Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-20
INJURY TO lLOILO MERCHANTS
Order Concerning Ownership Of Coasting
Vessels Interferes with Commerce,
TO B: OWNED BY AMERICAN clTIztNs
Hardship to Merchants Lies In Fact
that There Are Few Available for
Owncrship-NntINcs Afraid TO
Take oath of Allegiance.

ILOILO, Island of Panay, r. l., Nov. 10
(via San Francisco, Dee 19.-An order
from Washington concerning the ownership
Of coasting vessels which has recently been
made public here threatens to seriously in
terfere with the commerce OF panay and
the Negros islands. The order reads, in
part, as follows
Under Instructions from the PRECEDENT
of the United States, certificates OF nspec-
tion and right to fly the flag OF the United
States on the high seas of these Islands
can only be issued to vessels owned by
(a) citizen OF the United States residing
in the islands, (b) native inhabitant of
these islands upon taking the cath Of al
legiance to the United States (c) a resident
of these islands prior to April II, 1899, hith-
erto a subject of Spain and native of the
peninsula upon abjurng his allegiance to
Spain and taking the oath of allegiance to
the United States.
Masters and watch officers of vessels are
required to take the oath of allegiance to
the United States. (This may be waived by
the GOVERNOR"
The hardship of the order from the mer-
chants standpoint lies in the fact that there
are no American citizens available for
ownership In normal times Negros and
Panay together produce 10000 tons OF sugar
each season. This year it is expected the
export will be about 10000 tons. Fifteen
siXteenths of the sugar handled in and out
Of 1loilo is brought here by lighters and
coasting craft
To handle this sugar from Negros to
Iloilo and to load it on vessels in Iloilo
harbor there are $50 schooners and lighters
known locally as lorchas; 200 out of the 2jO
lorchas are owned by foreigners-English
ment and Cinnamon, principally.
Spain, during her regime, promulgated
similar order, but solved the difficulty by
permitting straw ownership OF the coasting
vessels. The vessels were registered in
the name of subject of Spain, but remained
the property of their British or Chinese
owners The Unitod States officials prior
to this order followed Spalns example.
There were three American citizens avail
able at Ilolo for this deception.
Easy Solution of Trouble.
An easy solution of the trouble could be
found If the Filipincs would take the oath
of allegiance to the United States, but they
decline. They say they are ignorant of the
future: that they do not know which of
the contesting parties will eventually win
they do not know when the United States
may withdraw from these islands and IL
they swore allegiance today, tomorrow they
might be an easy prey to the CHASTITY ven
geance of their countrymen.
Some few natives have been bold enough
to swear allegiance to the United States.
Several of these were out and cut rebels
who only did so for the purpose of owning
a schooner, which they loaded with contra
band of war and attempted to smuggle it
into the nsurgent lines, but were captured
by the navy, while the others who have
done so dare not stir out of llolo and are
in daily dread of assassination by their
own countrymen.
This latter possibility was very forcibly
brought to tho native minds by the recent
murder of enc Caballo over in Negros
Caballo was a good friend to the Amer
leans and on the point of swearing allie
glance. He was murdered by "a country
man while at breakfast with his family.
His head was stuck on a pole just outside
CT the village of Silay, where there is an
American garrison, and the ghastly trophy
was tcketed:
$50 die those who are too friendly to our
Under conditions existing in Iloilo today
the enforcing of this order bids fair to kill
the business of the coming season.
Negros Is entering upon an era of peace
and civil administration under the Amer
lean authorities. 1t is the first Philippine
island to do SO. TIE milling of It's sugar
has already commenced and the shipments
to lloilo begin in December. If Negros can
enjoy a fairly good commercial year it will
DO much toward the furtherance of the new
and promising conditions there