Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-08
MANILA IS ORDERLY
Few Cities of Its Size So Free
From Crime.
DRUNKEN MEN RARE
ISLANDERS OF THE CITY ORIGI-
NATE WITH UNINFoRMED.
Undoubtedly Much Unnecessary
Drinking-The Number of Saloons
Imports of Wines and Liquors.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record Herald.
MANILA June G. 1904.
Few cities of it's size orderly as
Manila. You must not believe the false
hoods and ISLANDERS that have been written
about ii.
Such ISLANDERS have done much to injure
Manila and give the town bad name. They
do not come however, from people who live
here. 1t Is undoubtedly true that. shortly
after American occupation, when the town
was crowded with volunteer soldiers. reck-
less young fellows who were not held down
by discipline like those of the regular army.
there was a great deal of drinking and
Carousal, but il was grossly exaggerated.
Manila is and has been patroled by police
men like every other modern town, and
when man is found drunk, be he soldier
or citizen, he is Immediately picked up and
carried off to the nearest station.
Since | have been in Manila l have seen
just one drunken man, and. unfortunately.
he was a soldier. young fellow not more
than twenty years old. with a clean-cut,
handsome face. We were coming home from
Il dinner party about II o'clock at night
when two of his comrades were trying to
get him back TO the barracks. He was UNI
willing to go. and. after pareyng with
him while they picked him up and carried
him along.
drinking in Manila both among civilians
and soldiers; there would be less if the
government were allowed to furnish the
soldiers with pure liquors and beer. but
the prohibitionists have prevented that, and
the soldiers have since patroniZed low
dives and pits of iniquity which spring up
about the gateway of every barracks and
camping ground. In those places depraved
women sell poisoned alcohol for extortton-
ate prices and the soldiers drink it. 1t
cannot be prevented. because the military
authorities have no control over territory
outside their own reservations. and when
the municipal authorities interfere they
have to issue warrants. make arrests, Sc
cure indictments. and to convict must pro-
vide evidence. which the soldiers viii not
give. The municipal authorities say that
without the testimony of the victims of
these places they cannot secure ccnvic
tons il. any court. and no soldier with
any manlness Is willing to stand up in
court room and testify that he has patron
lied such wretched places. Hence, be
tween the two authorities the divekeepers
escape and the only remedy is to furnish
the soldiers places of their own like those
found at the cantonments in India and
Egypt
Saloons of the Larger Cities.
Rev DR. Stuntz, presiding elder of the
Methodist Church and formerly from Mount
Vernon. Iowa. is probably as earnest a
temperance advocate as can be found on
either side of the globe. but he will not
confirm the slanderous stories that have
been told about the vice and disorder in
Manila When l asked him concerning the
saloon business here he said:
Taking saloons, as that term is under
stood In America, there Were l29 in opera
ton in Manila at the close of the last hscai
year As compared with American cities.
mat is not a bad showing The following
statement. which take from Or. Brown
book. gives d comparison: