Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-01-10
The Manila Salary List.

Several of the Republican congress
men have improved their vacations by
visiting the Philippines and studying the
situation there in order to be able to act
intelligently in regard to them. One of
them, a Republican, has returned to
Washington with list Of the salaries
paid the civil officials who have been
appointed to administer justice and dis
pense our brand of freedom to the natives
at Manila. This roll carries 4606 names
of Americans and Filipinos, who draw
an aggregate annual stipend from the
government of $3,0S6, $3.50. OF these 2044
are Americans, whose yearly compen-
satiOn fOOts up $2,2S0,O44. There are
1862 Filipinos, all with few exceptions
occupying minor places, which yield Il
total of $S06,945 to the incumbents.
Following is list Of some of the SAL
aries paid to civilian officers Governor
Taft, president of commission. 500, 900 !;
each of four commissioners, SIS 900; Sec
rotary to the commission, $500; chief
Justice, Filipino, $500; six justices,
two of them Filipinos, $1,000; treasurer :;
$4,000; auditor, $4,000; collector of GUS
toms, $4,000; head of departments of
post. $4,000: chief of education bureau,
$4,000; chief of health bureau, $4,000 !;
attorney-general, $500.
Up to September last Governor Taft
was receiving $4,000 annually and SIS
per diem. After that date his salary
was fixed at $4,000 year as commission
er and 1000 additional as the head Of
IA bureau. His other colleagues on the
commission also are paid $4,000 year as
members of the commission and $4,000
more each as heads of bureaus. Their
compensation therefore is $1,000 an
nually.
But while the concensus of opinion
from the congressional visitors is that
Gov. Taft earns all he receives from the
government, the other members of the
commission are practically enjoying sim
ecures. Worcester is said to be drawing
his salary chiefly for writing about
bugs. Moses is nominally the head of
the education bureau, but the man who
does the work 10 F. NJ. Atkinson, for
merly of Boston, now superintendent of
education at $4,000 a year. The expense
of the military establishment in the
Philippines Is not included in the above
figures.
This horde of officials is all stationed
at Manila. How many others are billet
ed upon the other large towns of Luzon
we do not know, but if we assume there
dIc uOut, the NIL pONcTty-StTlCh-
en- natives to whom dollar means more
than ten dollars does to the people of
this country are obliged to pay three
millions annually as compensation to the
autocratic rulers who have been placed
over them without their consent and in
spite of their protest, which Is quite as
bad as anything Spain ever did in that
line.
We know some of these gentlemen
who are taking to themselves $4,000 or
$1,000 each for their services at Manila.
Several of them went from New Hamp-
shire, where they never saw year in
which they earned $500. Indeed, they
went east because they could not earn
comfortable living In these parts. TO
state 1t Just as it is, they are adventur-
ers, such as always follow the flag"
when a nation cOnquers and takes to
itself far-away colony; no better and
no worse than England, Spain and Ger
many have always employed as agents
In their imperialism.
And yet, we wonder at the ingratitude
of the Fillpinos at their lack of apprec-
alton of our efforts to give them good
government; at their resistance to our
rule, which makes 1t necessary to keep
an army of 10000 men among them
to protect the 5000 salary eaters we have
appointed to rule over them in single
city less than three times as large as
Manchester, and to compel them to pay
the salaries which these foreign rulers
take.