Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-11-02
PRINCIPAL STREET IN AGANA.

PRINCIPAL STREET IN AGANA.
Great Britain the copra sells for S75
per ton. in gold.
Guam is the most southerly of the
Mariana islands. They are between
the thirteenth and twentieth degrees
CT north latitude, and were first dis
covered by Magellan, March 6. 1871.
All of them are volcanic at times. and
are supposed to be of volcanic origin.
At Umnta there is an excellent har-
Dor, and there the Spanish governor
of the island for many years dwelt
in a palace. This palace ana church
We're destroyed by an earthquake. The
palace was never rebuilt, but there is
beautiful new church with stone
slab bearing the inscription Gin Span
ish): This church was destroyed Jan
uary %, 1S49, by great earthquake,
and was rebuilt the same year, Don
Pablo Perez being governor at the
time"
In 1865, almost $50 years ago, Spain
devastated this beautiful island. just
as, in 1s97-oS. she was devastating Gu
ba. Fire and sword and starvation
and torture did their deadly work.
The nations of the world knew not
what was going on, or else We're in
different. But, just as Weyler was bru-
tally and ruthlessly destroying the
population of Cuba few years ago,
Spanish soldiers completely wiped out
the population of Guam. There was
a "Christian mission" established, and
the natives were burdened and out
ragged until they arose in rebellion.
That was in 1865. When Dampier
came there 90 years later he found
very few inhabitants. "The whole is
land was in the possession of wild
hogs and cattle, and a few nude hui
man beings,
This one incident shows that Span
ish policy in Cuba in the nineteenth
century was precisely the same as it
had been in the remote centuries. 1t
is said by some Spanish writer's that
Guam had upwards of 10000 inhabit-
ants when the work of devastation be-
gan. Before killing these natives the
"Christian mission" officially reported
that $4,000 of them had been baptized
and 10000 converted. Glorious work
for Spain, wasn't it?
Excepting the months of August and
September, the climate of Guam and
the other Mariana islands is agree
able. For two months the heat is in
tense. because the trade winds are
interrupted. For the remainder of the
year it rains, more or less. every day.
This is because the enormous evapo-
ration of the Pacific ocean is con-
densed in passing over the archipel-
ago. But the general temperature is
mild and much cooler than that of the
Philippines.
This government has decided to es-
tablish a naval base at Guam. and the
navy department is already making
Guam is a natural stopping place for
our war and merchant ships for wa
ter, fresh provisions and coal. For
that purpose Spain utilized the island
for centuries.
This is, in brief, the history and
present condition of the island of
Guam, a tropical possession of this
republic, which for centuries was I'M
der Spanish dominion, and, hence, I'M
der Spanish misrule. Gen. Wheeler
says that the natives received him
very cordially. "They had large Unit
ed States flags, fired guns and rang
bells of welcome, add entertained us
with a very good dinner in their best
public houses"
They are glad to be rid of Spanish
domination. What shall we do with
them? What shall we do for them?
That is what all of our people are
asking That we shall perform our
duty in the rays of Christian enlight-
eminent nobody can doubt. How that
duty shall be performed will be de-
termined by our great people, through
their chosen national representatives,
under the guidance of Omnipotence,
omniscience and that understandable
love which marks the sparrow's fall.
SMITH D. FRY,
Minds His Own Buxiness
The press censor should he a modal