Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-30

the Tonquin war, when q contingent of
Philippine troops rendered valuable service
to the French.
The region, is ca-genial for the develop
ment of passion. The whole Philippine
group is of volcanic origin; one of the
greatest active volcanoes in the world,
Mayor, is within sight of Manila Earth
quakes are frequent, and they are so terri
BILE that mems bones are said to shake
Sir John Browning said, "They ovcrturn
mountains, they fill up valleys, they desc
late plains, they open passages from the
sea into the interior, and from the lakes
into the sea-" The earthquakes of Japan
are gentle tremors in comparison.
sif volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
did not suffice to keep up popular excite
ment, nature selected the Philippine group
to be cradle of typhoons. Navigators
sailing the China sea hardly dare lift their
eye from the barometer TO talk or eat or
sleep so long rs they are in the latitude of
Quyon- In the old days many brave
gallcon on her homeward voyage, such
as the one which Bret Hartc described rs
slowly drifting athwart the setting sun,
was crushed to atoms in the whirlwind
before she lost sight of Mayor
The cxcitablc race is prone to plot and
conspiracy. In July, 1896, n brotherhood
of Malays and Chinese was formed to over
throw the government. Each member on
being sworn made the blood compact. +"
From 4 cut in the arm or leg the blood
was drawn, and with this blood the name
Of the member was inscribed on the roll of
fhe katipunan. The plot was betrayed.
'hsa h., I,;. Il Il.
leaders, and before New Years the prisons
mt Manila contained 4.377 persons, many
of whom aftcrward met their fate at the
hands of a firing party.
But the spirit of rebellion was not
quelled. A petition was signed by 5000
natives. Malays and half breeds, and was
addressed to the mikado of Japan, begging
him to annex the islands. Japan had ac-
CURED Formosa as one of the results of the
Chinese war, and from the southernmost
cape of ForInosa to the northcrnmost cane
of Luzon the distance is not great Com
menting on the petition a japanese news
paper which was supposed to he inspired
observed: Tho revolt in Manila is really
consequence to some extent of the rising
power of Japan in Pacific waters. Having
acquired Formosa and become ambitious
of a territorial and commercial empire, the
eyes of the japanese have lately been di-
rccted toward the next islands on the
south. The weakness of Spain is regarded
as the opportunity of Japan"
1t is remembered by some who met Gen
cral Grant on his return from Asia that
that farsccing statesman predicted the ac-
QUESTION by Japan Of all the islands lying
off the Chinese coast
When the mikado was studying the
Philippine petition, the rebellion broke
out more fierccly than ever in Luzon,
though force of 10000 Spanish regulars
had been imported to suppress it. Battles
were fought at scores of places and shock
ing massacrcs cnsucd. Both sides were
imbucd with ficndish fcrocity.
Whenever an instruction breaks out
the captain general calls for volunteers to
assist the regular trca,s. A prompt re-
Spouse generally comes from the natives
Of all races and colors, but on a recent oc-
casion when the new recruits were exam
incd by surgeon it was found that most
of them bore on their arms or legs scars
of the blood compact" which showed
that they were secret members of the kati-
human