New-York tribune., 1899-03-25
11FF AT LUZON'S CAPITAL.
80 orr1crR's VIEWS OF THE SITUATION
IN THE ISLANDS.
.-,vrs FAR MORE INTELLIGENT THAN
GENERALLY sUPPOsED-DlsLIKE LONG

--. touou,,nr interesting letters from Manila
- r,o,o were written by an officer Of Admiral
reuov's feet TO a friend in this city:
Manila. December < 1895.
,r ,,,. Manila needs is a little more Amer
..or,z,rr What ii already has received has
s,o i, worlds of good. and the advent Of a
49,, american women has made the place much
o~o ,,leasant in the social respect. few
,-,,,. a rccrs and eight naval officers have their
,,,os with them. and moro are constantly com
I've Judging from personal experience. know
%, no reason why any person who can stand
..o ,-opical climate should not he perfectly
healthy here The troops on shore have had
.,ra~kahlv good health and I informed
that what sickness there has been has been
Incident 20 camp and barrack life. officers, Of
,ourso can have much better personal care and
+, IS shown hy the fact that not one officer has
.ie4 here from sickness Last night the chief
,,~coon here in charge told me that there was
,,+ the same proportion OF sick here there
,s IN San Francisco This was Major Crosby.
~ course this Is the best time Of the year. but.
G., tho same time there has never been yellow
eeve~ hore nor cholera. nor plague nor any OF
tho eplderics which from time to time make
.heir appearance in tropical climes. The chief
,,ie,tion here is the hot climate. This is some
,hing that one cannot get used TO, though. or
o,-se - becomes easier to bear the longer
me lives here. Early in the morning il is quite
comfortable Of course. this is the winter sea-
son and IL IS much more comfortable than II
Qas when We first came IN. After =. m we
e. out for a drive or a bicycle ride. The great
drive here is on the Lunetta- which is an oval
,-ack perhaps a half-mNe in circumference,
,ncloeed by which Is bandstand, walks. etc
The band plays every other night. and then all
ND ~iy
Lunetta, and friends meet and all listen TO the
music.
The citizens of Manila have accepted the stu
s.ion and are apparently cordial and friendly.
rhev have found that the Americans are not
f1a pirates they were represented TO be. and
thov are 81 afraid OF the insurgents that they
now look to the Americans 70 protect them.
Marv friendships have sprung UP between our
people and the Spanish residents Most Of the
neoule here are here for business purposes or
are the descendants Of such people. and do not
find q convenient to leave I am speaking, Of
,7ursa. % those Of European blood. and these
are all Spaniards. Among such people there is
much wealth and culture They have always
beer Spanish in their sympathes And yet
this patriotism is not Of the same kind that is
bred in the mother country. II is here OF the
kind that would swap" The residents here
believe sincerely regretted SPANS defeat ana
t was bitter for them. but at the same time
they seem TO have easily recovered good heart.
sPANIARDs ACCEPT THE SITUATION.
since Manila surrendered 10 us the business
~ the Mace seems 10 have gone onward by
bounds. and never in the history Of Manila
has there been SO much money in circulation
As most Of these Spanish people are in com
nlerciaI callings, they are the people who have
particularly prolted. and I believe that their
personal prosperity has gone long way toward
making them philosophical They are con
stantly inquiring Of America. and learning Of
her. and all they learn tends 10 make them
..iu more philosophical. and they are beginning
~ laarn that they will be personally much bet
ter of than under Spanish rule. They are very
eloquent In telling Of Spanish sent out here in
official positions in great numbers, with nothing
much 10 90 but draw big salaries. There are
r lot Of personal taxes which they are assured
wtt be done away with under American rule
as for instance my host. Spaniard OF Manila
birth pays a tax Of SO a year on his wife and
of S. on each child OF sixteen years or over.
These people now all expect 10 become American
citizens and I find that the idea is not alto
gether displeasing. The idea is fascination
for them that becomes the more attractive the
longer and the oftener It is contemplated
Already they are beginning 70 wonder upon
what laws they are TO be admitted to American
citizenship I have been asked whether they
VIII be made citizens by act Of law on the
wholesale whether they will have 20 wait
for FIVE years and be subject TO the regular
naturalization laws Of the counry-questions
tha, 7 could not answer I believe that all Of
these people VIII make good Americans because
they are Of commercial and industrious In
s-incts and because they are learning Of Amer
ica and are Anding out things OF our country
that they did not know and which are proving
% them very attractive The prevailing senti-
men, IS that they did their duty by Spain
while 80 was possible for them TO do so, and
row T. their country is TO become part Of Amer
ga they viii not be able 10 help it, and by all
means had better make the best Of II. Incl
den-aIy they are finding that Americans are
very agreeable people and wonderfully generous
IN spending their money. We now have a navy
o. fighting ships and transports and an army
% 1900 men. all with generous pay and the
merchants Of Manila are getting rich.
HATRED TOWARD NATIVES.
One thing has occurred that has made them
foel wonderfully cordial toward the American
people and this arises from their hatred o.
the natives They always refer TO the native
Iaco as "Indios" or, We would say Indians.
The hatred that they exhibit toward the
natives Is remarkable. II is reported and has
been everywhere circulated here that in Amer
ica It is said that the only good Indian IS q
dead Indian You Will hear the most muir
derous blood-curdling disposition toward these
s snple people shown by the gentlest and sweet
es' % Spanish women. and one is everywhere
informed that the natives are hopelcssly bad
and should all be killed and that the only
chance tha Americans have OF ever making =
decent country Of these islands Will be by kill
ing all - the natives ar present living on them.
Since being here I have learned much of the
natural k.ndliness Of these Spanish people.
They are affectionate and helpful to one an
r-ner md haua z natural kIrdnass Of manner