Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-10
A CHAPLAIN'S VIEW
Administration i Affairs ia in Manila
Defended.
GREAT TASK OF CLEANING THE CITY
Morale of thets Amy Has Been
Muchi1mproved.
SOME RECON- DATION s

SOME RECON- DATION
A most energetic defense Of the admin
istration of affairs at Manila Is contained
in report made to the War Department
by Chaplain Charles c. Pierce. This officer
particularly antagonizes the ex-chapiain of
volunteers who has been so severely and
publicly criticising the morals Of the Amer
lean troops in the Philippines. and making
the charge of wholesale intoxcaion and
the enormous increase in number of liquor
drinking saloons in Manila. The chaplain
declares that the figures to the number
of saloons have been perverted: that the
American saloon took the place Of an I'M
told number of native gin shacks. which
dispensed liquid poison with deplorable
effect upon the American troops and that
the substitution of the regimental canteen
has resulted in improvement in the sobrety
of the troops. Chaplain Pierce also speaks
in terms of high praise of the reformati ton
of the critical conditions in Manila it's
cleansing and sanitation, with the resulting
improvement in general health. The text
of this interesting report is as follows:
Complying with your command, 1 have
the honor to present herewith a statement
as to my own personal observations in Ma
Mia along certain lines involving the physi-
cal and moral welfare of our troops.
Il am commanded by you to write, with
out fear or favor have no favor to ask.
general, because. although I have been in
Manila for eighteen months, my work is
there. and desire to return to it. As to
fear, have never known such a feeling in
the army. My treatment has always been
courteous. and I have always been permit
ted to say. freely and frankly, all that I
thought necessary in the matters involving
my legitimate sphere Of work
MY application for service in the Phil
ippines was granted in June, 1893, and on
the 18th Of July ! sailed, as a member of
Gen. Otis expedition arriving in Manila on
the 21st Of August. There being no other
chaplain with our regular forces in that
city at that time, I was assigned to duty
with division. and ordered to serve all the
regular troops assigned to it, 50 far as 1
was able.
On the Firing Lines.
Upon the outbreak of the insurrection,
on the 4th of February, 1 went to the firing
line with the troops and remained there
constantly until ordered by the department
commander to establish bureau OF idenh-
fication in Manila and assume charge of
all matters pertaining to the dead The lat
ter assignment wars made on the 10Th of
March, 1899, and have not yet been re-
Heved from that duty. These matters are
mentioned simply to show that the field of
my observations has been somewhat larger
than usual.
Since my assumption of duty under ths,
latter order l have personally received the
bodies of over go of our soldiers, who have
died from various causes or who have been
killed in battle. 1t has been the work of
my office to insure their Identification wash
their faces for the last time. to see them
robed in clean uniform to drape their
bodies with the flag under whose folds they
served and died. and to See that their burial
was conducted decently and in order.
Cleaning Up Manila.
las to physical conditions in Manila. 1
may say that we found h he city full of filth
and pestilence-breeding. A marvellous work
in the line Of sanitation has already been
accomplished. not~anly fhe surgeons but all
other officers working tremendously and
vigorously to this end. The Introduction of
pure drinking water, the removal of garb-
age and decaying vegetation, the cleaning
OF the streets, well as the adoption Of
quarantine in cases of infectious disease
have resulted in large diminutfon of the
SICK list; while the concern of the officers
Tor their men, and the work of the medical
corps I'm many cases seemingly miraculous)
nave caused us to have a death rate that is
very small. when compared with many
cities In the United States I look to see
the time when the smallpox plague which
mas heretofore been pest of annual vista
ton. will be almost completely eradcsted
by the persistent measures of our people
In no previous campaign in the world have
such earnest measures been resorted to- to
insure the Identification Of the soldier dead
30 that their bodies might be returned with.
out mistake to their families for burial at
nome. in case such were desired l can
testify to the very great solicitation mani
tested upon this point alike by the then
chief surgeon. Col. Lippincott, and by Gen.
Otis himself. The labors imposed upon my
once by them We're vastly lightened by re-
moving me from all unnecessary military
restrictions and by the granting of every
TtaSOndDle request. To them the
OF our nation owe debt Of gratitude for
their thoughtfulness in this regard.
saloon Better Than Its Predecessor.
las to matters of moral import. 1 have
been panied to note in many alleged inter-
views IN newspapers disposition to give to
the facts but partial publication. l have
read the statement that but two saloons ex-
listed in Manila at the time of its occupa-
ton by the Americans. AS first saw that
city. only eight days later. I can say that
this figure is too small and, although it is
a fact that more public saloons exist today,
IL Is also true that there are not many of
them as to involve net increase in the
number of places in Manila where liquor
may be procured, but. on the contrary, a
diminution. The truth is land 1 have not
yet seen a statement of this fact in any
newspaper purporting to give an interview
with persons who have returned from
there? that the American saloon has su-
w
perseded is most important question In
this interesting controversy. When l first
saw Manila, the streets were practically
lined with little nipa huts. perhaps about
twelve feet square. In which the natives
We're selling at merely nominal price, not
only fruit and tobacco, but also native GIN
These gin shacks'' should certainly be in
Guided in the number of drinking places ex-
listing at the beginning; their number was
very large The character of this native
drink was so frey and vIllainous that its
deplorable.
1T became my duty to bury two soldiers
who never recovered from the effect of
drinking 1t. One of them had been in the
service about eighteen years, and received
from his officers, in personal conversation
with me. commentator so flattering with
regard to his character for sobriety and
soldieriy honor that it might be coveted by
any man. He had never been a drunkari
but this native poison Was so viruleni In its
erect that he became maddened, and lin