The evening times., 1899-12-21
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 81. 1899.
Cuban Customs Exposures.

Probably il is just as well that the wide
spread frauds in the Havana Custom House
came to light before Governor General
Wood could assume the responsibilities of
Cuban government. Otherwise he probably
would have been accused of offensive par
tisanship in unearthing the conspiracy. AS
it is We are afraid that if the general
should show a disposition TO punish the
criminals severely, he would lay himself
open to persecution from home in more
ways and directions than would ever occur
to man of his Straightforward character.
Although We are not prepared to regard
the administration of Major General Brooke
as anything likely to live in history as
one of the wonders of our time, ii appears
to have been honest in intention and it
may be suspected that his official life would
have been easier and his tenure less in
jeopardy from the beginning II he had been
less officious and curious concerning the
pastimes and profits of people of influence
connected with or interested in the activi-
ties of the customs service. The theory Of
our colonial government SO far, at least of
the civil part OF it, seems TO have been that
haste should be made slowly in supplanting
ideas and customs of Spanish origin. en-
deared to the islanders by long years OF OBJ
servation and use Now, one of the most
sacred principles of Spanish colonial ad-
ministration was that the greater amount
of custom house receipts belonged to the
officials of the port and palace, and any
hidalgo entrusted with their collection who
did not collude with importers and divide
honorably with his coparceners in the pub
lie service, would have been deemed in
famous and eligible to removal if not 10
assassination in quiet and unofficial way
The objection that such standards of in
tegrity, and such a system, could properly
apply only to Spanish officialdom. is a
foolish one on its face from every view
point of good politics" or of sound busi-
ness methods" Money is money, just as
much in the pocket Of an American patriot
with pull, as it is in the pouch of the
most degenerate Dago from Barcelona to
La Mancha. And this is an additional rea-
son why changes in the methods of con-
Quoting public business, in conservative
communities like that of Manila. for ex-
ample. properly should not have been pre-
cipitated
If General Otis had shown himself as
much of a martinez as a civil governor
the Government might not have felt COM
pelled to ignore the universal demand of
the country for his removal. This does
not mean that the Philippine viceroy is
not female Caesar for civic virtue nor
a monster of rectitude in all the affairs of
life. person CT whatever sex may be
all that and yet remain in fortunate if
innocent ignorance of things which are
notorious to the rest of the world. Thus,
We are satisfied that Otis must still be un-
aware of the magnificent smuggling indus
try built up under his proboscis in Manila,
and it no doubt would have surprised him
If he had ever visited the wharves--to
see what enormous quantities Of hemp.
rice and tobacco managed to get into port
from places generally understood to be
firmly in the grasp of the mutineers
Foreign residents and others have been
unkind enough to say that these cargoes |
were produced in exchange for arms, am
munition and supplies furnished to Agui- |
nado This may be sIander or exaggera- |
tion: but one thing is certain, and that is !
that people who have made large for |
tunes in LuZon during the rebellion, in a |
commercial way, are not presumed to have |
acquired their wealth by counting the but
tons on the Viceroy's coat. The custom
house at Manila may be all right; in any |
event we may be allowed to hope so. But
disclosures, such as have been made at
Havana, lead us to opine that the most
Jealous care should be observed by revenue
officers generally to have their books
straight and to save literally of their
small and hardly earned pay against the
day when the hat shall be passed around TO |
them, in furtherance of the great and gIo-
Tious Republican purposes of 1900.