The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-02
If the United States Keeps Them the
Struggle VIII Begin.
HOW THE TAXES ARE LEVIED.
You Have to Pay Something for Ev-
erything You DO-The Church anu
the State -Unmistakable Evil
dences of the Shameful Mis-
rule of the Fertile
Country.
fcorresnondent of Tie Times.)

=
2S, 1s9S.-Per c. p. 5. S. Empress of
Indla.-In the absence OF excitable news.
with our friend Aguinaldo temporarily on
compulsory good behaviour, our troops
fraternizlng with the people and making
themselves popular while picking up
Spanish 1 thought it best 20 investigate
the resources Of these islands and the
methods by which our late foe has (mis)
governed these Pearls Of the Ocean
Under present circumstances it is not so
very difficult 20 obtain official data. How
much these have been doctored by the
official squeezing which was an easeHl'"l
part OF the system. is moro thah can
tell. and those who could iurnlsh such
desirable Information. are diitident ana
NOT unnaturally somewhat reticent upon
the subject. With this proViso' my lac's
are correct.
First. then. as 20 the resources. The
abundant rains and the presence OF hu-
merous watercourses. added 90 the tropl-
| cal sun and the volcanic origin OF the
! islands. account for the magnificent Ter
ulity. and the comparative prosperity
! which not even three hundred and TWEEN
ty-three years Of Spanish misrule, has
! timber IS invalculable" said weli-in-
| formed Suaniard 10 me while dilatlng
upon the value OF the islands I have
convinced myself that resins. gums, mas
tich-pastes, and dye products may be had
! in any quantity, and that an abundance OF
fine grained woods and timber for build
! ing is going 20 waste. Sugar. hemp 20
bacco and coffee are the chief articles OF
| exports. the investerate Incidence OF the
| Spaniards together with their pet meth
| DDS OF taxation which nipped every new
enterprise IN the bud. preventing other
and as valuable resources from being eX-
plotted. Tney nave also consistently OBJ
tructed the admission OF other foreigners
and invalculable wealth has lain idle and
useless
Minerals OF various kinds are plentiful
iu Mencayan and Lep3nt0; I'm MahbulaO
| one or two gold mines are being worked.
I might almost say secretly. The natives
OF Paracale and North Camarines are
! working some quartz mines under the
protection of the friars whose royalty abb
serbs almost the entire output. Response
bio foreigners who examine for Them
selves assure me that the streams Of
Sapan. Casisuran and New Ecija contain
gold pyrites Of a good quality. Copper Is
plentiful I'm Lu-ac and Asbas, while
Hot springs OF Acknowledged medicinal
properties are not uncommon. The Holy
Waters OF Tuil and Sibu are visited
every year by thousands OF natives seek
| ing relief from their sufferings
The climate Is not bad, although as In
most parts Of the tropics. it is enervatins.
| Tho thermometer during the year ranges
from about sixty to ninety degrees The
cold and dry season commences Ia No
'vomber and continues until March; then
| lt grows warm. and from April until the
end Of May it is hot but dry. The rainy
| season begins in June and continues until
| November; at this time it is almost i'm
possible to travel in the interior since the
| rivers and streams flow over the banks.
| Occasionally, however, a prortracted
| drouth occurs and again swarms Of lo-
| Gusts viii rain many plantation. An
| other and very dlsagreeable feature is tho
| frequency Of the earthquakes. Ihese
| upheayals and the typhoons preVaulne
| in the summer season form the shadow
side OF life IN the Philippines.
PREYING UPON THE PEOPLE.
Spain derived a revenue Of about
81. COO gold, produced from direct taxa
tion, custom duties, monopoiies, and lot.
teries This amount IS very much below
|
/ and energy were fostered instead OF I'm
dolence and luxury Every intelligent
Spaniard whom [ have met agrees Wiki
the historian OF these Islands, DR.. Au-
gustin de Ia Cavada, that the natives
have gentle, submissive and respectful
| disposition, and are very hospitable.
Notwithstanding this fact. revolts have
| been very frequent. The most notorious
| are those OF 1872 ls4l lSi2. 1872, and the
| last OF 1896. The last census gives the
| number Of natives paying taxes on tri-
| butte as 5.50l 35s, while the comparatively
| small number Of coz. SO pay no tribute,
living as they DO In almost inaccessible
| mountain Businesses These natives
however, are peaceful and interfere with
no one.
Oppression must indeed. have been Sc
| we're TO cause naturally gentle and indo-
| lent races 20 revolt. IL was; there can
| be no mistake about that. Every Span
| iard. and his name is legion, who came
to these isles in an official capacity was
| one OF a horde OF locusts preying upon
| the people. The Latin race delights IN
outward show as the Anglo-Saxon de-
lights IN the comforts Of home. Add
to this that every Spanlard with influence
enough 70 secure a position IN these
Islands wanted to make II evident that he
was "a son OF somebody" or ahi dalgo,
and we have the impetus which rendered
shameless squeezing a necessity IN the
absence OF a sufficiently extrayagant
salary. To shine In the Luneta and other
public places during his temporary So
iourn. and 20 make a nest egg against
the time when his country would dis
pense with his valuable services by send
ing out a hungry successor, were the sole
purposes OF the twenty thousand Span
iards who cursed the islands with their
presence.
The natives would have borne this un-
complainingly, for after all the pockets
OF twenty thousand men are not oottom-
less. II they had been given the ehance
TO make the best of their resources. But.
no. The curious intermixture or Church
and State. almost incomDrehenslDle 10 US
of the nineteenth century was thorough
preventive. Motleys History OF the time
OF Philip H., after whom these Islands
were named, furnished an excellent Key
TO the riddle, since the regulations IN
,tttutad NV that inSanA ruauaroh <H->as-A