The National tribune., 1902-06-19

the placing Of the police work of the city
entirely in the hands of the soldiers.
A Major Of the Minnesotas was made
Chief of Police, and details from the Min
nesotas, Oregons and 23d Inf. performed
patrol duty in the walled city, while the
bulk of the Minnesotas did the same duty
in other sections of the city, aided in
various districts by details from other regi-
ments. The three regiments named con-
stituted the provost guard, under the com
mand to Gen. Hughes.
The loss of the services Of the "Guardia
Civil was at once severely felt. Ignorant
Of the ways Of the Filipinos, how to ap-
prehend or discover offenders, the Ameri-
cans were unable to guard the city against
ordinary crime half as efficiently as had
these native policemen. Thefts without
number and occasional murders were COM
mitted, and the soldier policemen were
helpless to catch or punish their perpetra-
tors. The natives plotted without hind
rance against the Americans. They came
and went at will, and laughed at the sim
plicity Of the big blockheads from across
the ocean. The only body Of natives who
could have been Of service at all had been
disbanded and their offers Of service de-
clined. Even when the war with Aguin-
aldo broke out the frequently proffered
assistance Of the Macabebes was declined,
until at last the fatuous policy of refusing
this most efficient aid was reversed and
an organization Of Macabebe scouts was
effected.
What has since been accomplished by
the aid Of these Macabebes, the fire.
quent accounts Of their deeds have given
us some idea. Why their services were
SO long despised by the powers that were
is one Of the mysteries.
THE CROOKED AND FILTHY STREETS.
The streets Of Manila are narrow, much
narrower than they seem, because of the
buildings being not more than two stories
high, and are with few exceptions of n
sinuous nature, full of gentle turns and
| abrupt angles. Because of the arms of
the river that branched off and divided
the city into numerous districts, travel
is congested into a few thorOughfares
where bridges cross these sloughs. This
often made it necessary to go long dis
lance out Of the direct way to get from
one section to another, and made the work
Of the police more difficult. Subpolice
stations were established in the different
portions Of the city, and patrolling was
done with those as a basis. In the walled
citT, where our regiment was stationed,
| the streets were also quite irregular, but
NO. SO much SO as in the native portion of
the town; but there were short alleys and
streets, ruins Of old buildings, rendered
habitable with roofngs of bamboo mat
ting and nipa, interior courts apprOachable
| only when the heavy doors were unbarred,
and mysterious passages and cellars with
in the heavy stone churches and walls
surrounding them and the residences of
the Friars. All these had to be nosed out
! literally and purified.
Language within the limits of decency
in print fails utterly to depict the filthy
| conditions Of Manila, especially the walled
city, where lived the soldiers and SO many
Spanish civilians. They were not guilty
simply Of the sin Of omission to clean
up, but Of the far greater sin of actual
and deliberate commission of needlessly
filthy and diseasebreeding deeds. The
sewerage system was poor.
Manila stands oil a fiat of sand right
at the waters edge, and the highest point
in the city proper is, / understand, but
three feet above the level of the bay. With
no system of flushing sewers, the sluggish
condition Of them under such circum-
stances may be imagined. But reason
able care Of them and use of them would
have ayerted the horrible condition in
which we found the city. That was ap-
parently something the Spaniards took no
thought about. Water-closets were few
and vile, and Large portion of the popu-
lation seemed not to care whether there
were any at all. The open places, plazas,
and even the public streets were used with
] little regard for decency, either in the re-
suit produced or the spectacle presented.
How long this had been going on we did
not know, but it appeared to be generally
acquIesced in as recognized custom. OF
course, matters became worse for q few
days, owing to the penning up of so many
| soldiers in the churches where closet faci-
lities for them did not exist. Neither they
nor their officers made tho faintest effort