The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-01-02
WORDS OF WORTH
A Well Considered Letter On
Affairs in Manila.
REBEL CHIEF AND PEOPLE
Great Task of Subjection-An "If''
Business ChanCeS-The
Army And Fleet

can navy, well qualified TO write upon
the various subjects treated, has the
following to say to Honolulu friend
who had lodged request for views:
Aguinaldo's government is still in ex-
istence, but he has now a rival govern |
ment on the Island of Panay. From |
this we Judge that Aguinaldo and his
revolutionary government does not sat |
isfy the entire population of the
islands. Aguinaldo himself has proved
to be a diplomat of the highest order,
but one who is very intent upon look
ing out for number one. He has formed
a Cabinet, whom he is supposed to con-
suit on all matters pertaining to the
government of the islands, but this he
does not do when his own interest is at
stake. The situation at present, owing
to these two rival governments, is at
best complicated one, and one which
l am afraid it will require more than
diplomacy to straighten, when we final
ly decide to occupy the entire islands,
which in all probability we will from
the present outlook innumerable diff
culties will present themselves.
The natives have decided that indie
pendence only is what they will take
with protectorate if necessary, we to
give the latter What return they eX-
pect to give us for this proteetorate
am at a loss to state, and really the
idea has never entered their heads To
deal with a people of this kind / am
afraid our country will have their
hands full.
1t will be a great pity to be compelled
to wage war on these people, which
will be a never-ending one, and at best
will not accomplish the desired end,
namely, to rule the islands. They cover
such a vast area of territory, many of
them peopled with tribes even more
savage than the Indians of North Am
erica. In and around the cities the peO-
pie are intelligent, but in the interior
they are illiterate and naturally OPP
posed to be subjected to any prescribed
law. | have talked with many intel
ligent natives and men who have been
in the interior, and, from one and all,
the same story is heard They will
| fight for what they call independence
and will tolerate the ruling Of no ma
ton. This may seem a rather vague
story, their fighting, but they have a
complete military organization, and.
! from conservative estimates by unin-
| terested parties, their number is put al
| $50, 900.
| While the Islands are very valuable
| from both a naval and commercial
view, yet, in my mind, they are not
worth one mothers son lost in their
retention. And if the United States in
| tends to keep them, not only will it re-
| quire vast fleet of ships, but stand
! ing army of nearly $4,000 men. | have
| often wondered if on the LIST of May,
we had left after destroying their fleet
and batteries on shore, and gone, say
| to Honolulu, what would have been the
result. have mentioned this to num-
Der of people and they smile at the
idea. Yet it would have saved our
army from being transported here, in
fact it presents so many possibilities
| that the subject is best let alone. Had
we known at that time that the Hawaii
an Islands opened their ports to our
ships, the probability is that We would
have gone there But Dewey had no
way of knowing this and it was his
duty to seize, while he could, a port for
his vessels.
1t will be some years before the peo-
, pie of our country will actually realize
what our little tin-clad fleet Gas the
Eastern Squadron called u.s. has done
II has been the means of opening one
of the richest ports in the world
|
Hongkong The actual value of this
port has never been realized, owing tC
the almost prohibitive tax placed upoT
products by the Spanish Government
and their Secretive method of handling
shipping. Not two days ago as many
as eight ships came into the harbol
from various ports with and for car
goes.
It is surprising to me that the ven
turesome American capitalist has no
yet made his appearance. The Englisf
firms from Hongkong have realized
what a gold mine the place is and have
!, opened many branch stores. But there
is room for hundred dealers in mems
wear alone. Just imagine over 20,0Ot
J. men, who must be supplied with th'
actual necessities of life, who are
class that will spend their money free
< ly. yet, can buy nothing of American
make. l tried to buy an ordinary neg
| ligee shirt in the city not many day
ago and after a four-hour search, wa
compelled to do without it. And so i
is in everything. If one of our large
wholesale houses would come in will
|, a ship load of mems wear such as ar,
fit to be worn in this tropical country
they could return with a ship load o
0 Mexican dollars in less time than i
takes to load the ship.
The health of the fleet is excellent
no sickness whatever, that of the sol
diers ashore is improving. The estab
liShment of a convaleScent camp a
Corregidor island, at the entrance o
the harbor, is plan of the near futur
and a good one.
The Buffalo" we understand, is OF
the way with over 600 men for u.s. Thi
is just about the number whose time
will have expired by the time of her ar
rival, and.it will be a great boon. w
have now over 400 men in the fleet VIII
! are doing overtime. some OF them a