The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-31
GEN. WHEELER ON
THE PHILIPPINES

hanleer
MY Dear Young cousin:-I have not seer
much of the country and the people On this
part of Luzon for about fifty miles north of
Manila. In every town there is a magnifi-
cent stone church and a convent or monas-
terry. The insurgents have a great antipa-
thy to the priesthood or friars and they
have dlsmanted many of the churches The
value of church and monastery of a town
seems to be equal in many cases to the
value of all the other buildings in the
town. The more I talk to the people the
more 1 am convinced that the insurgents
are actuated in a measure by a spirit of
communism, and in their talks their most
serious objection to the church seems to
be the fact that the ecclesiastical organiza-
lions own so much of the property, and one
of Aguinaldos most earnest demands is
that the church property be coniscated.
There is general impression that the
insurgent army is made up very largely of
people without property, and that people
who have property desire the Americans to
control, so that they can have protection
and feel that their property is secured to
them, but L find that there is also a fear
or apprehension among some of the wealthy
that If the Americans control and give uni
versal suffrage the power of the wealthy
people would be taken away and their hold
on property very much impaired. I think
that if the people could be assured that they
would be protected in their property rights
by the United States 1t would have a very
great effect.
THE friars and priests are charged will
all sorts of expressions and misdemeanors,
but it must be remembered that the friars
and priests are very numerous, and in so
large a body there will be found every pos
sible phase of character and disposition.
Some of them are, no doubt, oppressors of
the people, exacting in the collection of
rentals from the land, who indulge them
selves in many ways and lead lives very
different from what should characterize the
life of priest. But there are very many
good men among them.
1.-THE statement that I have seen that
70 per cent. of the people of Luzon can
read and write is a great mistake 1t
may be true of Manila. but it is not true
of the rural districts, and the percentage
of iliteracy in the other islands is much
greater than in Luzon.
1.-The appearance, mode of life and
method of performing work is today very
much like 1T is described in the Bible at
The people dress very much like they did
1000 years ago. Today 1 spent some time
in watching natives cleaning shucks from
rice. The method of Smelling and cleaning
is primitive, and no better than it was 1000
years ago.
NEARLY everything can be grown, but
oranges and bananas are not so good as
in other localities, the reason, no doubt,
being that they seem to give them no cul-
tivation whatever.
Coffee is grown which is said to be su-
perior to Mocha.
'iRice is the principal product, and a fall
ure of that crop would cause a Terrible
famine, as THE people depend almost en-
tirely upon 1t for food.
. Sugar is Glhe principal crop for export.
Tho greatest amount exported in any one
year was PSI ,esl tons, which was in 1893
Corn grows very rapidly, and the ears
reacIh their full growth about sixty days
from the time OF planting.
There is great abundance of very valu-
able timber in these islands, and many
varieties cf beautiful hardwoods, such as
mahogany, black walnut and ebony.
."Gold, copper, coal, sulphur, lead, build
ing stone, petroleum and guano are found.
There are many different tribes living in
these islands, the only one in active
rebellion being the Tagalos. Iyais tribe oc-
cupies some eight provinces in the neigh
bolhood of Manila, and their association
with Europeans has made them more civil
lied than other tribes
I'VE are now seven or eight miles from
Porac, where an insurgent force has been
stationed for some time, but around here
and Through this vast valley The people are
actively engaged in planting lTce. l have
been riding around the outskirts of this
place, and the fields are dotted with men,
women and children Planting rice.
Il am confident 1Eaat brigade of cavalry
could easily travel through great part OF
the Island.
THE Suez canal brought the Philippine,
much nearer to Europe and has greatly in
creased its commerce. The exports of
hemp have greatly increased. In 1882
i2G5 tons of hemp were exported which
has increased until there was exported in
1897, 1870 tons, and the output can be
largely increased. The shipments of coffee
gradually Increased until the year 1886,
when the amount exported reached 1885,
tons, but from that time they have fallen
off and from 1898 to 1897 the annual ship
ments averaged only 200 tons.
II learn the following about cotton from
reliable sources. The cotton tree is found
growing in an uncultivated state in many
islands of the archipelago. Long staple
cotton was formerly extensively cultivated
in the province of Ilocos Norte, when many
years ago large quantities. of good stuffs
were exported. This industry still exists.
The cultivation of this staple was, how
ever, discouraged by The local governors in
order to urge the planting of tobacco for
government supplies.
st has since become difficult to revive the
cotton production, although an essay in
pamphlet form dor which a prize was
awarded in Madrid) was gratuitousy dis
tributed over the colony in 1883 with that
object. Nevertheless co.ton spinning and
weaving is still carried reduced