The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-10-03

OF government which the
has he derived from the Span
lard, and many Of them say hat when
the Filipino is given the least authori-
ty he is more arrogant, more exacting,
and more cruel than his Spanish teach
er.
Some Unbiased Testimony
CANNOT resist the temptation to
! quote briefly from a Mr.. Andre, who
had spent fourteen years at Manila,
as the representative Of the Belgian
government. He says: eff the United
States does not take these islands I'M
der their protection. the ountrv will be
utterly ruined and all the foreign mer-
chants will leave the islands,"
He further says: Even those who
occupy the very highest posts in the
Philippines only attend to their own
fortune and hardly pay attention to
public affairs. AS they give the exam
pie Of the most corrupt administration,
they r unable to prevent their sub
ordinates to do the same. Justice is
likewise mismanaged, and when the
accused does not brfbe the Judges they
will leave them in Jail for years with
out paying h slightest attention to
these u~nfortunates and some Of these
prisoners have been in Jail for more
than ten years"
Speaking Of laborers, he says: IF
they do not work fast enough, they
treat them exactly as slaves were treat
ed in South America The most COM
men punishment is to lash their backs
with a thin bamboo: twenty-five lashes
is the most ordinary punishment. /
saw some receive one hundred lashes
in Negroes islnnd."
After giving some severe instances,
he says: "Since then I always stop
this treatment when I happen to know
it and more than nee had row about
it with the Spanish governor Of the
province. He told me that he would
put me in prison if 1 interfered with
the Philippines is to engage men ane
to pay for them their personal debts
This is the beginning of a debt thai
will make a slave of a man. AT the
slightest fault, the man is fined IN
his debt grows. Whenever he need:
money to baptize a baby, or bury {
parent, the planter pays the fees direc
to the curate, and always adds to thu
small sun advanced two or three dol
lars m the interest. At the end o
the year he owes his master fifty or six
ty dollars, and as long as he does no
pay his debt he is considered as
slave, n if he runs away ne will b.
arrested n returned to his nastel
and awfully lashed."
1.-The United States can assure
steady government in these islands, ant
in their hands b country will in
crease in wealth, and will in a shor
time be able to return to the Unite
be certainly much cheaper and NOR
humane to AXE the entire Philippine
than to keep only part of it and to ru
he risk of a second wal with Spai,
for the very same reason that provok
ed the present conflict. 1t is h dut
of the United States to do so and t
protect the entire country. Everybod
in h Philippines begs them for pre-
lection; even the Spanish merchants
Now, it is to be hoped that the Unite
States will not deceive those who anXi
ously await the result of the meetin
in Paris. The Indians do not desir
independence. They know that the
are not strong enough. They trust tn
United States and they know that the
will be treated rightly. The preseI
rebellion only represents a half pc
sent Of the Inhabitants. n it woul
not be right to oblige 5000, 900 inhab
tants to submit to $4,000 rebels. Luzc
is only partially held by them. and
it is not to be expected that a civilize
nation will make them a present
the rest of the island. which is hosti
to the Tagals of Luzon.'
Why I reaty Was Ratified
MANY suggested that the Filipino