The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1899-10-07


for the natives, the American price being
about three times as much as the native.
Under Spanish rule, could live in Manila
in fine style, with horses, carriages, servants,
etc, for about $50 (goldD a month, but since
the advent of the Americans prices have
gone up over $50 per cent. The Hotel de
Orente, the s'swel'' hotel of Manila, and
which would rank as a third rate affair in
the States, charges - (gold) day.
y day or two after our arrival, / was sent
to- Manila official business, and had the
doubtful pleasure of spending the night in
''Filipino Sleeping Machine''-I mean
Filipino bed. This parody n bed is
four post affair, with tester, chair bottom,
cane for springs, piece of straw mating
for a mattress, and a mosquito bar suspended
from the corners of the tester and tucked
under the mating.
Mexican silver is used almost exclusively in
Manila, one dollar ''Mex'' being worth
fifty cents American. So, if purchases
an article worth fifty cents C'Mex'' is al
ways understood), and hands the dealer an
American silver dollar, he will receive in
change $3.50.
The sCentavo," Il very dark copper coin
the size of quarter, and called by some
'rhe copper slug" is worth one-half cent,
American. They are convenient ''tps''
to the natives and Chinese.
The annoyance of going around with
ones pockets full Of ''coin'' and having but
little ''money," is undoubtedly good,
practical argument i'll favor of the gold
standard, and has made every one here
''gold bugs Anyone who is anyone in
Manila rides. Cab fares about the
only thing that has not gone up two hun
drcd per cent since American occupation.
The streets are crowded with .'carrorna-
,os.' .'quilezes,' and 'calezes in plain
English, "bone- shakers ''-two-wheel con-
feet high.
One may ride from one end of Manila to
the other for ten cents (gold.) The regula
ton tariff is twenty cents (goid) for the first
hour and fifteen cents tor each subsequent
hour.
On account of the generosity and liberal
ity of our soldiers, the merchants and the
natives think we '.easy,'' and all manner
of ways are resorted to order to get the
American dollar.
The average American is looked upon
a walking klondike.
Manila is rapidly becoming Amercanized
in respects more than one, and many the
American signs that now greet the eye. In
deed, Spaniards, Germans and Filipinos who
can hardly speak English, hang out ''shln-
giles AS ''American Photographer
s'American Dentist etc.
Our beer people have shown more energy
and enterprise than any other class, and if
allowed to, would, think, sell beer the
firing line.
Although beer was practically unknown
before the Americans came, beer signs are
now to be everywhere-on the corner,
''Milwaukee Beer is famous because Pabst
made it so;'' in the middle of the block,
.sDrink Schlitz beer and avoid dysentery;'
on the other corner, 1.-The Worlds Favorite
-Anheuser-Bu sch.''
In some respects our new sub
jects'' are taking very well to American
ways. a Filipino walking along the street
whistling 'sTa-ra-ra- boom de-ay,' China
man humming "a hot time in the old town
to- night.'' indeed, practical signs of
.'benevoent assmilation.'
Under Spanish rule all natives were made
to doff the: hats to Spanish officers and
privates. Some of the natives still keep up
the custom regarding American army officers,
but the Americans do not encourage them,
and the custom is fast dying away.
LIBEL ON rR.>NsPoETATInN.
Every company is furnished with one
..bull team clumsy, two-whecl cart
drawn by water buffalo.
The buffalo (buln is usually lead by means
of ring in its nose. and can pull about 600
pounds under favorable conditions covering
mile and a half per hour.
It is absolutely necessary that the ''bulls''
be bathed just SO often, and it is 4 common
thing to see n Cnlnaman (all the drivers are
Chramen) unharness his .sbull'' and delay
half an hour while the animal is
wallowing in mud-pool by the way side.
TIE CHINOS.
Every company is also furnished with six
..Chinos,'' {Chinamen) who, by of
poles, carry the absolutely necessary cooking
utensils, extra coffee, sugar, ETC., whenever
the command is ordered out for only few
days.
In addition to wearing around their neCks
circular metal tags bearing numbers, the
Chinos also wear a tag on which is marked
the company and regiment to which they be
long. The orders on this subject say, ''and
no organization shall impress coclie wear
ing the tag of another command (new patti
diers walking along the road, guarding a