The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-16
REVOLUTIONS IN GUAM


If the comic opera writer's do not seize
upon the island of Guam, u S. A., and
appropriate il to purposes Of their own.
1t will be because they are standing in
their own light or do not know a good
thing when they see It. Guam is the most
humorous American thing that has been
evolved by the Spanish war. Its advent
into our glorious "midst" was very droH,
and its actions since 1t has been with US
and of us have been mirth- provoking. And
what makes Guam especially funny is the
fact that it takes itself seriously.
Up to the time Guam was captured by
the Americans 1t was more than any
thing else a maritime fiction Thousands
of ships cleared for the island, but none
ever reached there. Guam occupied in the
nautical world a position similar to that
occupied in the legal world by John Doe
and Richard Roe. When a vessel wished
to clear upon secret mission; when il was
not desirable for business or other rea-
sons that her destination should be known,
she cleared for Guam. in order to COM
ply with the legal requirement that the
port Of destination should be stated in the
clearance papers. And many persons were
firmly of the opinion that Guam existed
nowhere outside of such papers.
However as is generally known now,
Guam lie the chief island and port of the
Ladrones, and was captured by the Char
lesion on her way TO Manila. Guam is a
thousand miles away from everywhere and
gets no news, hence Guam did not know
the United States and Spain were at war
When the Charleston steamed in, hove
to and began shooting at the little fort
which constitutes the defense, the Span
ish Governor thought he was being saluted,
and sent word to Capt. Glass that he was
grateful for the compliment and sincerely
regretted that he could not return 1t, as
he had no powder. Matters were ex-
planned, however, and the United States
took charge of Guam and placed a garri-
son there.
Recent advces are to the effect that
times have been extremely turbulent in
Guam since Its capture by the Charles ton.
There have, indeed, been no less than four
revolutions in the island within two
months; and each of them was eminently
successful, from every point of view. Each
was quickly planned and swiftly executed,
and not a drop of blood was shed at any
time as a consequence of the change of
government and flag. Thus the Guam rev.
olutions should be placed in the category
with the revolution which changed Brazil
from an empire to a republic.
The process of a revolution in Guam is
extremely simple, and the success of the
enterprise requires merely the ability of
the protector to reach the flagstaff first
in the morning, or to sneak down the flag
which happens to be flying and hoist an
other In. it's place, when nobody chances
to be looking This is how il was in the
revolutions just reported Twice the Amer
lean flag was removed from the staff and
the Spanish flag substituted, and as many
times was the Spanish flag pulled down
and the Stars and Stripes run to the top
again. And as the flags went up and
down, 80 did the authority and sovereign
ty of the United States and Spain huctu-
ate, according TO the Guam idea. Thus
the Pooh-Bah who runs things for Uncle
Sam in the island was likely at any time
to go to bed virtual sovereign, and get
up the next morning under the flag of
Spain to find himself In danger of being
shot as an enemy of the king. But in such
case all that he had to do was to change
the flags, and he was all right again. If
the Yankee had been true to the tradi-
tons of his race. he would have nailed
the flag to the mast after the first revo-
luton, and thus secured himself and his
government against further successful
revolutions