The Saint Paul globe., 1898-05-08

Iaxed with Nothing In
Return.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
The latest mails from Hong Kong
bring intelligence that the insurrection
against the Spanish government in the
fhlilppine Islands, which was supposed
10 nave peen suppressed, has broken
out afresh in the northern provinces
OF Luzon, and that bloody battles are
expected. The parallelism with Cuba
IS quite curious. The pearl of the An
tllleS ana the gem of Malaysia became
spanish colonies in the last half of the
sixteenth century; over both the flag
or Spain has f1oated ever since. But
poth were acquired when the Spanish
soul was full of sap; when the blood
of Spain became impoverished and
Spanish fiber decayed under benumbing
lnHuences, the people Of both colonies
grew restve, and attempts to throw
OH foreign dominion became chronic.
The 1nsurrectionary demonstrations
were suppressed, but the suppression
was so cruel and brutal that it left in
the --Malayan mouth a taste for blood
and revenge. 81.
The aggregate area of the 1900 odd
Islands constituting the Philippine
group Is about the same as that of
Callfornla;- but the population of the
islands is said to number 100000 or
SeO0,OO0. The principal island, Luzon,
exceeds Cuba in area by $4,000 miles,
and contains over twice the popula-
ton. In this population 200 tribes, in
digenous and mixed, are said to be
represented. Such are the Negritos,
who were the aborigines; about 5000
Spanish-born, and few hundred Eng
lish, Americans and Germans; a con-
siderable body of Spanish mestiZos
the offspring of Spanish fathers and
native mothers; several hundred thou
SAND Chinese and Chinese mestizos-
that is to say, the offspring of Chinese
fathers and native mothers; but the
great bulk of the inhabitants are Ma
lays, who conquered the islands long
before the Spaniards landed, and re-
sisted flercely, but ineffectually, the
european invasion. They wege orig
Inally mild, gentle, kind and hospita-
bic people, but centuries Of cruel op-
preston have generated among them
a warrior class which has, learned to
outdo the Spaniards in ferocity. In
the rebellions of 1872 and 1895 they
made no secret of their purpose to
grant no quarter.
Ihey were originally Mahometans,
and the Spanish invadersGdealt with
them as their co-religionists did with
the Moors in Spain. Steadfast adher-
ents to the Moslem creed were exter-
minated, and the work was so thor
oughly done that there is not. mosque
left on any of the islands, and Mr..
Foreman says that less than 500, 600
Malays now adhere to their ancient
faith. When called to account for in
tolerance, Senior Canovas justified
himself by alleging that mild, persua-
sive, paternal influence was effective
in counteracting the savage instincts
of the natives. In this plausible theory
the Malays do not concur. In 1872 they
went further, and, finding that they.
could not shake off the 1nuuisitorial
dominion of governing officials, they
planned the annihilation of the whole
white race in the islands,,
EarthquaalSees,s Volcanoes, Typhoons.
The region is congenia4 for the de-
velopment of passion. The whole Phil
ippine group is of volcanic origin; one
of the greatest active volcanoes in the
world, Mayor, is within sight of Ma
Mia. Earthquakes are frequent, and
they are so terrible that mems bones
are said to shake. Sir John Browning
SAID: "Ihey overturn mountains, they
fill up valleys, they desolate 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.
AS if volcanic eruptions and earth
quakes did not suffice to keep up popu-
lar excitement, nature selected the
Philippine group to be cradle Of ty-
phoons. Navigators sailing the China
sea hardly dare lift their, eye from the
barometer to talk OF eat or. sleep so
long as they are in the latitude of GU
yon. In the old days many a brave
galleon on her homeward voyage, such
as the one which Bret Harte described
as slowly drifting athwart the setting
sun, was crushed to atoms inJthe whirl-
wind before she lost sight of Mayor.
Yet the people, quickly as these ter
r!fying phenomena Of nature make
their blood course through their veins,
are pleasure-loving and lazy Every
village has it's band, and at the first
scrape of the violin all hands, gather
in the plaza to dance. But the or
chestra will be deserted in0aj twinkling
a cooking main. Every town has it's
pit. AT Manila the audience numbers
thousands, and the government reve-
nue. from the tax on mains amounts
to hundreds of thousands. However
poor a native of Luzon may be-many
of them live on $35 a year-he always
manages to keep a fighting bird; it is
recorded that on the occasion of fires
and earthquakes the head of the house
hold has been seen flying to a place of
refuge with his precious bird under his
arm, and leaving his wife and children
to take their chances in the disaster.
The excitable race is prone to plot
and conspiracy. In July, 1896, a broth
erhood of Malays and Chinese was
formed to overthrow the government.
Each member on being sworn made the
IL -
arm or leg the blood was drawn, and
with this blood. the name of the mem
Der was inscribed on the roll of the
Katipunan. The plot was betrayed
The authorities laid hands on the ring
leaders, and before New Years the
prisons at Manila contained 4,377 per-
sons, many of whom afterward 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 ISL
ands. japan had acquired Formosa,
as one of the results of the Chinese
war, and from the southernmost' cape
of Formosa to the northernmost cape
of LuZon the distance is not great.
Commenting on the petition, Japan
csc newspaper which was supposed to
be inspired observed: THE Revolt in
Manila is really consequenee.to some
extent of the rising power of Japan in
Pacific waters. Having acquired For
mosa and become ambitions ofoa terri
torial and commercial empire, the eyes
of the japanese l.Gye lately l9een di-
rected toward the next is}andsl on the
south. The weakness of Spain is re-
garded as the opportunity of Japan
1t is remembered by some who met
Gen. Grant on his return from Asia
that that far-seeing statesman p edict-
ed the acquisition by Japan eff all the
islands lying off the Chinese coast.
When the Mikado was STUDYING the