The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-12-27


Capt. Matt Pcasley. has been eN.
panding rsiher rapldlyJ
Manila. T.. l., Nov. 10, 1884
q Augustus Redell. ESQ.
President PRO TEN
The BllgcRatsr club.
san Francisco. Cal
"D.ar Friend Gus: kindly read
this letter 10 the boys the frat time
you set w for luncheon with every
body present
We got into this town yesterday
morning and win sail az Q y. m. 10.
day. 20 I haven't had much oppoT.
tunlty 10 look into the matter of self.
determination for tho Filipino. How
over that would have been an an
necessary Job anyhow. In view OF the
fact that I camo here with a pre-
conceived conviction that they
shouldn't have any nelf determination
and two days lu Manila have served
90 strengthen that conviction.
II have also discovered that thf
Blue Star Navigation companys new
fntt service 90 New York from the
orient, via Tho suoz canal. beats the
encmy'a service Nia tho Panama
canal. and Bs O. result we have an
tho business. VIC can handle ~ nice
utcs
'fhe only thing that troubles ms
nov Is the liability or "a rate war
from our competitors. n rate war be.
ing the court OF last resort for an
inefficient chip operator. n n comes
wu viii merely have 10 grin and
bear IL.
I've been taking green water
over my bows for 50 years and
I'm not stove In yet. I'm a pig
for punishment I always know
when I'm licked. but I have dis.
covered that usually the other
fellow doesn't. which i why I've
won moro fights than Two host.
Well. Gus. wan down here In
1888 while Agulnnldo was ftiil arEu.
Ing In the mud and rain the right Of
the Filipino people 20 their place In
the Eun-a place not ohscured hy the
shadow OF our Uncle samuel had
q distant relative In the army here At
tho time a second lieutenant - and
be thmshed his captain on the firing
line for refusing 60 do something
whether Il Was 90 advance or retreat.
I've forgotten which
Anyhow. my relative was an Of
fcuayc fighter and his captain was
a defensive fighter and they fought.
with the offensive winning. rs usual.
Ny relative faced a prison term.
but ~ was holding tho captains
prOmlssory note for $4,000. secured
by decd OF trust on his home. aud
tho note was two years overdue and
was only carrying the horethelf
because he'd gone 20 war. I was
forced 20 jump 10 Manila and order
The captain 10 fail 10 appear aa Wit
meas against my relative. the oonsid.
crniion being n renewal OF hla note
for three moro years.
Being reasonable man, 10 aid
business with me IN a reasonable
way.
AZ the time I knocked around
the iAlaad with the troops Tor a
couple OF months tfirHt vacation I'd
had IN - years. and studied the
Filipino while. beneath tho starry
nag. we civilized him with a Krag.
Now having returned 20 years
later, with a LOT of democratic and
republican argument 20 guide me
argument from a lot OF Middle West
crn senator's and congressman who
travel IN tho day coach and have
ma put NJ a cold luncheon for them
when they start for Washington.
and who Judge the Filipino by their
representative In congreEs--I find !
have 10 discard all Of thnt CAB and
form my own opinions Oh the
changes that have been wrought in
a Esml-eivillzod people in Is years
The most significant thing Is
that the Manila Filipino male
has tucked In his shirt tail. while
the female Of the species has
1 shucked her wooden shoes and Is
keeping her husband poor buying
her stockings and American
shoes.
Along tho Escol,a you will sec
women vino cling 20 the traditional
Island costume. but while they may
not wear stockings never let II be
said that they went downtown bare
footed as In the good old days be-
fore the Grlngo came.
Gus, this city has the hoof prints
OF the American eagle on II. and
that's the only good thing It over
had on II or ever will. II has
better streets, better cared for than
most cities in the United states
II has n fine trolley system, an ex-
cellent police force and fire depart
ment and a traffic squad that's on
the Job
Unlike the Los Angeles traffic
policemen. the Filipino cops do not
have 10 waste their time telling
tourists where the best so cent table
d'hoto dinner In town is.
when one Of those terrible per-
sons who descend upon Manila
policeman. that individual is suf-
ficiently worldly Wise now TO recog-
nize the nuisance at glance.
"All too well he knows what a
Sc camera and n pair Of binoculars
slung over tho visitor means. so he
forgets he has been Americanized
and civilized and with tribal grunt
gays: Me no sabe Anglise,'
"or he may revert to Tagalog or
Spanish. The result Is that ho has
all of his time to attend 10 busi-
ness and he attends TO II.
II observed that these people are
better off physically than they wero
in the good old starvation and semi.
starvation days before the American