The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-14

7"Ihdl ...'....t. t.'''.'....'s 'VU
Guardian OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 500
Asin ......ts........ ........... A0O
Nerzu ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 500
Iwuta ......... ............. 200
Practically there is according to this
no widespread country population, and
the report itself shows that there is
nothing done i'm the interior of the ISL
and. The population practically nlbble
round the wood lands. But this is ex-
actIy what it might expect from the
Spanish system. The Spanish system
was a religious system, and the mo-
ment a religious system takes posses
sion of a people it is doomed. 1t may
rise to great power, as did the Aztec
system, the Egyptian system the Ma
hometan system, but each and every
one bore the seeds Of decay in its
womb. Spain adopted the same sys-
tenn, rose fourished, Haunted and fail
ed What has Spain now? Nothing.
The only industry of Guam, which
rises to consequence is the production
and expectation of copra an industry
which the Hawaiian Island are too far
too busy in other ways to attend, 1t
may be fairly said that any Island
which claims copra for it's industry is
inhabited by people who are too lazy
! tC work for an honest living. Copra
preparation is the refuge of the indo-
lent.
The road question is a serious one.
The roads in Guam are very bad. There
are only two great nations which have
devoted their minds to roads, those
are the Romans and the British. The
Roman roads were the path ways for
centuries of petty European armies,
and were the only available highways
of commerce, which was very much to
the general interest. What the Roman
did centuries ago, the British have TAX
er up, and whatever their faults may
be, whatever this haughtiness of char
acter, and insular pride, when they get
hold of a country they straightway
make good roads. Roads are the ar
teries of a commercial and an agricul-
tural people and the progressive ma
lions pay the greatest attention to
them.
In the United States it cannot be said
that the road question is properly con-
sidered. That it viii be considered,
and that it will be improved in as GER
tain as that the United States is bound,
r,, , +i,,,, TO 51.r,,iro TO tl,s v-1,ola oor,-
mercial earth, There are great reforms
coming in certain directions, but such
reforms will be slow in action.
Returning to Guam, it is a primitive
kind of an Island and food must be
cheap. A teacher at Umata, the village
of 200 inhabitants received as his pay
three pezos per month. This is equiva-
lent to theimperial salary of $1.5O every
month or SIS per year. OF course if you
pay such a salary you get an equiva-
lent equal to your salary. The salary
was to be increased and become six
pezos, which would give $36 per year.
A rise of a hundred per cent must have
made the Guam school masters eyes
nearly bulge out of his head. OF
course this should be understood. The
Guam school master mentioned was not
a priest He was merely a layman.
Had he been a priest his pay would
have been very much larger. 1t is from
men like these that we can understand
the conditions we have to rectify.
There is one thing in General Wheel
as follows:
In 1873 it was stated that in the
| southwest part of Guam, the people
were much afflicted with leprOsy, but
this afhiction seems now to be less
than formerly. When the Spaniards
left there were six lepers in the leper
hospital at Asan; all but one Of these
We're allowed to leave, and are supposed
to be scattered over the Island. l saw
one man at Mario who had the APP
peaTance of a leper, and at Page l met
a man who was a pronounced leper.'
If such is the case Guam is some
what carelessly governed, the authori-
ties not knowing their responsibilities
and danger. Any importations Of peo-
pie from Guam should be carefully ex-
amined by the federal and territorial
physicians.
Guam is a small place, but it presents
many curious problems. Upon the men
who are put in charge depends the sue
cess of the little colony We have had
good men out there and the hope is
that we shall always have them. Those
who have been there have been singu-
larly well chosen, but at the same time
they have done some singular things.
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