The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-20

hHANlLA, July 25.-This article, being
IFI the first of a series from the Phil
ippines. viii be devoted in the
main 10 statistics. The reader de-
sirous Of becoming posted on conditions
existing in our far eastern possessions
viii do wei to preserve facts contained
herein. as they win be conducive to a
better understanding OF the accounts
10 follow, and VIII be valuable for ref
erence at all times.
Although hundreds of books and
thousands OF columns OF newspaper ar
ucles have been written on this sub
Jtct. new conditions are continually be-
ing formed which, together with the
established facts. should be kept con-
stdntiy before the people of the United
states, because the future political
privilege of the Filipino must he de-
Jermined by American legislation AS
the attempt is being made to educate
the native, the American should not
remain in ignorance of the condition
OF his governments ward While all
argument may be colored by the in
terests or prejudices of the individual.
the actual statistics cannot be mis-
leading. and are therefore worth re-
membering.
Size of the Philippines.
The Philippine Islands are a part of
the East Indian archipelago. They are
located southeast OF Asia almost south
o. Japan and north Of BOrneO. They
are altogether tropical. The zone which
We acquired from Spain as set forth by
the treaty Of Paris dec. 10, 1880. in
Guiding land and water, amounts to an
area almost Thirteen times as large as
al OF the New England states. The
. census of the Philippine islands. just
ISSUED by the American government. is
the first accurate record of what our
possessions here really amount to- This
shows that there are more ISLANDS in
the group than the Spaniards thought
there We're.
The exact number including every
thing which appears separately at high
tide. is 3.14t- However. 2.T15 of these
Islands are very small. each being less
Than square mile in area. About
l-500 of them are of such little cOnse-
oueBce that they have never been
named. The total area Of all the is
lands in the group is 1f5.026 square
miles. Fully half OF this territory is
contained within the limits of the two
large islands. LuzOn and Mindanao,
the former being a bout the size of Lou
isiana and the latter about as large as
Indiana. Thus it VIII be seen that
there is considerably more water than
land within the limits of the zone
seIed to US. There are so many inden-
iations i'm the archipelago. that its coast
line. like that of Alaska. is greater
than the combined Atlantic and Pa
rfdc seab0ards OF the United States.
The American government paid Spain
ZOO for the islands. which was
about tWeuJy-seVen cents per acre for
all the land contained in them
Small Gain in Population.
The population of the Philippines has
been found 20 consist of about 1000 .000
-ivilized inhabitants. and a little more
han n half million savages. Included
in those designated az civilized are IL
SOC Cinnamon and 900 japanese. EX-
elusive Of the army there are over s.
300 Americans residing here at the pres
eut time. as well as about 4,G00 Span
iardS. 700 Englishmen and 400 Ger
mans. The bUlk-of the native popula-
ton IS supposed TO be of Malay eX-
traction. Although past records are
very Incomplete the population OF the
Philippines is supposed to have been
uuadrupled within the last century
This is very small increase when
compared with the growth OF the
United States. which was fifteen times
rs great during the same period. Re
'ieved OF the devastating effects of war
- and the ravages of disease. il is be
Teved the population of the islands VIII
= Increase during the next few years at
"a rate never before equaled i'm their
history.
The establishment OF accurate tables
% mortality has disclosed a number
III UNEXPECTED results. IT is surprising
to find that the death rate among the
natives Is very high and correspond
inglN low among the foreigners. The
mortality among the Filipiuos is great
o. than of any European race whose
records are known and is doubtless