The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-07-28

said that every grade between canni-
balism and the civilization of the In
dian is found among them" A part
OF the Tagols and Bisayos have re-
ceived some education of such
sort as the church has extended to
them and are hospitable, and, though
long way Of, are c: t.hhe-csca: to god
citizenship. The masses though are
densely ignorant and superstitious
and form an element dangerous to the
government and Improbable in the
development of the resources of the
island.
While we admit progress among the
natives, as a whole, the improvement
since the advent of Spain in 1921 has
been most unsatisfactory. From in
formation at hand the testimony is
clear that the natives were naturally
quite as amenable to the good Offices
of church and State as those of the
Sandwich Islands who eighty years
ago were cannibals aud who to-day
are Christians. We must look then to
the two agencies mentioned above for
an explanation of the condition of the
people of the PHILIPPINES to-day.
And first what of the Spanish gov
ernnent which has from the beginning
made these islands the dumping
ground for impecunious Dons out of
q job. The governor general has a
palace in Manila with salary of
$4,000 year. Then the next places
OF Importance are sub governors at a
comparatively small salary, sometimes
as low $1,000. It is reported that
even the latter sometimes manage to
squeeze $4,000 year out of the i'm
poverished natives by trading. in taxes
and various extortions. The Butcher"
Weyler who held the post of governor
general few years ago is reported to
have made 100000 during his term
of office. From first to last Spain has
devised ways and means to extort the
last dollar possible of the earnings of
this simple people. Indeed, if we
take the methods adopted to milk
these islands as measure of AGILITY,
the parent country has back some
where latent forces for which we have
not given her credit in the conduct of
the war.
Now and again the people have re-
belled against the extortion and op-
preston to which they were subjected.
The moving cause of the present in
surrection which broke out in 1896 was
oppressive taxes, licenses, excuses, fees
and the further exaction of forty days
labor on public works required of
every male inhabitant.
"The church is governed by Metro
politan bishop at Manila, with bishops
for the most popular provinces"
The local ecclesiastical is mostly in
the hands of the various corporations of
the Augustin Dominican and Francis
con monks and friars whose mem bers
are legion" These orders seem to
have almost supreme power over the
people and though they have un-
doubleday been help in lifting part
of the natives from gross ignorance
and superstition the good done has
not been without remnant of evil.
The admitted good done has been
through adventurous means rather
than education and the promotion of
social progress. We, state the case
succinctly when we say that the
Roman Catholic church in the Philli-
pines represents the Mediaevialism of
Spain and has not the progressive
spirit and purpose we lind in the same
church in the United States.
AS to the civil government in the
PHILIPPINES it is 80 interviewer with the
church that it seems that the
latter is the ruling power. The
monks, friars and various
orders rule with an iron hand,
holding the conscience of the people
by fasts and religious professions
which are passion with the people.
Some of the monks have vast landed
estates and have accumulated large
sums of money which presumably re-
present the earnings of their followers.
set out to show that the people
and their religion is the
problem before us if we come
Discovered by a Woman.
Another great discovery has hoor