The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-30
CONDITIONS IN PHILIPPINES
INTERESTING LETTER FROM
POSTAL DIRECTOR VAILLE.
Climate Is Not Bad, But Soldiers Do
Not Take Care of Themselves -
Island Products.

of this city is in receipt of an interest
ing letter from Frank W. Vaille, now
director of mails at Manila, and for
merly with the department in Colo
RADIO.
After some reference to personal af-
fairs. Mr.. Vaille says:
This is a great country, and if the
native population We're off and Ameri-
cans could get in here, 1 believe it
would be the richest per capita popu-
lation in the world. 1 may be wild, but
L don't think it.
But there is that word if The ma
tives are not off the islands, and the
question of American immigration is for
the future. At present the outlook is
not good. There is no limit to the pro-
ductiveness of the soil, and the climate
is better by far than that in the Mis-
sissippi valley. That is, 1 find it so.
An officer of the Oregons told me that
in the recent march into the interior
the weather was more endurable than
it is at times in Oregon.
May is, by the records. the warmest
month, and l think we all came through
in good shape. The boys in the front
suffered as they would have suffered
anywhere. For those who can and will
keep out of the midday sun the eli
mate has no terrors. In India, 1 am
informed, the English punish the SOL
der who steps out into the sun with
out his helmet, or who. except on or
ders, ventures out of his barracks dur
ing certain noon hours. 1t is right, as
the suns rays are very piercing. The
stores here close for two hours at noon,
and, because [ believe in doing in Rome
as the Romans do, until a better way
is found, and because the experience of
England and other nations has demon
strated that it is best to keep quiet at
noon in the tropics, 1 keep the office
closed an hour and half. In this way
L do my all to keep the boys in their
quarters at this time. They don't stay
there, more's the pity. It's an easy
matter to sling figures when there is no
way of proving a man a, liar, but l
really think, from what 1 have been
told by army surgeons and what have
seen myself, that nearly three-fourths
of our sick are in the hospitals be-
cause they have not taken any care of
themselves. or have violated rules laid
down for their guidance.
ION my way to the cable station last
week 1 saw not less than fifty soldiers
drunk. and the men know as well as
they know anything that the thing
cannot end here in any place but the
hospital. I have not the time to turn
back to see how 1 turned this letter
into temperance lecture but I'll
switch back to legitimate business.
Products of the Islands.
Every tropical fruit grows here 10
perfection. The oranges are simply de-
licious. Bananas are not equaled any
where. A gentleman who has lived in
New Orleans told me he has never
tasted any from Central America equal
to some here in flavor Pineapples grow
wild, and I don't believe there ever
was an attempt made to improve the
stock The Hawaiian pineapples are
much better. It's the same way with
the oranges and lemons-never an at
tempt made to improve and cultivate
them. Coffee, tobacco, rice. sugar and
hemp-there's millions in them under
proper conditions, but only the Lord
knows when anything, including the
dress of the natives, will be proper
here.
Colorado has good regiment here.
came over in the same transport and
met many of them. They will be glad
to get away, though, and I don't blame
them To my mind, discomfort with the
conditions attendant upon a camp life
of idleness is a sure indication that the
men are made of good stuff, and are
to get back to active life. I
heard it stated that they were kickers,
but there is certain amount of legit-
innate kicking to be done in this world.
Take me from my active life and give
me six months of idleness in camp. such
as these men had, and at the end of
that time I would be either thoroughly
demOralized and content to turn into a
tramp. or l would be an outrageous
kicker"