The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-16
PLACE TO MAKE A STAKE
A Chance for Hustlers in the
Philippines.
COUNTRY IS VERY RICH
Plenty of the Real Stuff in the Mountains
in the Interior - Great Changes
Ma1e-Manila Taking on an
Occidental Aspect.

L Great Falls, Feb. 15.--Joseph Isaacs
was one of the boys who left with com
pany A for the Philippines. James
McCabe, time keeper at the silver smell
ter has received the following letter
from him. dated prior to the recent en-
gagements:
"At present the country is changing
at rapid rate, and I can see many
changes in the last few months, since
we landed. Before the Americans came
here it was quiet and had been for years
past. There was no. money changing
hands as in the states, and the few
| Spaniards living here were of the
Wealthiest class. They had their fine
dwellings and lived in luxury, but knew
| nothing of the outside world. see no
way in which they could have had any
| enjoyment except in riding in their car
riages. They have the finest carriages
| here / have ever seen, but there are
| no places where the people can congre-
| gate for amusement 1t seems as if al,
they thought about was their money
| and their dlurch. They have the finest
churches here that / ever saw.
"As far as having to live here is con-
cerned, l would want the time limited,
and prefer Montana to the sunny isles
of the Pacific. / believe, though, that
for the next few years, this will be
a grand place for a rustling man to
| make stake in. There Will be all
kinds of money invested here if the
American government holds the ISLANDS,
| and if I can get my discharge here 1
| may remain for few years. The coun-
try is very rich as far as producing is
concerned, and many a nice farm could
be made out of what now appears to
be a lonely wilderness. How an Amer
lean would thrive at farming here is
something I am not able to say. AT
present there are numerous fields of
rice, sugar cane and such products, but
they are nothing compared with the
| unexplored interior. believe if should
be lucky enough to get possession of
| a piece of land, l would let some one
else do the farming. I have an idea
there are few pesos worth of the val
liable metal in the mountains if a per-
son could only get a chance to try his
luck. / don't think the white people
| have explored much of the interior and
l have the word of few natives that
there is plenty stuff there, but they
don't understand what it is or how to
work it. The Spanish would never al
~" any experienced person prospect
the country. About all one would have
to fear would be the wild animals and
tlle natives, the savage inhabitants liv-
ing here being worse than our Indians.
If l remain here after l get out of the
service, it will only be for the purpose
of making a stake.
| III would not advise a man with
family of small children to attempt to
make this country his future home, es-
hal ~ at
mate. 1t is true this is a land where
you don't have to shovel snow, but
there are great many obstacles in
| the way; for instance. a person COM
ing here from a cold climate is subject
| to all the southern fevers that are so
! numerous. 1t appears to me that about
| half of the time here is spent in keep
ing out of the rain, but the sunshine
| part of the season is very beautiful,
and the rainy days are not of the worst
kind. 1t is a warm rain, and if one
| takes care of himself and changes his
clothes at nights, he has a chance to
| get along o. K. In ALL the climate here
| Is as fine as in any part of the globe.
The sickness Is due to a low, swampy
| country. The land is so low and level
| that the water has no chance to drain
off and has to be evaporated by the
sun. l think the rough country would
be much healthier than any part I have
| had the good luck to explore. Nearly
all the fruit we get is from the wild
part of the territory, but these people
here don't seem to be ambitious enough
to cultivate it. The farming is done
by natives and the farms are owned
| by Spaniards and English.
THE insurgents are mobilizing and
| are up in arms; they control all the
| territory outside of Cavite and Manila,
but the time will soon come when they
will have to toe the mark. Whether
| they will remain by themselves or come
to us without trouble, remains to be
seen. There are many thousands of
them close to Manila. The insurgents
are not pleased with the way the Amer
lean government came into possession
of the islands, and claim they have been
sold, the same as cattle, and they are
liable to create trouble at any time
Give all the old smelter people nv
best wishes; also my Great Falls
frtn nlr l.