The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-11-07

| staseS-no medicine will do that-hut for all
\ the obstinate, chronic coughs. which, if neg
+ lected, or badly ed. lead up to consl1rlfr-
| non. i i rhe h"St 'o"''irine that ran - -
buildings. For a couple of centuries
there were no more really violent quakes
| in Manila, and the city was gradually
rebuilt. Then in 1868 the experience of
two hundred years was repeated, with
even added horrors The big cathedral
was demolished, % public and 600 pri
vate buildings destroyed, and 400 people
were killed outright and 1000 more in
jured by the falling buildings. Besides
these two great earthquakes Manila
has been severely shaken again and
again by the unstable earth upon which
| it rests, and it seems reasonable to
think that sooner or later-it may be
centuries hence-it will be destroyed
again, and yet in spite of that possibil-
lty the Americans are proceeding to
make Manila the metropolis of the
Orient and the most beautiful city
east of Suez.
Since Uncle sam took possession of
the city III 1898, on all sides may be
seen evidences of that indomitable
! American spirit to make the most of
life from commercial standpoint at
j least,-in direct contrast to the procras-
/ tinating temperament of the ease-lov-
| ing Spaniard.
Manila has changed much from the
sleepy ldylllc, lotus-eating community
! to a more modern, busting, full-of-
business city. Instead of the magnfi-
cent church professions and open-air
services in the plazas the innumerable
''tiestas' when all the Manila "world
and his wife" were in gala attire when
nothing more dlscorlant than the tin
kle of mandolins and guitars was
. heard in the cool of the evening: now
one is deafened by the clang of the
street car gongs and rattle and rumble
of heavy trucks. All the sounds of
busy American city are in the air-and
some of its sights.
I The usual sign boards eXtollin9 the
merits of Pink Pills for Pale People"
I Quaker Oats and the pertinent query
. Good morning; Have You Used Pears
Soap" are in evidence everywhere as
in the States. There is a thoroughly
up-to-date fire department, organized
by former New York Fire Chief, with
chemical engines, hose wagons, hook
and ladder wagons and all the
rest. The police force is remarked up
on by many visitors to the capitol,
i as being on a par with a similar body
of men anywhere. | will mention
some of the good work done by the
civil authorities since the work of
our Army needs no praise, it has be-
come history: its work has been per-
formed in the way the American Army
has ever done its part thoroughly and
well. The insular government created
/ by President Roosevelt, created in
turn the civil service of these islands
June /, 1902, of 2,491 English speaking
employees, and 1886 natives, including
$500 enlisted men in the PHILIPPINE
Constabulary Differed by 23O Ameri-
! leans, the majority of whom have seen
! hard service in the field.
The Constabu'ary, and Philippine
scouts-another organization of la
tives with American officerS-will even
tually Go much to relieve our soldier
boys of this irksome foreign service,
which few like
The civil government has endeavored
to carry out the educational features of
our Presidents instructions. 1t has es-
tablished an Agricultural Bureau, which
is conducted by able and experienced
persons and provided with modern APP
planes and apparatus. Also health
department has been created, which
forces the natives to more sanitary
habits, and has done much to teach
them the latter-day methods by which
means the dreaded yearly scourge of
cholera has become subdued to a great
extent. The average native, by nature
and Spanish teaching, has always be-
lieved he was in the hands of the AL
mighty, that no duties or obligations
rested on him. "Dios ang bahaa"
God will provide) was his motto, and
whenever these epidemics came, he &C
cepted them stolldly. But he soon dis
covered that the work of the health de-
partment, and those who followed its
rules for preventing spread of the
disease, such were usually saved, while
others who sat supinely by waiting on
Providence were taken hence-and he
soon profited by the lesson.
Yes, Manila has improved much I'M
der American rule, and again in some
ways it has deteriolated. 1t is true
money is more plentiful, wages have
increased hitherto unknown luXuries
have been introduced, but ON the other
hand, heavy taxes have been imposed
and the price of commodities in ,conse-
quence has risen to an alarming ex-
tent. 1t is impossible for an American
without large and assured salary to
live and enjoy any of the accustomed
comforts OF home, rents being the
most appalling feature.
All this is greatly due, no doubt, to
the desire of the insular government
for improvements of water works, cleo
trio lighting and transit, railroads,
sewerage systems, docks, wharves, etc.
For the past five years work has been
going on retaining large portion of
the bay fronting the Tuneta This
meant the dredging of millions of tons
of dirt from the bottom of the bay.
The harbor Improvements cost $4,000
600, the new waterworks $4,000, 900
more, to say nothing of the magnificent
|, insular and city buildings, with an in
sular ice PLAINTIFF finest and largest
in the world at cost of over 81, ZOO, 900
, and other buildings to be constructed
on the same scale. All these improve
ments have cost much money, and it is
, no wonder the poor benighted FilipinOs