The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-12

department indicate what duties our Of
flcers have had to undertake IN municipai
governing. The Provost-Marshal Is mayor;
under him is a department of sanitation, or
Tsoard of Health: a department of law, or
municipal attorney; department. OF city
illumination; department or education;
paymaster's department controlling the
city treasury and all receipts and disburse-
ments: a police department and secret
service bureau; a department OF inspection,
10 which are referred all complaints ana
matters TO be investigated Tor preliminary
renort. the department Of the city engineer:
a department OF licenses, one or pubic
charities. one OF prison records, street
cleaning and disinfecting and fire depart
mcnt and i believe that Is all The de-
partrnent OF internal revenue is insular as
well as municipal. and has eighty-five sub
departments throughout the islands. The
postofffce IS under a civilian head and 1s
subject TO the indirect control of the mill
tary authorities. This list gives some idea
of the component parts OF the old Spanish
system Of city government taken up and
administered by the army. Our officers
have TO do many things outside of what
reasonably may be expected from a soldier.
and In most cases these unexpected duties
have been well performed When speaking
OF the civil work our officers have under
taken. IL should be borne in mind that they
have always acted under superior orders
and that the military system and method
of doing things Is hard and fast and must
be followed; the system and method are
both inadequate and unsatisfactory to COM
merce and business yet they are the only
ones the army may use.
I have written of a very general discon-
tent with the military government Of Mani
Ia because this government was military
fn it's severity. brusqueness and apparent
lack OF consideration. incompetence, bung-
ling. corruption. grievous mistakes and
general delay other features of admin
istration which have added TO the existing
measure OF dissatisfaction In this respect
the most fragrant examples. and conse-
ouently the easiest to get evidence on, are
TO be found in the native police and the
matter OF harb0r transportation and light
erage and the management OF the Manila
Dagupan Railroad
TAXPAYERS GRUMBLE.
As have before said. the fact that those
army officers and civilians to-day admins
tering the several city departments are &C
countable to the military authority alone
makes it impossible for the community at
large to learn what is being done in any
branch of municipal work The taxpayers
OF this city have not even the slim satisfac-
tion of knowing what is done with the
money they are continually paying into
American Golfers IL the community of
Manila were given an accounting as TO the
disposition of insular funds, If the authori-
ties would condescend TO give the people a
budget setting forth what moneys had been
tom imposts there would follow some light
on the interior workings of the governing
authority and the taxpayfng people would
be pleased. To-day they say we nave been
drawing revenue from the islands and this
city for two years, and they who pay this
revenue have no idea what Is done with
their money. And they are beginning &c
question the matter among themselves and
TO wonder at the attitude of secrecy and
mystery maintained on this question by the
authorities. The doings of his superior
arQ 0f NJ soldier.
the doings of the administrators OF a com
munity are of decided concern TO the com
munity administered. If the people were
given a balance sheet Of insular funds they
could determine to their own satisfaction
whether any of this money had been III
spent. The fact that no such accounting
has been made has thrown several city
departments directly or indirectly open te
continued criticism. Were the desired bal
Of corruption to-day made by many might
then be impossible to sustain
THE NATIVE POLICE.
The native police force of Manila com.
prises AIS Fflipinos, including officers. and
they are VIGOROUSLY corrupt in that they
accept money to protect criminals and law
breakers. Gambling is an apparently in
born instinct to every Filinpino, anc
gambling is against Manila's laws. Ye
gambling goes on all over the city apC
TO having paid the police for protection Il
they, in turn be protected from subsequent
police retaliation. Filipino and Spanish
clubs where gambling is the principal pas
time exist openly. and Chinaman run In
Vulnerable fantan games. while policemen
patrol the streets outside their dens.
captain of native police, recently aSSas
sinated in Manila. is openly alleged 10 have
had no other source of income except HI
modest salary; yet he lived In great anu
and ruiz Ear eft a M horse
and more than one mistress and was abb
TO lose several thousand dollars at play II
one night. Here is an authentic example
OF this captains methods; he permitted ;
certain native to run gambling house TO
s. day, but soon raised the price OF pro
lection TO SIS; the gambler declared Their
was no money in the job at the price AM
discontinued his game and his payments
Later the captain raided the supposed
game and was deeply chagrined to find tn
ex-gambler and three friends seated aroun'
a bottle of beer, listening TO music, AM
no signs of gambling. The captain per
ceived a proftless nights work, but, be
ing rich in expedent, he forced the fou
men present to empty their pockets to him
and he thereby carried away a hundre'
and fifty dollars. The next morning h
turned in to the proper authority thirt,
dollars as confiscated by his men at
gambling game. Complaint. against tn
captain was Immediately made and sub
stantiated by very good evidence, but tn
matter was pigeonholed and no actor
taken. Charges of gross corruption an
malfeasance in office were placed agains
this police captain by an American arm,
officer. at that time acting as judge of tn
Inferior Provost Courts; these charge
were also pigeonholed, and the officer pre-
ferring them was transferred to anothe
field OF duty, where he could not prove $
troublesome. The captain in question was
among other things. q most valuable an
efficient officer and could i'll be spared fron
his work. Yet his continued presence i
American employ was a daily example O
corruption under the American administra
ton Of the city, and had It's conseduen