Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-01
WHEELER on THE PHILIPPINES.
The People and the Products Of the
Archipelago.

The People anu INV
Archipelago.
CVov York Tribune. Republican,
NASHVILLE. TENN. October 3o.-The
following letter has been received from
General Joseph Wheeler. i'm the Philip
pines:
Santa Reta. Isle OF LuzOn,
September is. 1893.
Van Loor Kirkman:
My Dear Young COusin.-I have now
seen much OF the country and the people
g.. chat part OF Luzon for about fifty miles
rra of Manila. In every town there is
lgnincont stone church and con-
~. or monastery. The insurgents have
s rsat anupathy to the priesthood. or
,.rs. and they have dismantled many
Of the churches. The value Of the church
and monastery of a town seems TO be
sll.l ln many cases 10 the value of all
g.. other buildings in the town. Ine
more talk 10 the people the more L am
convinced that the insurgents are actu-
ated. in O measure, by a spirit OF COM
mur.-m. and in their talks their most Sc
riou- objection 10 the Church seems to be
tle fact that ecclesiastical organizations
own so much of the property and one OF
Acumaldo's most earnest demands is That
IL. church property be cOnhscated
There is a general impression mat IN
ilsurgeut army IS made up very iafSclE
of people who demand the properly anu
than the people whJ have property desire
the Americans TO control, SO lhal Llty
..au have protection and feel that thelT
property is secured 20 themi Out nNU
that there is also fear or appiehchsloll
among some OF the wealthy that n Amer
lcans control and give UNIVERSAL suliIdsc
The nOWer of the wealthy people Woulu
be taken away and their hold ON properly
.N. fr. .HI q. @
wealthy people should be assured That
ilcy would Doe protected IN their properly
rights bv the United States 10 would nave
a good effect Asne tlldfs ana priests are
charged with all sorts Of expressions ana
mi-demcanOrs, but 10 must be remember
"a that fIiars and priests are very hume
rous. and in so large a b0oy there WIZ D-
found every posslole Phase or chdIa1lcl
lnd disposition. Some OF them are, no
doubt, Oppressors OF the people, eNdcuh5
iu the collection Of rentals from the lana
indu'g ing themselves IN many ways and
leading lives very different from what
should characterize the life of priest.
Iut there are very many good men among
them.
PERCENTAGE OF ILLITERACY.
Tho statement that ] have seen that 20
pr cent. OF the people of Luzon can read
and write is great mistake. II may be
.rle of many, but 10 j. not true Of those
g. the rural districts, and the percentage
a. ilteracy in the other Islands is much
mode of life. and method OF performing
work are to-day very much ike they are
q r.teQ IN the Bible at the time OF ana
even before tine Christian era. The people
Ciess very much as they did two thous-
and wears ago. To-day 1 spent some llne
iu watching natives clearing shucks from
rice, The method Of Smelling ana cleaning
s. primitive, and no better tnan II was
Two thousand years ago.
Nearly everything can be grown. Dul
oranges and bananas are not SO gOOd as
lu other localities, the reason, no uoubl
being that they seem 10 give them no
cultivation whatever. Coilee Is grown
which is said TO be superior to Mocha
Rice IS the principal product, ana la4l-
lre of that crop would cause terrible
4 mine, as the people depend almost en-
Jrely upon II for food. sugar Is me pIln-
tlpM crop for export. The greatest
amount exported IN any one year was
81 6N tons which was in 1893. Corn
Grows very rapidly. and the ears ieaVh
their full growth about sixty days from
the time of planting. There Dis a great
amount of very valuable timber i'm these
islands and many varieties of beautlIul
hardwools under native names, such as
mahogany, black walnut, ana EBONY. HoIu'
roal. iron, sulphur Lead building sloAe'
petroleum. and guanO are found.
There ave many different tribes living in
these islands. the only ones M artlNe re-
Deilon being the Iasalos This tribe oc-
Culies some eeht provinces lu the nelBh-
borlood Of Manila. and their association
with Europeans has made them more
civilized than other tribes.
We are now seven or eight miles from
I0rac where an iusurgent force has been
stationed for some time. but around here
and through this vast valley the people
are actively engaged In planting rice.
have been riding around the outskirts of
ihfs place and the fields are dotted with
men. women. and children planting rice.
am confident that brigade of cav
airy could easily travel through great
rt Of the island
INCREASED COMMERCE..
The suez canal brought the philippines
-....h nearer 20 Europe, and mas greatly
creased their commerce. Inc tApDlt9
.. nan have greatly increased IN IH,-
1893 tons Of hemp were exported, Whlcn
I Increased until there were exported
In i.7 T27S tons and TINS output e".
b.. LARGELY increased. The shipments on
o1foe gradually increased unul 'ne soo5
1.s. when the amount exported IeaCn,u
p 4 tons. and from 1850 20 1870 me sup
ueufs averaged about c~n 'on9 q O.
but from that time they nave laieh Oh
learn the following about Gotten rom
reliable sources. The cotton Tree ls Io~.t~
growing iu au unculuNated sldte ia 49,
Islands of the archfDelagO. Long, sldpl0
cotton ,ras formerly extensively cult
waited in the provinces or llOcos NVitV,
whence many years ago large qua ~
Of good cotton stunts were eAporleu' M
industry sull exists. The cultiNduOh -.
tfIs STAPLE was. however. discouraged py
tre local governors. In order 10 urge the
planting Of tobacco for the government
i.rplcs. Ii has since become di1cult 10
ieilve the cotton production. although an
e4,.v ia pamphlet form 0or which
Irze was awarded In Madrid) was gratui-
t.usv distributed over the colony IN 1879
viii that object IN view. Nevertheless,
cotton spinning and weaving are stu car
ritd ON on Il reduced scale In the llocos
p.l.nces Nuzon).
VIA cotton Is useless FOR spinning. as
DE sfaple rs extremely short, but perhaps
t3 ny1lfidizafion and careful attention It's
culture might become valuable 10 the coll
ory Inc pod IL elipucal, and the cot
ion. which bursts from II at maturity, IS
snoW white. II IS used for stuiiing pill
.ORs and mattresses. II rs common
tune 10 see wild cotton trees planted
along the high road 10 serve as telegraph
I1s by the time the seed Is fully ripe
's0ly loaf has fallen and nothing but the
bursting pods remains hanging TO the
llerchcs.
With regards, sincerely yours
JOSEPH WHEELER.
Whence It's value.
Boston Transcript