The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-19

1
average native has little opportunity 10
work for hire. that II he does succeed
I'm securing employment his wages are
often not moro than cents day. ana
that he Is usually unable 10 dispose OF
his farm products for cash. being COM
PEELED 10 exchange them for other COM
mOditles In addition 10 these and other
taxes that [ do not recall, there Is
tax on beasts Of burden. u tax Tor keep
ing a shop. a tax on mills or OIL presses
q tax on weights and measures, and q
tax on cockfghting. At every turn the
poor native finds himself face 10 face
with the dire necessity OF paying tribute,
and ne frequently spends his life in an
Intellectual effort 10 meet the obligation
thus imposed. The revenue goes TO
Spain fo n7v the soldiers and navy.
NO ESCAPE FROM TAXES.
"Thcre is no escape from these taxes
have seen women whipped I'm the rural
towns because they had perhaps failed
to get "a license before they sold their
annual crop Of cOcoanuts or had secret
cd a cow or a goat so that the tax coll
lector dld not see IL in his official rounds.
For the collection OF taxes the Spanish
have revived the plan which was IN use
I'm France before the revolution % 11S9.
For each district Of 1900 square miles a
tax collector is appointed by the gov
ornor of the province. He Is called
eobernadorcillo. and his Is responsible
for the estimated amount which his dis
trict should pay In taxes. so that II col
l2ctions fall short he must make them
good from his own pocket. He has un-
der him q number of deputy collectors
known as cabeZas each OF whom col
lects the taxes Of from forty 10 sixty
taxpayers. and IS personally responsible
for tho amount expected from each. II
they fail 70 pay Up he distrains their
urOnerty and sells 10. IF tho proceeds
Of the sale fail to cover the indebtedness
the delinquent debtors are imprisoned.
once saw a dozen ragged, nard work
inc men on the island Of Samos tnat
had lost their houses. cattle. lands and
who still owed sums ranging from 81 70
so. They were being sent prisoners TO
the Jail yard at Punta Chavalias. while
their families wero left TO SHIFT Tor
themselves.
"a large book might be written about
the popular revolts that have sprung up
en- the Philippines because OF these tyran-
nous expressions. I'm 1876 the natives lost
5000 OF their best men In rebellion
AGAINST Spain. I'm 1852 they lost several
thousand more men. and 500 OF their
leaders were beheaded and shot to death
On SQUADS az the garrisons NJ Cavite as
n warning 20 other sympathiZing rebels
Tho present rebellion broke out last
June and was quellad for a time by Span
igh troops Last January 100 rebels were
shot in the suburbs Of Manila. sudden.
ly the rebellion broke out again and
now it seems TO be the most general re-
volt yet known in the islands. The IN
tent Of this last rebellion secrs 10 be
to rid the Philippines of the Spanish by
any means-whether hv dynamite poison
or assassination. Manila, like Havona,
has naturally been In control OF The
Spanish troops, and the insurgents have
been carrying on a warfare forty and
sixty miles from Manila, similar 20 frat
OF the Cubans about Havana.
TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKES.
"The earthquakes I'm the Philippines
especially on Luzon and Nesros island
deserve "a special story by themselves.
The whole grouD or islands is Of vol
canic origin. There are seventy vol
canoes in constant eruption ON the isl-
ands Several of them are the most vio-
lent IN tho world and are always being
studied by scientists from Europe and
America The famous volcano Niagara
is within sight of Manila. An earth
quake occurs on an average OF once ev-
cry ten days. 7 have known small
I Qua cs 10 come az the rate OF dozen
"a day for a week AZ a time. About
dozen times o. year there are shocks SO
severe that people viii run about ln
fright and damage Will be done % the
buildings The big bridge over the Pas
qig river at Manila has been 50 swerved
hy earthquakes twice in my residence
I'm the city that 10 has been made ur-
safe for travel In lA am earthquake
nearly ruined the great stone cathedIal
in Manila r8Zcd many buildings 20 tine
ground. rocked hundreds more, and 20lo
people on Luzon Island We're killed oy
falling timhers and walls. I'm 1850 the
great earthquake occurred on Negroi
Island It has never been known how
many people were killed but tho number
g. estimated mt 900.
"The people at Manila have the fond
ness OF Snanish countries for exciting
snorts The old theatre. which seats
about 1900 people SIS nearly always NILE
ca Tic PAYS the Spanish government
revenue OF about 5000 a year. Some
times on opera or theatrical company
win come there from Paris or Madrid
and play seven nights I'm the week for
months at time.
GAMBLING UNIVERSAL.
Gambling is universal in the Philip
pines. 7 don't know any one except the
h4lf-ciyiUZ-d mon ON the little Islands
i1 the Philippine archipelago who does
not do some gambling. There are l9t-
tories galore. The government gets ST.
10000 revenue year from tho lotteries
and no matter how hard tho times how
sad the islands may De over some fright
fgl calamity, there are always some Lott
ter.es I'm fuIl blast under the protection
Of the Snonish
Naturally the average native OF the
Philippines is o. humble and pe1ceable
sort or fellow. Tie has very little clu-
cation ana has no knowledge Of the
world outside of the islands The ma
tives arc simple people; they love 20
dance. sing and loaf Poverty Is moro