The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-14

settlers in the islands some FIVE hum
dred years ago. The Malays swarmcd |
I'm upon them from the south and drove |
them into the hills. so that now tht |
coasts are held by the Malay tribes. |
who speak some thirty different dia-
lects. and the interiors are held by the |
Negrito tribes, speaking some two hun |
drtd dialects, perhaps more for little |
Is known Of the wild, unexDlored in |
terror country on any of the islands. !
even LuZon.
Manila is cosmopolitan city. The ,
Spaniards, the rulers, number less than
5000. and there were not 500 Europeans
there when left Americans are sell
dom seen. The Chinese number 10000;
they are the small shopkeepers. NAL
avs are as thick as Chinese. The great
middle class is made up of some 10000
Mestizos. the offspring of Malay moth
ers and Chinese fathers i'm the majority
Of cases But Spanish blood runs in
the veins of many of the MestizOs.
These half-castes, superior in intelli-
genCe to the natives are i'm a perpetual
state of unrest They have led all the
revolutions in the Islands and are the
people who are expected to aid this
country in taking possession of the
Philippines. Some of their leaders are
bright men, who chafe under the Span
ish yoke and long for more humane ru-
lers, or. if possible, independence.
TAXATION.
Everybody and everything is taxed.
Spain draws an enormous revenue
from the Philippines-how much no
one knows. The annual budget, when
! was at Manila. amounted to some
Sl500O0O0, and must have been in
creased since to help carry on the war
i'm cuba. But the amount squeezed
from all classes Of people by the THEY
ing officials is many millions more. Let
me read you some figures from re-
cent budget
"rhe cedula personal, document
for Identification must be carried by
every person over Is years old. The
tax varies according to age and tnan-
cial condition from Is cents to S25. The
sum expected to be realized in this
budget was $4,4O1 ,629.2j The head tax
on the Chinese was sec, ,250. The to-
baccO tax on the Chinese was $ll,25O
and on the other persons $222,jOO. In
addition to these personal taxes the
natives must pay taxes for owning
CocOanut trees and beasts of burden;
for every wheel on their wagons they
must pay 50 year; they must pay
taxes for keeping shops, killing ami
mails, running mills and oil presses,
holding cock fights owning hShting
cocks and burying bodies.
Cock fighting is the great national
sport, and the budget estimated the
tax on the sport at Sl49,O39. The opium
contract was to realize SiS3,4OO. From
lotteries the estimated revenue was
placed at S5Ol S62. All kinds of paper
must be mped-$54S, 400; the con-
victs are hired out--$50 600; the mint
'manipulates' the bullion-S33O,35O gov
ernment lands are sold-$5O,OOO. The
natives back in the hills are taxed,
but only few thousand are reached
By the collectors. The tribute from
the tribes i'm this budget was est-
mated at $4,000.
DRAGS ON BUSINESS.
Everybody i'm business must have
"a license, like our liquor license
knew of one druggist who paid $1,000
year for the privilege of doing busi-
ness. His store was small. The for
! eign importers and exporters are forced
to pay enormous taxes and fines. If
| they complain the officials find ex-
!
! and driving them from the islands,
| Nearly all the foreign trade is in the
| hands of the English, French Dutch
! and Germans, the Spaniards not haV-
| ing the ability of the other Europeans.
! Ever since the islands We're conquered
! Spain has fought the foreign mer-
| chants framing the most absurd legis-
! lation, to divide their profits with the
| epnN N.pr nI 1 n
! be realized in business licenses in this
! budget was $l,35O,OO0
What excuse does Spain offer for
! levying all these taxes? Take a look
at the other column of this budget.
! Fernando Po, whoever he may be, has
has to be paid 666lS.1S by the Philip
pines, probably for some service his
eighteenth century ancestor performed
for the country. This is only one
third of his pension. Then there is the
| Duke of Neragua. The Philippines,
| grateful for his ancestors discovery Of
America, pay $4,000 Of his pension and
they contribute 81 900 to Ferdinand Co
! lumbuses pension. Some time in the
distant past a Peruvian was an as
sayer in the mint of Potosi Spain
cherishes his memory, and the Philip
| pines contribute 81 800 to his heirs pen
! sion. Here are some other large items :
Share of the consular service, $66. 600;
postal and telegraph service. $iO6, ,547. .-
II; submarine cable subsidy $iS 900,
charity, $26,SS7.50.
COSTS OF GOVERNMENT.
''The cost Of maintaining the army is
estimated at $3,9lS, ,76O.19, the navy 81,
573,77G.27. To the civil guard is al
loted s63S, ,S96.77, to the veteran guard
$13,246,SS. to the disciplinary corps
$lO4,l4Ol4. The treasurer general gets
$4,000 wear, and the officials of the
forty-seven provincial administrations
$22S, 500. The governor generals salary
is $4,000, the lies ,.-cHt generals sal
airy $4,000. The admiral of the navy
has $4,000, and the officer in charge of
Cayite arsenal $1,000. IT doesn't seem
! likely that he will draw his fuIl SALARY