West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1898-10-28
PEOPLE OF MANILA.
Col. Hawkins Has an Unfavor-
able
IMPRESSION OF THEM.
Wants Cuba and Porto Rico,
but Not the Philippines.
OF THEM


writes from Manila 10 his daughter,
Miss Jessie Hawkins, of Wade ave.
nue., the following letter which is
of general interest and of special
interest to the hundreds of Wash
ington who have friends and rela-
tivcs in the Tenth in the Philip
pines:
Manila is certainly a peculiar
city, entirely different from any
thing you could imaginS in COM
parlson with an American city.
The few are rich aud the masses
are poor. Out of a population Of
over 100000, there is of Spanish
probably 5000; Of Chinese, 90, 900;
OF English, a hundred or two; 40 or
so Germaus and about half dozen
Americans, The balance are the
native indians or filipinos, and
even they are wonderfully mixed
race. Many hundreds are mixed
Chinese and natives, many more
hall native, half Spanish.
The wealthy people, Spanish and
native, have beautiful homes and
many luXuries, but in the main the
masses are in dirt, ignorance and
general sqalor. The Chinese do
about all the work and the natives
live off them. In point of tact,
however, the Chinese are the most
docile and passive of the entire lot.
The natives regard themselves as
vastly superior to the Chinese and
treat them as interiors. really lord
ing it over them. The natives
nearly all have little stores or stalls
for the sale of cocoanuts, pineap-
ples, oranges, mangoes, breadtruit.
bananas, rice, gin, etc. where every
hing is in the filthiest possible con
dition.
The transportation here is car
ried on by water buffaloes hitched
to carts, singiy, by hundreds OF sim
liar two wheeled carts hauled by
Chinese and by carry ing. The load
d Chlmaman Will carry is simply
astonishing. They attach huge
blankets to the ends of bamboo
pole and carry the load thus sus-
pended on the shoulders.
The sanitary condition of the city
is decidedly bad, but we are using
the prisoners in the penitentiary to
clean up. Martial law has been
proclaimed and now the entire con.
troll of the city and harDor is in the
hands Of American troops. We
now have internal revenue officers,
custom house officers, an officer of
the port. an American postoffice in
full blast where every accommodate
ton can be had, police system to
patrol the city at all hours of the
night. l am in command of the
Santa Cruz district" which is
about one-seventh Of the city. l
regulate the closing and conducting
OF all business houses, saloons and
the general order in my district.
We are now getting affairs in good
working order and from 10 p. m.
until morning have an orderly,
quiet city. There are more chill
dren and dogs here than 1 ever
imagined could grow in a limited
space. All people wear their shirts
OH the outside and boys and girls
OF five or six years go naked,
III adults the clothing worn
is just sufficient to cover them de.
Gently. Still you see many we'll
dressed people among the better
class of natives and Chinese. Many
Of the residences are fine, we'll built
houses. The streets are either
macadamized or paved with block
stone. In reality the city as a
whole is much better than I ex-
pected to see it. A reservoir in the
mountains is the means Of our
water supply, which is piped all
over the city and is apparently Of
good quality. Ny headquarters,
conmissary, hospital, orderiies and
companies Band K are in the muuic-
ipal building of the Santa Cruz
district. Our quarters are com,
modious and satisfactory. We have
shower baths for both officers and
men, which, with sufficient rations,
good quarters and not too much
work, places US in a more comfort
able situation than any time since
we left home.
Companies d and E are in ele-
giant quarters in a bank building