Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-02-14
LETTER FROM WILL HAMILTON.
What the Soldiers at the Front Think
Of Bryan.

| ItCtlpb VI bNO vi your HlOSt valuable
and welcome letters of Aug 18th and
Oct. Oath which arrived last Thursday
Your letters found our company bach
in Jolo, being relived at Bongao, oul
old former station where we spent the
last six months, by H company of the
23rd. ID and b companies are up in
the northern end of Minandnao island
waiting for the campaign to commence
as the natives are little troublesome
up there at the present time. A com
pany is at Siassi, relieving E company.
There is only four companies here now
but nearly as many men as when there
was six companies of the original size.
There is nearly 800 men here and we
mount large guard every morning,
twenty men to the company.
The natives are quiet here, molestipe
no one but themselves which they
always did and always will do. The
native children in and around Jolo are
learningto speak the American Ian
guage quite well. L was surprised
when came back from Bongao to see
how fast they had learned. When we
left, the school house, which is OF
native style, was just completed and
now they con both read and write fairly
we'll, also speak defamation. The
Philippines can learn rapidly and are
smart and industrious if given chance,
but can not accomplish much. There
| is as much contrast between the Philip
pinos and the Moros as their is between
the Americans and the Philippines. II
it was not for Bryan and some of his
supposed democratic friends this ac-
cursed insurrection would not be on.
Bryan has been curse to our nation
ever since his name came into existeDc CT
in the fields of politics. In the Philip
pine campaign he has been the cause
of thousands of lives going TO their
death by the horrors of war through
the encouragement that if he was
elected he would give them their liber-
ty which only prolongs the insurrection,
causing blood to be shed every day
that need not be shed at all l con-
slider man of that description traitor
to his country of the deepest dye. If h.
thinks that his nation is not doing righl
he should not throw his issues broad.
cast in all parts of the globe making
his nation subject to international COM
ment and criticism the way Byran has
ours. The people here have more
liberty and rights now than they ever
had before since the race sprung into
existence and how can they expect good
treatment when they carry on such a
cruel heathenish warfare? They have
never given the U S. chance to see
what il would do so they will have to
suffer the consequences.
A few of the Philippines are be-
ginning to realize that the Americans
are here for their benefit and are willing
to help them all they can. For in
stance here in the Sulu archipelago,
our government has done more for the
natives of this group in one year than
the Spanish did in century for we are
learning them to read and write and
are getting quite industrious in the
poultry and gardening business as the
army pays them good price for their
poultry, eggs and vegetables, also
hlring all they can to do work which
they are capable of doing. The Span
ish used to hire them, payiny 33t cents
Mexican day, docking them for every
hour they lost on account of rain. Our
government pays them so cents Mexi-
can day, seven days out of the week,
not docking them for minute if they
do not have work for them to do.
There is gang hired that does nothing
but sweep streets, while another car
ries off the swill and trash that ac-
cumulates from each company, also
another to keep the sewers in repair
and do the white washing of the walls
and keep the bitches open. They will
never make war against our govern
ment as they are too shrewd for that.
Down at Bongao and adjoining islands
the inhabitants are pirates who have
always made it troublesome for COM
merce until the American troops took
possession. We have never been called
out but once and that was on account
of them trying to seize a German
steamer of about 10000 tons capacity
from Singapore to Jolo. They have
great greed for gold or currency of any
kind whose value they understand.
Our paper money, you can not give it
to them but il they get hold of gold
piece it will never be seen again as
they will make rings or buttons out of
it, Nearly all of the Mexican ten cent
pieces have holes punched in them
from using them for buttons but when
they get hard up they cut them off.
The most use they have for money is
at the cock pit where they will gamble
the last cent they have and even their
wives on rooster. As their food
costs them nothing and clothing they
do not need, that is the only way they
can get enjoyment out of their money
and they sure delight in receiving it
that way. 1t is quite amusing to see
them pick mp piece of ice as they drop
it as though it was red hot iron. We
have an ice plant here of fair size
enough ice for the town and
companies. We drink nothing but ice
water all the time. There are several
restaurants and ice cream stands here
run by the Philippines but they do not
make ice cream like we have in the
states although it is good taking into
consideration what they have to make
it out of for they have nothing but
milk. The favoring con-
sists of few bananas beat up in the
milk. At the present writing they are
moving s-Bus, native village lying
to the east of Jolo, which is large
village built out over the water, on the
west side OF Jolo over the water in
front of Tuli.
They are going to burn old Bus Bus
as the Major thinks that it will be
better for the health of the garrison as
they have stood 80 long that they are
nothing but generators of disease.
A few weeks ago some of the boys went
over to our adjoining island which we