Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-18


among the people. But Is 1t honest Tor
Judge Parker to Hold the government re-
sponstble for an act of Providence. Last
year. however prosperity was restored and
at the present date there is no spot on
earth where the agricultural population Is
In better condition than in the Philippine
Islands. The only difficulty is the lack
Of labor 1t is impossible for farmers or
other employers to obtain the help they
need although wages are three and In some
cases four. times as high as they were pc
clamoring for Chinese coolies. who are
prohibited from seeking employment IN the
Philippine Island, under, the same exclusion
laws that prevail in the--United States
No 3. 1.-THE country is overburdened with
taxation; disease IS prevalent and the farm
animals are dead
The rate of taxation win average 30 per
cent lower than under Spanish domination,
but under American rule taxes are collected
from everybody impartially Formerly
those who had "pulf' or were disposed to
bride the collectors evaded payment, while
others were compelled to pay the last
penny. The revenues therefore are three
and four times as large as they ever were.
Since the enforcement of sanitary laws and
regulations the construction of sewers. and
the purification of the water supply, the
death rate has been decreased 30 per cent.
1t is true that more than half the farm ami
mails in the Philippines died from the plague
during the great drought of 1902, but is 1t
honest for Judge Parker to charge that
No. 4. Whole districts are in the hands
Of ladrones."
Ladrones are highwaymen: freebooters,
who live In gangs in the woods. raid the
settlements and blackmail the planters. In
Spanish times they used to flourish but
under the vigorous and vigilant operation
OF the native constabulary have practically
exterminated them, and the Philippine Is
United States
No. 5. 1.-The price of products is poor and
unremunerati tive"
Any person interested in the details on
TINS point can obtain the quotations on
Philippine staples, such as hemp. tobacco,
sugar, cobra and rice from any commission
house, where Judge Parker could have Sc
cured accurate information If he had placed
any value upon his word He ought to
know that prices of agricultural products
are not fixed in Manila but in the great
markets of the world
NO. q. Public opinion has no free ex-
presslon; newspapers are bought up or are
browbeaten into silence"
Inc EDITORS of the Manila American. the
Cdple news, the Times, the Sunday Sun
anu otner newspapers published in Manila
VIII smile when they read that. They diff
Ter IN opinion as to the merits of the men
ana the wisdom of the polio, Of the admin
istratlon. Some of the papers support it
ana some oppose 1t, and the latter lambaste
a ene o1cials with an energy that is un-
equaied In any editorial room in the world
BEFORE Judge Parker made such a prepos-
ferrous assertion he should have examined
a file of the Manila Times or the Sunday
gun; me editors of those papers have
good ground for libel suit against him.
Inc criticisms of the administration
winch appear daily in the Manila papers
OFTEN bitter and violent are almost without
the natives; for doing exactly what Judge
Parker says 1t has not done: for giving the
F1lipinos too much self government: for
promising them independence and for ap-
poln.ing SO many natives to office. Every
governor OF every province, every mayor OF
every town except Manila, and almost
every provincial and municipal official is
native Filipino, more than 5000 natives are
on the pay rolls, and IT Is the opinion or
the newspapers of Manila, both democratic
ana republican, and of every foreigner
european and American. that "our little
brown brother" already has about as much
independence and self-government as he
can stand. 1t is. a little provoking for
Judge Taft and hts successors to be con-
demned in this country for giving the
natives too small a share in the govern
ment' and In the Philippines for giving
them too much.
Censorship.
No. Z. plays produced in the theaters
are censured." J
There is no censorship whatever in the
Philippine Islands, and there has been none
since civil government was established.
Somebody has evidently been telling Judge
Parker about the suppression of q pIav
based upon incidents in the Instruction in
which the United States flag was pulled
down by the actors In very dramatic
manner, torn into pieces and trampIed
upon. The play was not presented but
once. If the police had not prohibited a
second production the theater and the
actors would have been torn to pieces by
mob of indignant soldiers and citizens,
who had organized for that purpose. To
satisfy public ciamor Senior Tolentino the
author, was arrested. He was released
under bonds, but jumped his bail and ran
away. He afterwards fell in with Ricarte,
the supreme chief of the national demo-
cratic republic of the Philippine Islands"
and prepared his proclamations and con-
Quoted his correspondence, for Ricarte can
not read or write Both of these gentle
men are now in the penitentiary.
No. 8. Detectives appear in the guise of
servants, and the oath of a single one is
enough to destroy a mans reputation.
property. liberty or even life itself"
When / left Manila last summer there
had been four trials for sedition since the
establishment of the civil government the
latest, in which Dr. Gomez, editor of a ma
tive newspaper, was defendant, having last
ed four months and he was acquitted upon
technicalities One hundred and siXty-six
people had been convicted of what may be
termed political offenses, including the de-
luded victims of the Hong-Kong junta and
other reasonable organizations; and thirty
three persons had suffered the capital pen
atty, each case having been carefully re-
viewed by the supreme court. Their crimes
were murder, arson, rape and highway rob-
berry. There are two detective organiza-
tons; one connected with the city police,
which works within the municipal limits.
The other connected with the constabulary,
works In the rural districts. American,
Spanish and native detectives are employed.
Their methods are exactly the same, and
the weight Of their testimony in court is
similar to that of the police of New York
or any other city. Bishop Brent of the
Episcopal Church, in an interview with me
published last June. said: Manila is COM
paratively free from crime. disorder and
drunkenness Few cities of the size are so
well governed or are SO free from saloons
or vicious classes. There is a surprisingly
small amount of crime and vice..
Influence Of the United States.
No. o. Judge Parker himself declares that
1.-The islands remain today utterly untouched
for any good" that the United States might
have done for them
This is a, most extraordinary statement
for an American citizen to make 1t can
only be accounted for by ignorance, malice
or prejudice. Does Judge Parker see no
good In the establishment of 1000 schools
and the education of more than 100000
children? Does he realize the value of the
public improvements that have been made,
the new harbors at Manila which have cost