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

dering why a big cold storage plant for
army use, now in course OF construction
at Manila, should be paid for out of Philip
pine funds.
There has been much complaint of the
department of the city veterinary bureau,
which also controls the quarantining and
lately was head OF this department has
been tried in the Superior Provost Court
indirectly charged with completely In a dis,
honest horse deal The court acquitted
him, but the man in question almost imme-
diately left the islands.
Perhaps the most profitable of the smaller
municipal industries is the slaughter house.
IL costs the city $4,000 (Mexican) a year
to operate this institution, which takes In
by slaughter fees $1,000 year Here Is
an unreasonable profit of COO per cent. levied
on n necessity Of daily life. namely, the
consumption of meat.
The Board of Health started a crusade
against the manufacturers of adulterated
and impure liquors Every distlllery IN the
city with the exception of one was closed
up and the owners disciplined. The dis
tiller whose business was not molested is
almost as prime favorite with the powers
that be to-day as he was with the former
Otis regime, and the fact that he was al
lowed to run his distilIery night and day,
thus making large profits while his COM
petitors were forced by the authorities to
be idle. created much discomfort. No one
ever advanced the argument that the Ia
vored mans liquors were better or purer
than any ones else. and IL was only by
constant and persistent reference TO the
showing favoritism that the counsel Tor
the manufacturers of Objectionable liquors
obtained for his clients a modified and rea-
sonable sentence. The officer on the Board
of Health who energetically conducted
the prosecutions against these distillers
and who wanted no distinction made be-
tween A and has since been relieved from
duty and sent home.
CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED.
Then there was the matter of the control
of the Manila-Dagupan railroad when in
military hands This is an old story, how
ever, as several months ago this railroad
was handed back to the owners, who now
operate it, The railroad was not we'll man.
aged and was fruitful source of incomes.
small and large. to the Americans directly
connected with it's operation.
Charges have been made against the adj
ministration OF the Manila Department of
| Licenses I believe these charges were
| filed first at Washington, and from Wash
ington they were referred to the military
| Governor here, and by this last authority
| they were forwarded to the office of the
| provost marshal This was several months
ago, and there has yet been no investiga-
| ton into the department in question.
All these things, familiar te the people of
| this city, tend to create dissatisfaction with
| American rule, and q certain class of Fill
| ipinos are not slow to fasten upon each
and every mistake our authorities have
/, made and use IL 10 dfscredit. among their
talked-of good and clean government. A
| collection of facts like these here set down
constitute powerful feature of agitation
1 against our control, and there are plenty
of Filipinos smart enough and vindictivc
| enough to use them for all there is in
| them.
And in view OF the foregoing. Manila
locks forward hopefully to what the COM
| mission may do in this matter The
| commission will probably first establish
municipalities in cities other than Manila,
/ and later bring the result of the expert
| ence thus gained to the bigger problem
| OF the Philippine capital
1t is the purpose of the civil COM
| mission to establish an excellent, effective
/ and honest civil service in these islands,
| and such q service will greatly aid the
| commission in its most important work
OF inauguratipg good municipal gov
| eminent in Ssanila. The heads of the
| various municipal departments will event
| ually be drawn from this civil corps
| No good man will take up a depart
| ment of city work without learning how
| that department has been run in the
| past and how it is being administered al
| the time he assumes control. When the
| city departments do pass from military
| to civil control there will probably follow
| as a result of the acceptance of responsi.
bility by new men, public understanding
| and light on how the army has admins
| tered the municipality of Manila.