The sun., 1901-03-17

ever, but presently were rescued by marines
from the Oregon who had landed NJ NHnh' .
q port on the northwestern coast OF LuHon
Aside from the personal interest OF the narra-
tive we find In It some useful information
regarding he state Of things In the Interior
II Ia these irst-hand observations TO whlch
We would here direct attention
In the authors opinion. the cause of the
weakness exhibited by the insurgents when
they are brought in contact with our soldiers
Ia due to the scarcity and poor quality OF Their
reflled ammunition. combined as this IL WIN
inferior craftsmanship That they are cow
ards or even less CONTAGIOUS than the Amerl-
cans, Is pronounced untrue. for the reason
that they sometimes stand until hall their
number are shot down and until all their am
muni,ion Ia gone. well knowing all the time
that the odds are tremendously against them
Mr. Sonnichsen was told that often the powder
In their cartridges Ia so poor that 1t Will throw
tho bullet no further than a few yards beyond
the muzzles Of their guns
The natives assured Mr.. Sonnichsen that
under the American Administrator tho taxes
were double what they had been formerly
| Nevertheless. a native clerk in the employ
OF the American Government receives at
the utmost ten American dollars month
The author Of this book himsef has seen
| the rates Of licenses established by our MILL
tary authorities il appears that grocery
store was tax cd so pesos month. Rents are
| raised TO treble their former standard because
American officers do not hesitate 70 pay
so pesos Of $40 gold for n house for which a
native would pay only thirty. The result is
| tn at those members Of a Filipino community
who formerly rented wooden habtations
l., hut AcCor1pp %
! MIR Sonnichsen many Of the natives are dis
| appointed by the economical effects or the
American occupation One Of them said 10
| him. Our language and customs are differ
ent from yours and the American officers
| do not, and never will understand US. They
| say that we cannot rule ourselves, bnt we
were better satisfied during the year OF self
government we had than now. Even " the
! TagaloRs are In the asccndenCy, they are ht
| least Of our own race, and understand us better
| than your Senators in Washington. HOW
| can we be well governed by men who have
! never even seen a Filipino No DOUBT
! similar complaints wero heard from Spanish
| and French residents OF New orleans for some
| time after our annexation of Louisiana
on the whole. the experiences Of this pris-
! oner disposed him 10 take favorable view
! Of the Filipino character Il have gone
| through he says much hardship. and even
much suffering, in that land. but. when |
| compare my experiences pith that Of others
! in similar situations during our own civil
| war. saw az Andersonville in the South or at
! Rock Island in the North. my resentment
| vanshes Had been prisoners or the
| Spanish or OF the French would wa have
, Jared better? | think not. And agalh;
| Considering the circumstanc the poverty
! OF those who held us in confinement them
selves sometimes starving. we ought not 10
| complain Those who really have come IN
sufcicntlv close contact with the Filpnos
10 know them and nre able TO Judge them
without racial or national prejudice. cnnnot
but admit that they are as entitled to be called
civilized as are many other nations. and even
more 80 than are some whose representatives
we receive at our capital. and TO whom We 40
cord the same honors as we pay to those OF
the most polished nations. Considering the
chances they have had. or rather. not had
and who their teachers we're, the Fillplnos
have certainly behaved as well, II not better.
toward their prisoners than other nations
have done in recent wars
From all that he could learn during his
moro or less intimate association with the
Fihpnos, MIR. SonniChsen 10 convinced that.
had spain been willing 20 abolish the monss-
tic corporations as political institutions
and left only the secular clergy 10 discharge
ecclesiastical functions. the Flipinos would
no- only have remained faithful 10 Spain.
bur would have fought side by side with the
SPANS soldiers against the American In
yaders When Aguinaldo in 1897 accepted
ths treaty or agreement OF Biacnavato II
was stipulated that the monastic corr ora
tions should he aboli shed. but II Ia well known
that the promise was broken and the friars
und sturbed.
According 70 Mr. Sonnohsen not only
do the Tegalogs hate the friars, but all tho
other natives OF l.uzon. whether Iloconos.
Macabobes or Mesti2os. and even the Spanish
soldiers regard them as birds OF prey The
stories | have heard Of their cruelty and
trickery would IN volumes and make a
fitting parallel 20 the records of the Spanish
InuuisItion From nobody, not even the
SPANISH officers. have | heard a word in their
defence, and the native secular clergy unite
in calling them oily hy ypocrItes and tvrants.
here were Of course exceptions, Tor once
| noard ofa good frar who lived in a small
provincial town and who. as 'cura,' ruled
his mock with sympathy and love until he
died The irlars arc mostly OF tho FRAN
ciscan, Rcconet Aueustnan and Jesuit
observers in testifying that the Filipinos
are less hostile TO the Jesuits than 20 tho others
THE Jesuits have founded schools and done
less harm The ReCollets seem TO be the
most hated ! have had men show me Grip
pled limbs caused by the friars b. torture
inflicted in underground chambers In order
10 force their victims to reveal the hiding
place Of insurgeut refugees, Another showed
me scars ON the socS of his feet whore the
frars had tortured him hy placing burning
candles To the bare flesh. | have myself
entered secret chambers under their con-
vents and seen hideous instruments OF tor
ture have spoken 10 men returning from
years Of exilo IN Fernando Po to find parents
md relatives dead, from whose embraces
they had been torn for rroyoking the
pnmity Of tho village Cnra." In footnoto
the author adds Il have seen and visited
n secret underground passageway from tho
R.snop's palncc IN yiEan TO noighboring
uunnery but have learned that this has
since been Glled in by the Americans These
suhterranean passages were said 10 exist in
other places
~. Ioui-
The latest addition 90 tho Heroes ~ the
Nation" series In course of publication by
b the putunm- Is biography Of Louis IN OF