Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-25

two blankets for covering. Snow has even
been known on some of the mountain
tops.
Here grow the pine tree, the sign of the
north. strawberry. cocoanut. banana and
the government experiment station Is do
Ing wonders in the vegetable line.
This is the district of typhoons and
fierce one in September lated a week
and in "a hours 81 inches of water fell.
E'orecaster Shaw would gasp for breath
at this.) The typhoon changed the cours {,
OF several rivers and the entire position
Of one mountain by various landsldes
destroying that wonderful Berguet road
which was triumph Of engineering skill
Baguo Is almost COCO feet above sea-
level.
Then as we go lower down we come -
sugar-cane fields. hemp. rice and so Oh
down 10 peanuts and coffee in the tropic ;
at Mindanao.
Ligao, my station, Is In the heart OF
the hemp district and here we have all .
tangernes, bananas, pomoles, pomegran-
ates, bread and fruit. Bamboo is In aoun :
dance here and in Mndarao there are I'm
mense forests of hard woods as yet un-
touched. "El Mayor an active volcano
near here is g. beauty and can be seen
at a great distance. IT rises to heigh
OF nearly 1900 feet and there being no
mountains or hills near. its beauty emf
height are enhanced. 1t was never as
cended until the Americans came. ana
after them some German scientists wen,
up into the crater. and have never r.
turned. A party of six of us autUet
around the base of Mayor one night b..
moonlight and II was emitting smoke u
little. | think / am safe in saying that
Vesuvius itself couldn't rival It.
/ shall never forget my sail from Manila
to Legaspi, in and out among the Islands
which made me think of Lake George.
but fer the tropicalncss Here banana
plantation runs down 70 the oceans edge
while there on the hillside the cocoanut
palms wave to and fro and midway
between the two sits a cottage matched
with cogon grass from which comes tho
strains of some musical instrument.
About % per cent. of the natives are born
musicians.
The natives are divided into classes. as
any race. and the dress shows their sta
IS of course much nearer civilization
than the northern igorrote. who Is HAPPY
and over-dressed in a gce-string, and the
boy in The white duck trousers is gen
try" when compared with the one clad
only in his birthday suit,
What Is needed is capital for develop
ment and that will never come until the
halfway "politicos" in the L. S. become
cognizant of what this place Is worth
and what can he done here. Capitals 5
hesitate to invest a. they don't know
what is the future of the islands hut
firmly believe that the l.. S will hold
with justice to ourselves and to the peo-
pie, withdraw with our work less han
half done and stain the memory and mag
nificent design of that great man-Prosi-
dent Mckinley.
Spanish is the language spoken to a
great extent but it is being replaced by
English and before many years it will h.
done away with entirely as over ~ per
cent of the school children are now
speaking English we'll.
In the 2,oO islands there are - I'M
portant dialects spoken and these are 50
| different as to be more in the sense OF
| languages. Now how can millions OF
people so handicapped know what one
another wishes and discuss Independence
when the best linguists among then
| speak 10 more than five OF six Of these
dialects?
| 1t was hut few weeks ago that
spoke to "A prominent "poltico' who
wishes. or al least agitates. independents,
and favors Sr. Quezon for president, Sup.
pose the L. =. gave the islands inde-
pendence tomorrow, Quezon would heac
one party, LaGarda, another, and prob
ably Osmena another and so on. Suppos
| ing Osnena was elected. what wouC
you do" "Why.' he replied. I'VE wouldn
allow him to take his seat and there
you have the whole thing in nutshell
war upon war.
To-day the government is vested in {
governor general, appointed by the rresi
dent of the L. s., 10 whom he Is alon,
responsible and a commission of fly,
Americans and four Filpinos and an AS
sembly formed of Filipnos so they reall,
make their own laws and govern them
selves.
The islands cost Uncle sam nothine
for maintenance and those who thint
this is n dumping ground for all the money
made at the minis in the States are rn
Informed
! Independence is thing far dstan
and when many Americans are maxim.
such sacrifices as they are to lead peo
Pile into tn, ways of peace and prosper
lily some engagement at home is ncccs
sary. Capital is the thing needed ant
it cant he gained or development at
tanned unless all 20 into the work viii
will: have merely touched on these
| things"ind were 1t not for using up :,
muchVf your valuable paper I'd say
more Put 10 those interested say
| "Come over and see
| II. l.. ANDREWS,
Lieut.. Philippine Constabulary,
l.igao. Albay, =. !.
|