The times., 1898-05-08

1000.
guess. Hardly any amiable race of peo-
pie. unequal to the task of gaining their
own freedom, would be more Industrious
and thrifty under the oppressive policy
Of taxation that Spain imposes on all her
colonists. Their only strong feeling aside
from their passion for dress, Is hatred
of the Spanish. Next in number, bur
first in Importance, are the Spanish half
Gates, or Mestizos. Many of these are
wealthy and as civilized prosperous
shopkeeping family Of Madrid, with the
same personal vanity and love of gaudy
display. They are a clean. fine-looking
race. always finely dressed. There are
pure Chinese who are merchants aud
rich. and a larger number of half-caste
Chinese who are cordially hated and often
prosecuted by every other class. There
are Mohammedan Malays who live on
their own island. defying Spain, refusing
to pay taxes and maintaining their fun
independence. There are the Moros, a
race of pirates, who formerly preyed on
every other class and on foreign ships.
but who are now confined to single ISL
and and thoroughly intimidated. In the
capital city of Manila are a few English.
Germans French and Americans. mostly
mercantile agents. There are about 600
islands of all sizes. the largest with an
area of about 10000 square miles.
Although the islands are rich in the
! metals and coal and capable of growing
many kinds of vegetable products, the
chief industry continues to be the pro-
duction OF the fiber from which binding
and other twines are made, and sugar.
The exports, chiefly of these amount TO
$40. .0O0 600 year. 1t is said that gold, cop
per and iron exist in paying quantities,
but the Spanish authorities deliberately
obstruct every attempt to apply anything
but the most primitive methods of min
ing. Even agriculture is restricted to the
simplest means, modern implements be
ing as rigidly excluded as mining and mill
ing machinery. Virtually nothing is done
with the magnificent forests of hard tim
Der and gutta percha. although capital is
eager to promote every profitable form of
industry. This policy also involves Oppo-
sition to every attempt to provide FOR the
education of the people. The government
at Madrid, persuaded that a policy that
would enlarge rs revenues would even
tually lead 10 prosperity among the islam
ders and their subsequent independence,
keeps but slight supervision of colonial
administration. The gOvernorgeneral is
autOcratic and nobody interferes with
his exactious for his own gain. ;he
salary of that official Is $4,000 a year.
but Weyler. the Cuban butcher. is said to
have carried back to Spain n personal
fortune of three or four millions OF dol
lars as the result OF three years admin
istration All his many subordinates
have their plunderous perquisites. so that
the class that Is least able to protect it
self, the laboring people, are kept In the
EXTREMIST poverty. The governor general
has a large staff, paid by the people.
Each province has a governor, with
salary that ranges from $500 10 5000 a
year, and there is a large staff in every
case. To make up the revenue for the
Madrid government and TO meet the
demands OF the corrupt officials, every
thing in sight is taxed. and at last the
head Of every man and woman of eighteen
or more. Everything a native does for
mis- own support, even the killing Of his
hogs or the pressing out of cocoanut
juice. requires q license for which fee
must be paid. His hut, his groGnd, his
cocoanut tree, his domestic animals are
all taxed. According to his class, he
must pay head tax or a tax for a per-
sonaI certificate or pass. which is never
less than Sl.50 year and may be as much
as SO. The person whose head tax Is less
than IS must work fifteen days for the
government or pay an exemption fee of
$750. Small as these sums may seem they
are large when compared with the earn
ings of the laborers.
Owing to the Spanish policy, there IS
always more demand for work than there
is work to be done. When a laboer does
get work, his pay ranges from cents
to 80 cents u day. The head tax Is
equivalent to never less than the pay
for twenty days work a years There is
no such oppressive system of taxation
anywhere else in the civilized world and
II is not surprising that the most numer-
IL. Tt-fr
out ambition.
For all these exactions there is no re-
turn. 1t is not even pretended that there
is a quid pro quo Not only are the peo-
pie denied the benefit of the develop
ment of the natural resources of the ISL
ands, but not dollar of the tax money
is spent at home. There are no roads and
no bridges. There are no schools, except
in the city, and there the instruction is
exclusively Spanish and by priests. The
church is not less exacting than the secu-
lar officials The taxpayer does not get
justice in the courts unless he is able TO
pay for it. 1t is matter of high bid
ding He is not allowed to own weap-
on. or possess powder. When he rebels.
as he sometimes does. he makes his own
guns and powder, and uses coal and old
nails for bullets.
The capital city, Manila. has about the
same number of inhabitants as Washing
ton As the Spanish officials and the
wealthy Spanish merchants and produc-
ers of fiber and sugar are fond of display
and gaiety. the city has many fine public
buildings and elegant residences, paved
streets, street railways, cathedrals, a
fashionable drive and parks, military
bands. a bull ring, costly carriages and
horses, apd all that is characteristic of
the capital of a European monarchy.
Yet so i'll are the provisions against fire
that there are frequent destructive con-
hagrations. In February last n fire in the
business center destroyed property valued
at more than $4,000, 600 1t has been noted
that in case of fire the chief loss is not in
what has been burned but in what is
stolen. The police who are placed as
guards over the property carried from the
stores, are bribed TO close their eyes
while pIunderers carry away whatever is
valuable
In the Philippine Islands. which are
four times the size of Cuba, Spain rules |
four times the population of Cuba. but
solely and openly for her own selfish ends. |
She is resolved TO make an example of |
the present insurgents. though her saw
age policy shocks the civilized world 1t
is simply a large case of Cuba, but be-
ing remote from any sympathetic great
the Philippine patriots have not
the Cuban's hope of success. They can
only make protest against tyranny in
death.
cIT1en nv SERU AMT GIpT