The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-19
LIFE IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
A Mixture of Taxes, Earthquakes and
RebeIiOns.
SEVENTEEN ROWS IN so YEARS.
One of the Hottest Places on the Face
of the Earth-Resourccs OF the
Country-Naturc Has Been Very
Lavish With Her Gifts.


has returned home after a residence Of
several years at Manila. lie has been
) for four years I'm the employ Of a trad
, ing company, which has been buying
! indigo camphor, sugar. spices ana hemp
In the Philippine Islands for thirty
years. As agent for the company he
has travelled over an the larger islands
and has had unusual opportunities to
| learn much about the archipelago
when / left Manila about the middle
| Of March" said Mr. Sherman. che
| present rebellion was breaking out. IL
! is really another chapter Of the rebel
lion which broke out in the island OF
| LuzOn Che largest, most pOpulOus, and
! important Philippine island in June Of
| last year. The Spanish Government
! Thought II had stamped out the rebel
| lious spirit o. the natives. but I'm tho
latter part of February the rebels sud-
! denly appeared I'm several parts Of In
| zon The Cd seaport town OF Cavite,
! where Admiral Dewey and his forces are
| now I'm possession. mas been tho head
| centre Of the rcbcls this time. The i'm
| tellgeut people I'm Manila knew Of the
| blowing up of the Maine iu Havana har-
hor but paid no attention TO e. I don't
| believe the populace at Manila he'd the
least idea until about "a month ago that
| a war between the United States and
| Spain might begin at any time, and a
! battle might take place at the philip
| pines 7 never heard such n possibility
| discussed at Manila. The Spanish hold
| the Islands IN such complete thralld0m
and exercise such censorship over tho
press and Geographic information that
any one IN Manila not I'm the diplomatic
circle knows very little OF what II hap
| pcning in the outside world until the
foreign newspapers come. The four Ma
Mia newspapers are slow. cheap affairs
! and have an average Of less than 100
| lines Of foreign ncWs.
VALUABLE PROPERTY.
| 'lf the United States should take the
I Philippine Islands as a possession they
| would have "a most valuable piece of
property. The possibilities Of the Philip
! pines as wealth producers can hardly
he overestimatod The exports I'm 1897
amounted TO ABOUT SNODc00 and that
| in the face Of the bliGhting oppression
! OF the Spanish on every enterprise eX-
! ccpt tobacco and sugar. United States
| Consul Williams at Manila and ! have
/ discussed many times the agricultural
/ possibilities Of the Philippines under
! American push and with Yankee inven-
/ ton. I believe the exports from the is-
| ands might be increased TO $500o0)0 am
! nually I'm a few years and 20 much high
4 or figures in n decade. For instance.
/ the coffee production has for some oc-
/ cult reason Of the Government at Mad
/ rid been kept down by a system OF extra
! licenses that one must obtain 20 plant
| coffee beans, and 10y heavy import du-
/ ties on the machinery necessary in pee
| pairing the product for market. 7 have
! been among the famous coffee incas OF
! Central America, and I make the asser-
/ ton that there are nowhere in Central
! America land and water facilities that
/ approach those Of the island OF Negros
/ for growing coffee The eXportation Of
| coffee in 1897 amunteI 10 about $4,000.
! IT ought to have been ten times that
amount.
PRODUCT or THE ISLANDS.
| Tobacco, sugar ana hemp arc the
! chief products of the Philippines. The
! Government does foster these industries
| 50 far as fits ayarice for taxes win per-
! NIT. There are 1900 cigar and chcr01.
makers in and about Manila. Al the
| tobacco plantations and cigar factories
| are run by spanaris. Gen. Weyler's
/ two brothers have the largest factory in
EscOlta-a suburb OF Manila. They came
| over 90 the islands about eight years
/ ago. when their pompous military bro
| Their was GOvernOr-General of the Philip
pines at a salary Of $4,000 q year, and
| they obtained concessions then that
yielded than immense annual returns.
Sugar is largely grown on Negros and
/ SamOs. There arc large Malay towns
on those islands. The English sugar
buyers over there say there IS no cane
SO rich I'm saccharinc properties as that
I'm the Philippines. Notwithstanding the
ridiculously crude methods of cultivatlng
the cane fields and the expensive man
ucr Of crushing the stalks and extract
ing the sugar. the profit I'm the sugar
industry IS incredible. The extreme
richness OF the cane makes this profit.
] know OF several japanese sugar cane
companies on the island OF Samos that
have made as high as 500 for an acre
and quarter every year for long
time. Yankee invention could easily rec
duce the expenses Of q sugar plantation
one-fourth. No people but the japanese
I'm the Philippines have the least idea
Of how to make machinery do the work
OF man. Think Of having sugar cane
crushed by several hundred men with
clubs when simple machinery would ace
compish the same purpose better
cheaper. and a hundred times quicker.
The indigo industry IS run in the same
way as two centuries ago.
NATURES PRODIGALITY.
whenever one goes into the rural re-
gions Of the Philippine Islands one IS
constantly wondering az the cXiraor-
binary prodigalty OF nature. I cannot
tell you the majesty Of the immense
tropical forests Of Negros and Samos.
Thousands Of square miles that have
There are literally millions Of dollars IN
costly woods there, 20 say nothing about
the valuable herbs and barks 10 be had
I'm the same forests. The traveller I'm the
backwoods I'm the Philippines sees in the
great forests ebony. logwood iron wood.
sapan wood. and cedar. between the for
ests and the gardens the fruitng trees.
the orange. mango. tam8rind. guava ana
cocoanut: in the cultivated area sugar
cane rice. hemp. tobacco, coffee, cotton,
bananas. vanilla. cassia. ginger, pepper
indigo, cocoa pincappies wheat and corn
The minerals I'm those regions include
gold. copper, iron coal. quicksilver and
saitpetrc. From the sea there come
mother-of-pearl. coral. tortoise shell and
amber. The animal kingdom keeps pace
with the vegetable and the u,..erai
These are goats. sheep. swine. and tough
such a variety of fauna that the nat
such a variety OF fauna that the ma
uralist finds there a paradise. Strange
20 relate. there are few beats OF prey
worthy OF note The fora Of the coun-
try is as rich as the fauna
A HOT CLIMATE.
'T am wondering en- these days. when /
Uncle sam is about sending troops from
the Pacific coast 20 the Philippines |
what the American boys viii think OF |
the climate over there. with the posi- !
bic exception OF some parts Of interior |
India and Arabia, / doubt If there is any |
hotter climate than that OF Manila. The |
Islands reach within four degrees Of the |
equator. The temperature Is not so very |
lfoh f.rf IN ta