The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-04
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
sp,yIsH CRUELTY THERE AS BAD
AS IN CUBA.

30 BlOOHthtrstS aN~SefF me-
.nirit of InsurrectiOn Irrepressi-
BILE.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
1bs latest mails from Hong Kong bring
,-,.rioence that the insurrection against
snsr5sh government in the Philippine
lands. which was supposed to have been
..nressed. has broken out afresh in the
.,,bern provinces of Luzon, and that
,,.,5v battles are expected. The parallel
~, with cuba is quite curious. The pearl
81 the Antilles and the gem of Malaysia
.,roa spanish colonies in The last half Of
~, sivtsenth century; over both the flag
-, sna;r mas foated ever since. But both
.-.ro ACQUIRED when the Spanish soul was
4u of SAP; when the blood of Spain be-
ma frnpoverished and Spanish fiber de-
.,vad under benumbing influences,the peo-
,,s If both colonies grew FESTIVE, and at
,.r,nts 10 throw Off foreign dominion be-
..r,e c5ronic. The insurrectionary demon
.,ra,i,rs were suppressed, but the suppress
-,on o.l+ so cruel and brutal that it left in
,to 111layan mouth a taste for blood and
revenge.
14s aggregate area of the 1900 odd as
,.-7. constituting the Philippine group is
4 .s,r+ the same as that of California; but
4 d.. nopulation of the islands is said to
amber seven or eight millions The princi-
island. I,uzon, exceeds Cuba in area by
nao miles, and contains over twice the
.,nu,ation. In this population two hundred
& ,o5es. Indigenous and mixed, are said to
). renresented. Such are the negritos, who
rsre the aborgines; about five thousand
4 senish-born, and few hundred English,
N ,me,fcans and Germans; a considerable
B io1v of Spanish mestizos, the offspring OF
n snanish fathers and native mothers; sever
gbundred thousand Chinese and Chinese
rastizos-that is to say, the offspring OF
chinese fathers and native mothers; but
ina GREAT hulk of the inhabitants are Ma
,ovs who conquered the Islands long De
t,ra the Standards landed, and resisted
ssroelv. but Intellectually, the European IN
yasion. They were originally mild, gentle,
kind and hospitable people, but centuries
of cruel oppression have generated among
them warrior class which has learned to
optdo the Spaniards in ferocity. In the re-
banions of 1872 and 1895 they made no secret
Of their purpose to grant no quarter.
They were originally Mahometans, and
the SDanjeh invaders dealt with them as
their co-religonists did with the Moors in
snain. Steadfast adherents TO The Moslem
creed were exterminated, and the work
was so thoroughly done that there is not
a mosque left on any of the islands, and
MIR Foreman says that less that 100000
Malays now adhere to their ancient faith.
When called to account for Intolerance,
q
ing that mild, persuasive, paternal infiu-
ence was effective in counteracting the
savage instincts of the natives. In this
plausible theory the Malays do not con-
cur. In 1872 they denounced this paternal
solicitude of their masters an intolerable
tyranny. In 1895 they went further, and,
finding that they could not shake off the
inquisitorial domination of governing Off
Gals. they planned the humiliation of the
whole white race in the islands
The region is congenial 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
auakes are frequent and they are so ter
rible that mems bones are said to shake.
Sir John Browning said: "They overturn
mountains, they fill up valleys, they DESC
late plans, 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.
AS if volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
did not suffice to keep up popular excite
ment, nature selected the Philippine group
to be a cradle of typhoons. Navigators
sailing the China sea hardly dare lift
their eye from the barometer to talk or
eat or sleep so long as they are in the
latitude of Quyon. In the old days many
a brave galleon on her homeward voyage,
such as the one which Bret Harte de-
scr1bed as slowly drifting athwart the set
ing sun, was crushed 10 atoms in the
whirlwind before she lost sight of Mayon.
Yet the people, quickly as these terrify-
ING phenomena of nature make their
blood course through their veins are
pleasure-loving and lazy. Every village
mas Its band and at the first scrape of the
violin all hands gather in the pizza to
dance. But the orchestra will be deserted
m twinkling if the word goes around
mat their is cooking main. Every town
has its pit. At Manila the audience num-
oers thousands, and the government reven-
ue from the tax on mains amounts to
hundreds of thousands. However poor a
| native of LuZon may be-many of them
i've on $35 a year-he always manages to
Keep a lighting bird; it is recorded that
on the occasion of fires and earthquakes
me head of the household has been seen
fying to a place of refuge with his preci-
Gus bird under his arm, and leaving his
VIE and children to take their chances in
the disaster
The excitable race is prone to plot and
conspiracy In July, 1886, a brotherhood
OF Maiays and Chinese was formed to
overthrow the government Each member
On being sworn made the blood COM
pact From cut iu the arm or leg tie
pood was drawn. and with this blood the
'ame of the member was inscribed on the
ioIl Of the Katipunan. The plot was be-
mayed. The authorities laid hands On the
III sleaders, and before New Years the
PRISONS at Manila contained 4,3U persons,
many of whom afterward met their fate
a. the hands of a firing party.
iui the spirit of rebellion was not quell-
e. petition was signed by five thousand
It ives. Malays and half-breeds. and was
eelressed TO the A1ikado of Japan beg
slS him TO annex the Islands. Japan had
qWted Bormosa, as one of the results
o- 'he Chinese war and from the southern
most cape of Formosa to the northern
most cape Of Luzon the distance is cot
s'eaL Commenting on the petition,
japanese newspaper which was supposed
~ be inspired observed: 1.-THE revolt in