The Anaconda standard., 1899-03-26
Some of the Depths of Low Life
in the Philippines.
IT'S A TALE OF HORRORS
One OF the Ministers of the GOSPEL
Who Went There Says the ISL
ands Reek With All Sorts
of Moral Filth

lars IN the Philippines, with a view
to ascertaining what kind of a field Ii
IS Tor missionary work. l will write
such things as l can. There are vices
that cannot be referred to in print, and
therefore | am compelled to omit the
most terrible details of the story. 1t Is
bad enough, however, in it's printa Bile
shape. What do those people who favor
self-government in the Philippines
think of the legalizing of nameless vices
as sop to the Filipinos whom Aguin-
aldo is desirous of attracting to mis-
banner of disaffection? 1t is in itself
enough to show that the natives are
not prepared for self-government. This
promise was made in a secret proclama-
tion issued by the insurgent chieftain,
which document is now in the possess
sion of our government. l tried to get
a copy, but was told that the last one
had been sent to Washington.
The island reeks with the accumu-
lated moral filth of centuries of unre-
strained vice. Statements have been
made and denied regarding the wicked
ness of the Spanish friars ! repeat for
your newspaper what have said in my
private correspondence, that there are
charges against these friars which l do
not dare to repeat, so vile is their ma
ture. I am not attacking a religion, but
the degraded order of friars found in
the Philippines l am confident that
the clean-living and pious Roman Cath
olics of the United States and Europe
would never try to cover up the i'm
morality of these alleged representatives
of the Christian church. could they see
them unmasked as I have. This point
l desire to make as emphatic as possi-
Bile. The only thing that saves the peo-
pie from renouncing religion as a farce
and sham is that the native priests
make some pretense of living moral
lives and among them are some really
good men.
The grasping avarice of the so-caliad
religious leaders has embittered the ma
tives against them to such an extent
that it will be a hard matter to get
their good will. In fact it will take
years of example to convince the Fill
pinos that the precept is not as hypo-
critical as that to which they have been
accustomed.
During an epidemic of smallpox the
priests refused to bury the dead unless
the enormous fees demanded by them
were forthcoming. In looking into this
unpriestly conduct / had occasion to
ask:
What would happen if. after a body
had been consigned to the earth the
surviving members of the family re-
fused to pay the fees demanded by the
priests?"
The astounding answer was: THE
coffin would be disinterred, the body re-
moved and thrown on the bone heap
and the casket used for some other
corpse"
| asked to see the bone pile and was
conducted thither. Imagine a space be-
tween two walls. about 80 feet long,
four feet wide and eight feet deep tillet.
almost to the top with human bones
Some of the bones still remained in
tact, showing the human skeleton cont
plete. 1t was horrible. But. crownins
horror of all, on the top of the nau-
seating heap dog was greedily gnaw-
ing the bones!
l hope that the commission which we
hear is appointed to go to the Philip
pines will inquire into these things.
I feel very strongly that the Filipino
government ought not to be recognized.
The people are not ready for independ-
ence Agu!naldo's actions have con-
firmed the opinion formed when was
in Malolos, that he will be satisfied
with nothing less than the entire inde-
pendence of the islands.
l talked with many old residents of
the Philippines when making my in
vestigations and 1 am convinced that
priestly oppression and the rascally
system of eXtortion practiced by the
Spanish officials We're the causes of the
original uprising and are behind the
present refusal of the natives to submit
to the White mans rule. Aguinaldo has
told the natives that the old oppression
will only give place to a new one when
the Americans have control, and the
detestation of the islanders for these
ancient iniquities shows itself in the
present fierce opposition to the Span
iards' conquerors. who freed the Fill
pinos only to be treated with rebellious
ingratitude.
The taxation OF the natives under
Spanish rule has been infamous. If the
native could call his soul his own it
was all that he could do. The only way
to get goods through the customs with
out paying more than they were worth
was to bribe an official to let them
through. There was not a man who de-
clined to be bought. They We're all tick
eted with their price. The Spanish gov
ernors did as they pleased with the
trade of the island. The price they
fixed was the price at which they
tie to say about it. 1t was a fine field
for poor Spanish grandees who wanted
to build up their fallen fortunes.
There are many so-called Christians
in the Philippines. but they became
such to escape death, the Spanish sys-
TEN being to offer the native a. choice
between dying or becoming a Chris
tian. The natives chose to live, but al
ways cherished a deadly hatred for the
Spanish missionary system, and in fact
the whole Spanish race. This hatred
has not been softened by the wholesale
massacreing of men, women and chill
dren that took place in the rebellion
against the Spanish. A few tribes have
tenaciously held to their beliefs and
have fought the Spaniards so stubborn
ly that the latter have preferred to
leave them alone. Among these may
be mentioned the Ygorotes, the chief
mountain tribe of Luzon.
l think it was a great mistake that
Aguinaldo was ever recognized by the
Americans. l do not believe that the
Filipinos will stand long before the
Americans, but hatred. inherited from
generations of ancestors. is strong and
Aguinaldo and his agents have seen to
it that this detestation of the white op-
hpap ;,, br