Evening star., 1899-10-14
uelty and Injustice Praoticed in
the Philippines
iGUINALDO'O RECENT UfFERANCB
ReaI Reason Why the Natives Are
Afraid to Trust Us.
RESULT OF IGN NORAN CE

: do not know when I have read anything
more amusing If intended as sadre, or
more absurd. If offered as fact than the
published report of Aguinaldos speech at
Tarlac. during the recent celebration Of the
anniversary Of the proclamation of Philip
pine independence. I shall quote in evil
dence the opening passages Of this remark
able Grafton:
Filipino. beloved daughter of the ardent
sun of the tropics. commended by Provi-
dence to the care of noble Spain, be not
ungrateful to her salute who warmed you
with the breath of her own culture and
civiIiza tion. 1t is true she sought to crush
thy aspirations for independence, as q low
ing mother opposes separation forever from
the daughter of her bosom This but
proves the excess of affection and love
which Spain feels for thee"
This, l think, will suffice. There is moth
ing more easv than for false pathos to de-
scend into bathos. and Aguinaldo seems to
have made this descent If he has such an
exalted love for noble Spain he might
show il. one would imagine. better by re-
leasing her SONS than by induging in such
masterpieces Of euIOSy. But prisoners are
worth something. words are cheap; ne
would rather repay his loving mother
with aphorisms than with men
Protests Too Much.
In truth though Aguinaldo has of late
shown more than one evidence of a lack OF
sterling honesty. did not think him capa-
bic Of such a transparent piece of fiction as
this He has had too much experience of
the character of Spains affection for the
daughter Of her bosom not to have been
laughing in his sleeve at the dupes whom
he sought to deceive by such an empty
form Of language. In the words of Shakes
peare. the gentleman doth protest too
much methinks,' and with the readers
permission l propose to say something
about what Agutnaldo is thoroughly ia
mfIiar with. the peculiar methods with
which Spain has demonstrated her love
for her island daughter.
In truth 1t is impossible for me to think
Of the brutalities Of the Spaniards their
cold and heartless cruelty. without a senti-
nient Of the deepest Indignation, an alb
horrence Of a people who pose as civilized
vet act like ruthless savages- The atrocities
OF the Hindus during the revolt in India
have nothing TO show surprising that OF
the Black Hole of Manila, which should
stand side by side in history with the ceIe-
brated Black Hole Of Calcutta In october,
1s,H; some 600 prisoners arrested on sus-
picfon Of belonging TO the Kaupunan So
ciety the Philippine band of patriots. were
brought 10 Manila, and, as the ordinary
prisons were overcrowded, were thrust INTO
the dungeons of Fort Santiago,at the mouth
of the Pasig river.
Incredible Cruelty.
1t was a frfghtful place in which to put
human beings. These dungeons lie below
high-water mark. and the water of the
river oozed through the cracks in the old
masonry in such quantities that twice
day. at high tide it rose in the cells to the
waists of the helpless inmates. This was
bad enough in all conscience, but it was
not the worst. A dreadful tragedy follow
ed. A single light and ventilating shaft did
duty for the dungeons, with their hundreds
OF inmates, and over this the Spanish SEN
try on duty threw his rug, cutting of the
supply Of air. Suffocated, drowned, the
suspects-for none Of them were convicted
died like sheep. Dead bodies were seen TO
be carted away from the prison to the num-
Der Of seventy. How many came alive out
OF that fatal hole it is impossible To say.
Spain had the grace to conceal the full re
suit Of her dealings with those misguided
children, whose aspira tions she seek
ing TO overcome with mOtherly love-in
Aguinaldo's opinion.
Suspects continued to be brought to Ma
Mia in multitudeS. many Of them men of
wealth. the heads of the best families of
provincial towns These were bound help
lessly hand and foot and loaded Ike freight
into the seething1y hot holds of the vessels
which bore them When brought to the
wharf a Manila their bonds were not loos-
sned hut they were hauled from the hold
with chains and hooks, each like a bale of
merchandise. and carted off in this way to
prison. How they were treated there the
story Of the Black Hole VIII serve as one
example. Those who did not die in their
cells were. many of them, subjected to tor
ture as part of the Spanish judicial meth
tiyes were treated with ferocity shocking
10 think OF. while the rich were subjected to
the viIest system of extortion. by which the
Judges and officials managed TO enrich
themselves. Some are said to have paid as
much as $4,000 for their release, and were
not then free from danger of rearTest If
still rich enough TO excite the cupdity of
their judges
Cannot Plead Ignorance.
It may be asserted that these excesses of
cruelty and rapacity were the work of indi-
viduals. performed in secret. and that the
government OF Spain was in no sense re-
sponsible for them. Such assertion
might be satisfactory if they had been con-
fined to a few examples. But they
tinued for years, alike IN Cuba and in the
Philippines, seen ana condemned in hun
dred instances by people of other nations.
Spain could not be ignorant Of that with
which all the rest Of the world was IA
miliar. yet she permitted these atrocities to
60 on unQueStiOned and unchecked
Nor was all this done in secret. The pub
lie exhibitions were equally revolving We
have evidence of the degree of civilization
in the Spanish army in compact made by
the officers during banquet at Manila, in
which they agreed to give no quarter TO the
rebels in arms, but to kill them like wild
beasts in their lairs.
This spirit was shown by officials as well
as officers No quarter the fixed rule,
and prisoners taken in battle were shot
down like 50 many yenOmOus animals. We
can well appreciate the trembling terror
shown by the prisoners taken by the Amer
leans during the existing war. They looked
ror nothing but sudden death. They had
no other conception of the dealing of the
white with the brown races That they
We're treated as human beings, their wounds
dressed, their wants attended to. their lives
granted them. mercy beyond their
conception That white man should set
tie the debts of war with any other coin
than the bullet too much for their
Imagination to take in.
Do Not Know Each Other.
I may htly pause here in my arraignment
OF the Spaniards to say something OF the
Conception entertained OF the Americans by
the rank and file Of the Filipino army.
Many people in this country are apt to
Credit these ignorant natives with a knowl-
edge OF the condition of affairs in foreign
lands. which even most Of the Intelligent
and cultivated people in the Philippine Is
lands 10 not possess. If any one such
feei surprised at this statement let him
stop for a moment and think how little the
Americans. with all their culture. know of
these Islands and their inhabitants RIIt