The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-04-28
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Something About the Islands Which
Nav Soon Be Uncle Sans.

Even Cuba, with all it's abomipations,
scarcely affords so remarkable a pic
ture of Spanish oppression, mlscalled
government, as may be seen IN the
Philippines. 1t is only the remoteness
and Isolation of these unhappy islands
that has prevented the atrocities there
perpetrated from arouSing the lndlgna-
ton of the whole world. The purpose
of this article, however, is not TO de-
tail the shocking barbarities practlced
in times of disorder; facts OF this sort
are already only too familiar. L wish
rather to show the utter incapacity OF
the Spanish for the exercise of civilized
government over a dependent province
even in times of So-called peace; ana
this has a much more vital connection
with the ultimate Cuban problem than
their conduct when incensed by revolt
The Philippines are extremely inter-
eSting in themselves, but are seldom
visited by tourists, partly in conse-
Quence of their lying out of the ordinary
lines of travel, and partly because OF
the policy of Chinese seclusion Guilt
waited by the government The climate,
too is unhealthy even beyond what is
usual in the tropics, and the unsettled
state of the country, swarming with ex-
aSperated SavageS and bandits of the
worst description, makes excursions be-
yond the limits of the principal cities
very perilous. About six hundred is
lands are included in the group, and the
total area is conSidera ble,-Some $50, 600
square miles, three or four times that of
Cuba. Exact data, however, are diff
cult to obtain. There are a multitude
of insignificant iSletS hardly known eX-
cept upon the charts of navigators; but
Luzon almost equals Cuba in extent,
and its chief city, Manila, has popu-
lation estimated at 300, 000,-greater
than that of Havana. Altogether the
islands probably contain not less than
100000 souls; so that Spanish cruelty
finds plenty of raw material to work
upon.
And most of it is raw to the last de-
gree,-a medley of deverse and hostile
races, ranging from the puny and dy-
ing remnant of the Negritos, who live
like wild beasts in the highlands, sub
siSting upon roots which they claw out
of the ground, to the fierce and unSub
dued Mohammedan tribes that still
keep up the bloody war of creedS which
ragged in Spain itself for so many CEN
turtles. These latter are chiefly of Ma
lay origin, and many of them are pro-
fessiOna1 head hunters, while qualified
to retOrt Spanish Outrages in kind.
There are also Chinese in large num-
bers, and half-castes of all varieties.
The population of Europeans is small,
even in the cities. The resident Span
iardS are all soldiers or officials of some
Sort and are there simply for what they
can make by extortion and corrupt
practices.
But, indeed, pillage of the wretched
natives is the almost open aim of the
government,-the sole end from which it
is organized and maintained; SO why
should petty officials be ScrupulOus. 1t
nounced by Cicero two thousand years
ago, but in Spain unfOrgOtten and I'M
improved. What other use has she for
dependencies, except as a source of
misery of slaves, and incidentally as
fattening ground for her savage war
dogs? Here the detestab1e Weyler is
said to have accumulated a fortune of
several millions of dollars in three
years-more than twenty times the
whole amount of his Sa1aryi
A1,Ter T1r-r
lied system of robbery are mediaevial in
character, but often highly ingenious.
One of them is the 'credula personal
sort of passport. Every person in the
islands, over Is years of age and ac
cessibIe to the authorities, is required
to take out one of these documents;
even the woman are not exempt The
cedula must be renewed annually, and
the cost is from a dollar and a half to
$25 according to circumstances
chief circumstance being the victim
ability to pay. This in a country where
wages sometimes fall as low as five
cents a day! And any one who holds
a cedula costing less than three dollars
is further required to render the gov
eminent Is days of unremunerated Ia
Dor.
But the cedula is only one device out
of many for extracting gold from the
refractory ore of poverty. hungry
native cannot kill his own hog or buff
falo for meat without a special permit
which, of course, must be paid for.
He is not allowed to press out pint of
cocOanut oil from the fruit of his own
orchard until he has obtained a license,
and this also has its price. The or
chard itself is taxed; everything is tax
ed in the Philippines.
The resident Chinese are further sub
jected to a special tax-whether for ex-
listing or for not being something else
is not stated. They are not popular,
and are treated with the most shame
less injustice. This the following Incl
dent will illustrate.
Fires are very frequent in Manila and
very destructive, most of the houses
being of wood, while the poorer dis
trictS are a mere tumble of bamboo
huts, thousands of which are sometimes
consumed in a day without exciting
much comment. A fire in the business
portion, however, arOuses more inter
est; it affords opportunities that are
not to be neglected. On one such occa-
sion, where the scene of confagration
was quarter chiefly occupied by Chi
nese shops, the street was soon throng-
ed with an eager mob. The poor Chi
namen, acting much like crazed cattle,
had fled into their upper chambers and
locked the doors, apparently preferring
death by fire to the treatment they
were likely to receive outside. But
there was no escape. The ''rescuers''
Spanish soldiers-quickly broke in
with axes, and after emptying the mon
ey boxes hurled the wretched MOngol-
ianS and all their goods into the street
to be dealt with at discretion. 1t was
a mere pfeleXI LOT ToDDery ana out
rage, as many of the shops were re-
mote from the fire and in no danger
The next morning the middle ,of the
street was piled high with soiled and
broken goods; and any one who cared
to bride the sentries was allowed to
carry off as much as he pleased. All
day long the carts went to and fro,
openly conveying away the plumber
The owners were not in evidence; what
had become of them is not recorded.
Such is the fire department. in Ma
lima.
Taxes are imposed for Improve
ments,'' but no improvements are per-
mitted even when backed by foreign
panita1 10 roads n irora % IlIo