The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-29
THE REGENERATIoN OF GUAM.

THE REGENERA ALTON OF GUAM.
Capt Dick" Leary of the navy, now
officially known as Gov. Richard Leary
of the Island of Guam T. S. A, is what
might be called a high-pressure reformer.
He is several thousand miles away from
a cable, and the only means of communi-
eating with him from Washington is by
the slow method of the mails on steam
ships en- route TO or from Manila It thus
occurs that the reforms instituted by Gov.
Leary are not, and cannot be, interfered
with by the powers at Washington at
least until they have had a trial
capt. Leary has been used to the discfp-
pine of the navy, where the officer in
command might toss a biscuit beyond the
limit of his domain. The limitations. of
Guam are not very much more extensive,
hence, probably, Capt Leary concluded
that a taste of navy regulations would
be a good thing for the island. Up
on his arrival on the little dot in the
ocean he found the natives addicted TO
drunkenness, and almost utterly oblivious
TO the existence of any such thing as a
code of morals. They were polygamous,
without the formality of the marriage GER
emony, and generally careless as to the
ways of the world. But withal they were
very religious. especially in the matter OF
celebrating holidays. Whenever saints
day occurred-and they occurred several
times week-it would be impossible TO
get a native to do any work. Every
man Jack of the population would declare
it to be his religious duty to properly ceie-
brate the holy day, the chief features of
which celebration seemed to consist of
loafng and getting drunk
one of Capt. Leary's first official acts
upon taking charge of Guam was TO issue
an edict against drunkenness. Drunk
enness is the chief source of air crime in
the island and must and shall cease"
was what he said And he meant
it. 1t was autocratic. 1t abridged
the personal privilege of which
we hear so much from time to time
but n went" as the saying is in the YER
naeular. Next he abolished polygamy in
language equally concise and forceful.
That was another blow at personal liberty,
and was much resented by some o. the
islanders. Then he cut down the numb,
of public holidays, or feast days of the
church to be observed publicly. This was
without infringing upon the right of the
church TO hold many feasts as it pleas
ed; it was merely an order saying that
church feasts must be observed in The
church. and not regarded as public Holt
days The number of holidays to be call
ed legal he limited to those provided for
under the laws of the United States. He
found the natives improvdent and given
to Hitting their transfers of land TO suca
an extent that il was often impossible TO
tell 10 whom a certain tract of land be-
longed. To meet these conditions he is
sued an order restricting the amount of
native products which might be sod 10
ships and forbidding transfers OF land
without the sanction of the government
himself In short, Capt Leary has set up
a government which, for paterna.ism, Is
probably not surpassed, If equaled, any
where. Nevertheless what he has done
seems to be strictly in line with the civil
ization which we call American. with his
limited territory he is in position TO
bring about a lightning-express regenera-
ton of the moral and material condition
of his subjects" and it seems that he
has determined 10 do il.