Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1899-03-16

mandolin and guitar musicale and
putting up pretty good music. In an
other room there were lot OF fellows
reading and next to that they were
writing letters. Iwent out into the
grounds in front of the quarters where
/ found some 80 or 40 who were having
square dance. They had three sets
In operation lstags Of course), guitar
and mandolin music with--I think-a
violin. They we're hoeing it down to
beat the band. There wasn't home
sick or disconsolate looking face In the
whole crowd Of some 300 men or over
and you wouldn't think to watch
them that one of them cared cent
whether he ever got back to South
Dakota OF not. At the same time
they do and will be glad when the
time of their return comes for they
would like to see the folks at home,
but they don't want to 60 home under
circumstances that would indicate
that they had "cold feet" or were not
good soldiers in everything that the
term implies.
Things generally here are in very
uncertain condition and we may be
fighting before long, in fact conflict
has seemed imminent every day for
the past month. In the face of this
/ am satisfied that we will not be re-
turned at once. "A fight would please the
boys immensely, and you cannot pull
them out of here with whole fleet Of
transports If they thought there was
going to be any fighting.
SHOULD KEEP THE ISLANDS.
/ take it that we are going to keep
the islands and sincerely hope 30 for 1t
means an acquisition of immense val
ue to our country. The natural re-
sources OF the country are beyond the
reach of the widest Imagination. 1t
is rich in lumber of the most valuable
kinds, sugar, hemp, tobacco and min
erals. Labor is cheap and convenient.
1t is Just as much new, undeveloped
and unexplored country almost as
America was when Capt. John Smith
first landed in Virginia. The Spanish
government has done nothing to de-
velop it or to help and develop the peo-
pie. The interior is partly peopled
with barbarians of which but little is
known. The Filipinos, however, are
an Industrious, docile, happy-hearted
people Of good natural instincts. II
left to themselves there would be no
trouble, for all they want is to be al
lowed life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. Some of their salf-styled
leaders, however, are adventures who
have been Spanished Qf I may coin a
word) just enough to have absorbed
all the deviltry with none of the few
virtues possessed by the Spanish ru,srs
and were the destines of the pee ole
entrusted to them it would be turning
them over to a lot of bandits. The
people themselves possess but little
executive or governing ability, princi-
pally, / think, because they have
never had a chance to develop any
thing Of the kind. Under American
rule am satisfied they would become
happy, prosperous and contented
people and Of high grade of intelli-
gence in time. They arc in no way TO
be compared with the American In
dian.
/ like the climate first rate. You
see it is perpetual summer and there
is no week in the year when the vege-
tation and foliage is not green aud
bright. Daily flowers are blooming all
around and birds are fitting through
the trees. During the hot season the
heat is very oppressive between 8 or 9
a. m. and to4 p. M, but the balance
Of the tweuty-four hours are cool and