
ron to protect American interests
Il will look into the matter more thor
oughly." said Blanco after moments
thought. See me again before you do any,
thing
That evening Blanco sent again for the
consul to tell him that the law had been
looked up, and it had been found that the
embargo could be raised. Warner Blodgett
& Co. never paid the fine of $32, 1856. Is, and
lish saved the United States the cost of
sending fleet and getting into tanele
with Spain. But the petty robberies con.
tinued. and the officials found new ways of
injurng the company's business The per-
secution grew so great, and the hope Of any
help from the Cleveland administration be-
came so small after Eliott's recall that the
company decided to seek the protection of
the British flag. and the American house of
Warner. Blodgett & Co. became the Brit
ish house of Warner, Barnes & Co. .
Spain's disagreement of her rich DOS
sessions in the East began with the mas
sacres Of the natives by their Spanish con-
querors in the Sixteenth century, has con-
tnued uninterruptedly for more than three
centuries since and might have gone on
hundreds of years more had not Spanish
misrule on the American island of Cuba
brought about a war for human rights be-
tween this country and Spain. In the far
away Philippines of Malaysia-a land of
volcanoes, earthquakes and typhoons-
Spain could carry out her Ubiquitous colon
ial system of government away from the
eyes of the civilized world. Only when
some traveller has returned to tell Of the
life Of the islanders has anything been
heard of the medieval government perpet-
uated in that wild country for the enrich
ment of the private purses Of favored
Spanish officials and the replenishing of
the public treasury, depleted by corruption
at home and wars in the colonies.
Consular representatives in the Philip
pines from the United States and England
have been we'll aware Of the rottcnness Of
the island government, but they could not
make public their knowledge without en-
dangering the relations Of their countries
with Spain. Even unpreJudiced travellers,
in their accounts of the islands, have
avoided a discussion of the political side.
Now that we are at with Spain and
our flag floats in the capital of the Philip
pines, Americans who have been in the
islands are free 10 speak their minds. No
one Is better qualified to speak than former
Consul Elliott, who was three years at
Manila. During the last six months of his
stay the consulate was guarded by six
Spanish soldiers, and Elliott constantly
carried two pistols and a cartridge belt.
Because Of his Americanism hes Waa as OBJ
noxious to the Spaniards at Mapillaa as was
Gen. Lee to Havana loyalists
Spanish rule in the Philippines us thor
ougly corrupt" says Mr.. Elliott. The sys-
tenn Of government nominally in operation
is bad enough for the closing years of the
nineteenth century, but it is made many
times worse by the officials from Spain who
go to the Philippines for no other purpose
than to make fortune. The salary of the
governor general is $4,000 year, nearly as
large the presidents, but the salary is
insignificant in comparison with the amount
the officials steal. Weyier, on his return
from the Philippines had to his credit in the
banks Of London and Paris severaL million
dollars squeezed out Of the people and the
foreign merchants. Gen. Despuyof, who
succeeded him, was an honest man, and it is
related that he knocked down a Chinese
merchant who came to him witha gift Of
bags of silver coins, amountlngFto $4,000.
Blanco, who ruled the province while / was
there, was also an honest man, but he had
to carry out the laws. s.
THE Philippines cover more square miles
Of territory than most Americans dream of.
Imagine the states Of New York, New Jer
sey, Maryland. Delaware, Massachusetts,.
Connecticut, Rhode Island Vermont. New
Hampshire, and Maine transported to the
China sea and cut up into 1,GO islands.
ranging in size from one as large as New
York and Massachusetts combined to little
islets not large enough for boy to turn a
handspring on. Then put all the New York
state people on the largest island, Luzon.
with city about the size Of Washington for
its capital, Manila, and spread the other six
million people about on the other islands.
Now you have some idea of the Philippines
not 'uninhabited dots in the ocean, Ell?
Why, forth and south the Islands extend
1000 miles and east and west some 700 miles
and the archipelago is well knit together,
too.
"Who live there? Now you have got me.