The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-10-29
THE AMERICAN IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
The National Traits as
They Develop
There.

MAN1LA.-There are more opinions
afoat in the Philippines than any
place that l have ever been, in fact
there is such a diversity of views that
one hardly knows whose word to take.
For weeks I had been hoping to find
someone who could give me a clear,
impartial picture of the American here,
and you may believe that I was de-
lighted when I met my old friend, the
manufacturer, who had been here sew
eral months looking over the ground
Uncle Amos, as the boys in the factory
call him, is fine specimen of the
American self-made man, blunt, hon
est and practical His clear insight
and matter-of-fact judgment have
brought him all the way from errand
boy to millionaire proprietor. It was
he who told me years ago that THE
American business man is not usually
an authority on the proper cut for
white vests, and seldom knows how to
speak French, but when it comes to the
problems of manufacturing he can
.can run" In quoting him 1 will use
WIS exact words as nearly as can.
THE AMERICAN WILL Talk.
eve Americans said Uncle Amos,
''are indeed a queer people. The last
man jack of us must have his say about
everything even if it takes the hide Off
AS whole we include a greater range
of character than any nation, but our
invariable trait is free speech. the
private soldier takes issue with the
general on how the campaign should
be conducted, and every citizen is keen
to enter into a session on the short
.comings of the government. In the
end, however. one obeys orders and
the other backs up the administration
There are about twenty thousand
Americans in the Philippines now, and
there are nearly as many thousand
different opinions on how affairs ought
to be managed; yet Uncle Sam is go
ing right ahead with his house build
ing according to the original plan.
Free thought and free speech are
our national long suits, but we seldom
mean all we say, especially when we
are talking about each other The
military man and the civil employe
and the civilian are eternally barking
at each other, but they always get to-
,gether at the right moment. The bus
mess men of Manila timber up for the
> days work by abusing Mr.. Taft, yet
they put up their money and received
him with the most elaborate parade
ever seen in the Orient. Mr.. Taft has
slapped back at these same business
men, but he will do his level best to
preserve their lawful interests. That
has ALWAYS been the American way
Our free speech is a sort OF safety valve
to get the spleen out of our systems
We squabble over our differences OF
opinion in the evening, but we never
fail to open shop early next morning
to trade with each other. We may ap-
pear to the outside world as an nnhap-
by family, but we are motifs just
little way we have.
ALL BELONG TO THE FIRM.
81 think, however, for the sake OF
appearances that we should preserve
a little more decorum in our ATTITUDE
toward each other. We are as dlsre-
spectfuI as children who have been
poorly brought up. This nagglng
back and forth is as much the fault OF
one clique as the other. We are all
necessary to the cause and deserve
consideration from each other.
always feel like saying, Please, MI
Military. don't swagger. Don't be so
high and mighty. The small clerk and
the blue-overalls fellow go with the
flag just the same as the man with the
shoulder straps. 1t isn't necessary TO
ask the 'underlings to dine, but they
should be treated like they belong TO
the firm. They are subordinates, but
they are men, and the one thing that
grinds the free American is to have
somebody put on airs over him. or
course all officers do not strut, but TOO
many of them do. 1t doesn't scare
ANYBODY. In nature the fercest fight
xars are unpretentious. The bulldog
is a strong fnisher in a scrimmage, but
doesn't parade much when off duty
s'The subordinate shouldn't sulk be-