The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-10
Some
Specimen
Officials.

Officials hiring of buildings for
dwellings and offices
. for the United States
officials. Despite all
protests, he pays what rent he pleases lin
many cases retaining payment for several
months until it suits his convent
ence to pay) and in some instances
the buildings are forciby entered by
armed guards that take possession. An
instance of this kind took place last week,
with regard to a large building under the
care of the Archbishop's office. The de-
tails and forcible entry have been sent to
Rome and no doubt the papal legate and
some of the Catholic clergy in the United
States will bring the matter before the
President.
Raymond Sulzer Is an assistant quarter
master here and his lot is far better than
If he had remained in New York as pet
tifogging attorney. Since his arrival he,
in common with all the officials connected
with the administration department of
the army. except perhaps Major Brainard
and Major Sam Jones, have shown an
open preference in all bids for public
works and supplies to patronize English
Chinese and, in fact, every nation except
Americans.
This Sulzer shares with the captain of
the port, Lieutenant Braunersreuther-
not only Of civilians but also of ninety per
cent of the army and navy, with whom
they come In contact With regard to the
latter, opinion is unanimous. No one has
a good word for him. He cannot be civil
to any one except his superiors, to whom
he cringes. Public gossip is severe anent
this captain of the port, as his salary as
a. lieutenant in the navy Is not at all
commensurate to maintain his style of
living He rides a splendid Australian
horse that at the present rate OF horse
flesh cost at least $780, while the DASH
ing carriage that his wife and daughter
use, accompanied by coachman and
tiger in buttons and cockade torsooth-
to ape the styles used by the foreign Con-
suls-cost a good round sum. The inter-
prefer of his Office, who was miserably
moor when the American occupation of
Manila took place, now rides around In
swell turnout and sports diamonds, on
salary of 200 MeX'S monthly. From all
these incidents conclusions are drawn.
Merchants and shipowners are wishing
the return to the office OF captain OF the
port of an officer like Captain henry
Glass. or some one Of his type, so that the
discourtesy shown by Braunersreuther
and his immediate interiors would De at
an end.
The various correspondents have devot-
ed themselves to denunciauons OF OTIS
and his shortcomings, but have retralned
from noticing the various officers who de-
serve far greater screening Tor thelr IN
canacitv and uselessness. To give list
would occupy a column, but prominent
for getting credit for work that Is done by
his immediate subordinate officers and
men is the depot quartermaster, Major
Devol. His men, Captain Walcott, Lieu
tenant Haisch, Civil Engineer Mead OF
San Francisco, Transportation Chiefs
Norton and Harvey and others do all the
work and Devol looking wise and assum-
ing an air of knowing everything, gets the
| credit Not a line of praise has been
vouchsafed 10 the members of the pay
corps under Colonel MacClure, no kudos
has given the people of the United States
the idea that Major Brainard and his
! corps of officers and men of the subsist-
ence department have worked themselves
nigh unto death, despite all the obstacles
| placed in their way by Devol, whose spite
! against some of the members of the sub
! sistence department was always a matter
! for comment Paymasters, few in number
! considering the large body of troops here,
work day and night, incur danger when
| out on the lines in performance of their
duties, but of whom no mention is made.
That efficient officer Captain Martin of the
! Fourteenth Infantry, whose duty ii is to
! keep the streets of Manila in order and
| attend to sanitary matters, has never
been deemed worthy of notice. And in
! deed if any man is worthy of praise Mar
tin is that man. Considering the filthy,
disgusting state of the public and private
residences and offices, the dirty streets
and byways of this town, that had been
uncleansed for more than a year, and look
| ing with impartiality at the resistance
! Of the inhabitants to sanitary methods
Martin has accomplished work that, in
view of the annoyances and obstacles
prevalent, seems almost superhuman.
The work of Major Kilbourne, as the
general treasurer of the islands; of Major
Kehleher as chief paymaster of civil
| funds, has never been given a word of
praise, and yet these men, while never
catering for newspaper notoriety, like
| Devol and others, are worthy of COM
mendation.
Then, too, there was the gallant Miley
whose desire to conduct the extra work
imposed upon him by the cheeseparing
policy of Otis resulted in an attack OF
| brain fever that ended in death Others
who get all praise can ride around IN
| carriages paid for by Uncle Sam, whose
purse is evidently unlimited in capacity.
1t may be thought that in this letter
have INDUCED in personal feelings. On
the contrary my object in writing has
know of matters and events that the ccr-
respondents of the various newspapers
are ignorant of and have little desire to
make public, devoting their attention to
military rather than civil subjects.
In my next it will be shown how these
willy Filipinos sought to entrap Otis into
assuming the presidency of the cutthroat
Katipunan Society. and also to show the
restrictions, the burdens, the unjust I'M
positions that Americans are suffering
under in common with Europeans. One
word in conclusion, it is better to be a
Chinaman, Filipino or Engishman. or.
| indeed, any nationality at present, than
! to be an American, for under this Otis
regime and In combination with the
! course pursued by some of his subordi
mates American merchants and those
who desire to settle here and aid In de-
veloping the islands are subjected to the
grossest insults and injustice.
AS this mail leaves the news. welcome
to Otis and all the military world. is to
| the effect that the commission is ordered
home. 1t is no secret that their return in
an official sense is not wished as now
military operations can be entered into
without seeking advice from Worcester
! and his amigos. FLOWER.