The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-13

1 dia has been a crown colony. There
 was brief interim of British rule USl1 | to 1S16), but at the close of the Ma =
 poleonic wars the Dutch regained their
 possessions by treaty and the English
 congratulated themselves that they lhad been relieved of burden. I The Dutch have governed Java | through the natives, resident acting as "elder brother to the Javanese ruler. While the native government has not been disturbed and while the
 native: ruler is protected from rival
 claimants, he is really a prisoner n his
 own castle, and cannot leave the prem | ises without permission However, as these rulers receive good salaries and
 are allowed to exact homage from their | subjects, they seem quite content ill | their lot and the people, naturally do- cile, yield obedience to the chicfSs of | their own race.
 The culture system, aside from tho | indirect method of ruling, Is the dis l tinguishing feature of Dutch colonial | ism as 1t existed until recent years. The
 East Indian Company followed the prac- | tice of the native princes and collected | a land tax or rent If one-tif-h Of the
 crop, and required in addition the labor | of all able bodied males for one day
 in five. During the five years of Brit | ish rule forced labor was abolished and
 land tax substituted for tho one fifth rent. while a separate property system l was encouraged AS soon as the Dutch
 resumed control. they went back to | their old regime except that they de- | manded one days labor in seven in- sead of one day in five. By regulat- l ing the crops to be plIntoI, by collect | ing the fifth of the produce of tho land,
 and by compelling the peasants to plant | one fifth of the Village land in crops TO | be sold to the Government at a tixri | price far below the market rritc, the | Governmen. of Holland derived large l revenues from it's India possessions. It | has been estimated that in fifty years
 a sum exceeding $3)0 OOa,O0o was ex- | tracted from the natives in forced la | bor and in the SDle of produce below the market price. As might be expect i ed, the greed whi ,h manifested itself in the conduct of the Government arous-
 ed increasing criticism and the author
 tiles were at last compelled to change | their methods,
 | unanimous in their praise of the beau | tifdl roads and the substantial bridges | that span the streams; they admire the | commodious plantation homes. the splendid tea and cCeffe farms and the
 we'll built and well kept cities. and | they are inclined to excuse the means | employed by the foreigners in the de-
 velopment of the islands. It must be | remembered, however. that ths rice | fields, which are most attractive. ex- l isted before the Europeans set foot up-
 on the soil and that the spices. instead | of being introduced by the Dutch. were | the products which first attracted their | attention. The Dutch have charged a l high price for the services rendered and l have given little attention to the in-
 tellectual and moral improvement of | the people.
 | Being surprised that the Javanese
 had a well developed system of agri-
 culture and irrigation before the Flu ropeans arrived, asked an intelligent | FIollander: "N hat. then. have the | Dutch taught the Javanese?" and he
 replied, laughingIy. We have taught | them to pay us their money"
 | The fact that the culture system has after full discussion. been abandoned. is
 sufficient conformation of it, and the | fact tha. refUrns are being introduced
 Is a confession that they were needed. | I had the pleasure of meeting the pres ent Governor, Gen. Van Heutsz, and found him interested In enlarging the
 educational system and in tightening | the burdens npon tho peolle He has already reduced the labor requirement.