The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-10
WANT ABUSES CORRECTED.
British Merchants Hope the United
States Will Keep the Philippines.


States Will Keep the Philippines.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.
LONDON, June Whatever may be the
policy OF the United States towards the
Philippine islands. the English capitalists
whose investments there give them the right
TO speak with authority on the conditions
and needs of the colony are of one mind.
Delegations of London men representing
some of the most important interests in the
Philippines have>called on Ambassador Hay
to urge him to make representations to his
government of their desire that the United
States retain permanent possession of the
Philippine islands They are agreed with
the belief that with the guarantee of sta
BILE government the Philippines would be-
come richer and even more desirable pos
session than Cuba. They agree also on the
statement that Spanish rule is one which
discourages business enterprises and repels
capital, and that the legitimate profits of
their business are mostly absorbed by direct
and indirect brides to Spanish officials
Without liberal investments to secure the
favor of the ruling class, these gentlemen
tell TIE ambassador that no business opera
tons can be conducted under the regime of
Spain The position of the Philippine capt.
talists is one which prevents them from
making a public declaration of their views.
Should the islands remain under Spanish
sovereignty that government might make
conditions burdensome for business men
who were on record as desiring a change
and who had made revelations about Span
ish misrule. They can make known their
desires only through secret diplomatic cham
nels. as they have done.
The president of an important Philippine
company having its principal Office in Lon
don. who presented a statement to the am
bassador. discussed the question with a rep
resentative of the Associated Press. but only
on condition that his name be withheld. He
gave the usual recital Of extortion by the
officials who go from Spain to those Islands,
as they go to Cuba, with the sole purpose
OF acquiring as much money as possible in
the shortest time. He ridiculed the sugges-
tion that the Philippine insurgents could be
Induced by the Spaniards to form an alli-
aTlce against the United States. The ma
ives, he declared, would welcome any pow
er which would relieve them from the domi-
nation of Spain. He did not, however seem
to place much confidence in the good faith
OF the revolutionists. and incidentally, re-
than one native insurrection had been in
spired and promoted by Spanish officials for
the increased revenues which would come
70 them through the importation of troops
into theNislands TO suppress the rebellion.
Under proper treatment the islanders, al
though consisting of several different races
difficulties the United States would encoun-
ter in managing the islands would come
from the religious orders, which had. been
accustomed TO squeeze the natives and had
accumulated muca valuable property The
present insurrection was as much upris-
ing against the church as against the gov
eminent, and was conducted by secret so
ciety which had oeen organized to oppose
the priests, a sort of Freemasonry, which
had spread Throughout the Islands, AS an
instance of Spanish colonial government he
said there was but one road outside Of Ma
MIA in the island. The entire absence of
public works of all sorts was great check
10 business enterprises Careful investiga-
tions by the most efficient engineers had
proven that the gold deposits of the Philip
pines were among the richest in the world
and. under conditions favorable to the de-
Velopment, he was sure that the islands
would surpass Australia and South Africa
as a gold country. In conclusion this gem
tleman said the American government need
not be deferred by fear of the climate from
invading the Philippines with unseasoned
troops. During a residence of ten years he
had known of but one epidemic of disease
and that was not of a serious nature.