The record-union., 1899-10-30

following letter has been received from
General Joe Wheeler in the Philippines:
San Rita, Island of Luzon,
Sept. s, 1899.
Van Lear Kirkmam-My Dear Young
Cousin: l have now seen much or the
country and the people in that part OF
Luzon for about fifteen miles from
Manila. In every town there is
magnificent stone church and con-
vent or monastery. The insurgents
have a great antipathy to the priest
hood or friars and they have disman-
tied many of the churches. The value
of the church or a monastery of town
seems to be equal in many cases TO the
value of all the other buildings in the
town The more 1 talk to the people
the more 1 am convinced that the in
SurgentS are actuated in a measure by
a spirit of communism, and in their
talks their most serious objection to the
church seems to be the fact that eccles-
iastical organizations own so much CT
the property and one of Aguinaldo's
most earnest demands is that the
church property be confiscated.
There is a general impression that
the insurgent army is made up very
largely of people without property and
that people who have property desire
the Americans to control, SO that they
can have protection and feel that their
property is secured to them, but [
find that there is also a fear or appre-
hension among the wealthy that if
Americans control and give universal
suffrage, the power of the wealthy peo-
pie would be taken away and their
hold on property very much impaired.
l think that if the wealthy people
could be assured that they would be
protected in their property rights by
the United States it would have a very
good effect. These friars and priests
are charged with all sorts of oppres-
sions and misdemeanors but it must be
remembered that priests and friars are
very numerous and in so large a body
there would be every possible phase of
character and disposition. Some of
them are, no doubt, oppressors of the
people, exacting in the collection of
rentals from the land, indulge them
selves in many ways and lead lives
very different from what should char
acterize a life of a priest. But there
are very many good men among them.
The statement that 20 per cent. of the
people of LuZon can read and write is
a great mistake. 1t may be true of
many, but it is not true of the rural
districts and the percentatge of illit-
eracy in the other islands is much
greater than in Luzon
The appearance, mode of life and
method of performing work is to-day
ic,
Bible at the time and even before the
CHRISTIAN era The people dress very
much as they did 1000 years ago. To-
DAY L spent some time in watching ma
tives cleaning shucks from rice. The
methods of shelling and cleaning are
primitive and no better than they were
2,UOO years ago. Nearly everything
can be grown, but oranges and ba-
nanas are not so good as in our local
1tles, the reason no doubt being thar
they seem to give them no cultivation
whatever. Coffee is grown which is
said TO be superior to Mocha Rice is
the principal product and a failure Of
that crop would cause a terrible fam
Inc, as the people depend almost en-
tlreiy on 1T for food. Sugar is the
principal crop for export The great
est amount exported in any one year
was 26l,6S1 tons, which was lin 1888.
Corn grows very rapidly and the ears
reach their full growth about sixty days
from the time of planting. There is a
great amount of very valuable timber
In these islands and many varieties of
beautiful hardwoods under native
names, such as mahogany, black wal
nut and ebony. Gold, copper, coal.
iron, sulphur, lead, building stone. pc
troleum and guano are also found.