The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-02-23


produce 50 per cent. of pure ore, and
the natives prefer cutting tools made
Of this iron to those imported. Here
again want of roads and greed of the
Spanish officials destroyed the in
dustry.
The Islands are aboundingly rich
in fine timber. Upwards Of Il kinds
are exported. The best is molave,
akin to teak. 1t resists insects,
water and weather. Other kinds are
valuable for furniture. | have seen
a table six feet in diameter made of
one piece of pana wood.
Buffaloes do the ploughing in the
rice fields, and most of the transport,
though in some parts of the Islands
oxen are used for draught purposes.
On the Island of Masbate there were,
in 1899, upwards of $1,000 head of
cattle and probably as many more on
Martinique. In every province /
found them plentiful.
For tropical country the climate
is good. The thermometer in my
house only touched SO degrees Farm
'iSio tt'o"1 'ANN q CuI anu iCil W w
degrees once or twice year-the
average being about 50 degrees 1t
is the steady pressure of heat which
tells and a European or American is
less fitted to endure it after two years
residence than when he first landed
in the Islands. 1t is not possible for
an American to do hard work in the
fnr 1nnfrtb n r fi,nn and
serve his health. Nor is it prof
liable where labor only brings 81 a
month, for an American to be a day
laborer. AS highly paid clerk or
superintendent of labor he can get
on.
Children of American parents can
not be reared in the Philippines
They must be sent home when three
or four years old, both for moral and
physical reasons. This fact will bar
the settlement of the Philippines by
Americans. If Americans intermarrv
with Philippine women, their Off
spring could be reared there, but the
breed degerates. 1t is not advisa BILE
to encourage such marriage.
For many years the Filipinos must
be governed from above. We Ameri-
cans have hundreds of years, and
thirty generations of freemen behind
us. The Filipinos has never known free
dom and must be trained to it grad
ually. They are already fit to man
age their own municipal affairs under
the supervision and veto of an Ameri-
can Government. This Government
might have the assistance of an
advisory council, sent up by the
village magistrates, but this council
should not have Legislative powers.
Above these provincial Governors
should be a Governor General for the
lslands-a man of high character,
enjoying the confidence of the United
States Government, and clothed with
large powers, for the Government of
the Islands must rest largely in his
hands. The Islands cannot without
ruin be governed from Washington
All the provincial Governors and the
Governor General must be we'll paid
and have a long permanent tenure Of
office. An American going out there
as Governor will spend the first year
to know the people, their ways and
their prejudices. Then the line of
policy which he takes up he should
have time to develop.
Above all, the courts should be
purified. None but men of the
highest character should be Judges.
1t will take years of honest effort to
convince the Fill pinos that the courts
are honest; that the judges do not
take bribes, and, what is equally i'm
portant, that the court officials do
not influence the judge, nor affect
the conduct of the trial. For three
hundred years justice has been
der, sometimes the price was money;
sometimes beautiful wife or daugh-
ter-a price was always paid, All
this the Filipinos will have to unlearn
through our honest judges. 1t is nc
light matter.
In 1857 the Spanish government
had only seven battalions, about 6,00(
men, of native infantry, two squad
rons of native cavalry, and 1,2OC
Spanish artillery, stationed in the
Philippines. This force was first in
creased for the Franco-Spanish wal
! against Cochin China and later Span.
ish misgovernment made it seen
needful to have a large force. With
4 just government and moderate
taxation we could get on with a:
small force as the Spaniards did il
| 1857.
\ military police would be bette
than an army. The captains in thi
force should be picked Americans
preferably young West Point men
the lieutenants and non-commission-
ed officers Filipinos. The men coul'
be got in large numbers at s. in gol'
per month. 1t would be needful a
first to keep a sharp lookout agains
both bribery and oppression on tn
part of the native officers and soldier
or police. Their habit has been t
bully and rob.
One of the most difficult question
we shall have to face is that of tn
friars. The Augustines, the Domin
leans and Franciscans in their severa
| subdivisions control the parishes /
far the greater part of the islands.
The in>urrection broke out agains
them before it attacked the govern
ment and to-day there are cOmpara
tively few friars left in possession
(Note that the priests were not at
tackled nor were Jesuits.) A fria
gave his first and earnest thought t.
the enrichment of his brotherhood o
order. His duties to his God and t
his parishioners came long sitter
wards. They hold immense estate
not hitherto subject to taxation Cor
tiscation is generally poor policy bu
to'tax these properties until the friar
should be obliged to sell them woul
be craftsmanship. Much of the
property has been acquired very III
justly For example: In 1928 th
then Spanish government contiscate
part of the property of the friar