AS IT IS IN THE PHILIPPINES
^EDGAR G. BELLAIR6^
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
GIFT OF
Clark J. Milliron
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2007 witii funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
littp://www.arcli ive.org/details/asitisinpliilippiOOballiala
MAJOR-GENERAL ADNA R. CHAFFEE, U. S. A.
Military Governor of the Philippines, and Commanding General,
Division of the Philippines.
AS IT IS IN
THE PHILIPPINES
CV\ar\e^ l2)o.iley\c»
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BT
EDGAR G. BELLAIRS ^ p^
Correspondent of the Associated Press, Cuba, 1898-1900; China, 1900-1901: Philippines, 1901-1902
<'M.
doA'
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NEW YORK
LEWIS, SCRIBNER & CO. 1902
Copyright, 190S,
BY
EDQAB G. BELLAIES.
All Rights Reserved.
DS
r6
TO THE OFRCERS AND ENLISTED MEN
OF THE
UNITED STATES FORCES, VOLUNTEERS akd REGULARS,
WHO SERVED IN THE PHILIPPINES, WITH THE RRM
CONVICTION THAT THE VIEWS OF THE
LARGE MAJORITY
ARE EXPRESSED IN THIS VOLUMa
830870
PREFACE.
In writing the following pages, I have been im- pressed with the fact of how little is really known of the situation in the Philippines in America to-day. It is now over a year since the Civil Government assumed the reins of office, and most of the conditions that were described in Congress were conditions that existed under the military regime and prior to the time when Gov- ernor Taft and his associates assumed charge.
As the chief correspondent in the Philippines of the Associated Press, I was probably in a bet- ter position to get at the real facts as they ex- isted in the provinces than anybody else in the Archipelago; better than the civil authorities, for they relied entirely upon the local governors ; better than the military authorities, as their re- ports were entirely from army officers. The Associated Press has a number of local corre- spondents in various parts of the Archipelago, and the chief correspondent in Manila is kept
vi Preface.
well posted on the daily happenings throughout the country.
The principal information must be obtained through a lengthy stay in Manila, for as Paris is France, so is Manila the Philippines. The seat of government is there ; the acts of the Commis- sion are passed there, and the comments of the press are made there.
I am especially indebted to the Manila Times for editorials on the labor question, the currency and the constabulary, portions of which I have used with slight alterations in phraseology.
Edgar G. Bellairs.
Highland Falls, N. Y.,
September, 1902.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
The Climate of the Philippines — ^Typhoons, Earthquakes, Plague, Cholera, etc. — Governor Taft and the Commission Take Charge — Taft's Success before the Senate Committee — The Governorship of the Archipelago a Magnificent Position — Taft's Insincerity — Ability of the Commission — Civil Gov- ernment a One-Man Rule — Native Commissioners, ii
CHAPTER n.
Civil versus Military Rule — Friction That Was Bound to Occur — Common Sense of ChaflFee Largely Prevented Open Rupture — The Brooks Habeas Cor- pus Case — Victory of Military — Harmonious Solu- tion— Improper Attitude of the Governor of Lej^e — Grant and Gardener Hoodwinked by Wily Natives — Harmony Will Come 24
CHAPTER III.
The Department of Public Instruction — Competent and Incompetent Teachers — Complaint That Presi- dentes Are Over American Teachers — Municipali- ties Responsible for Payment of Native Teachers — Presidente's Rake-off — Normal School in Zambales — The Great Success of the Nautical School in Manila — Devotion of Pupils to Lieutenant Com- mander Knapp — Educational Prospects Bright.... 33
viii Contents.
CHAPTER IV. PA«
Commenceme'nt of Civil Government Regime — Upheld by Newspapers and Business Men — Intro- duction of Sedition Bill Which Becomes Law — The "Freedom" Editorial upon Which Proprietor and Editor Were Convicted of Sedition and Treason — Bad Outlook for Newspapers 44
CHAPTER V.
The Customs House — Phenomenal Rise of the Collector, W. Morgan Shuster — Postal Affairs — Good Work Done by Auditor Lnvvshe — Excellent Results Accomplished by the Forestry Bureau under Captain Aheam — Some Useless Bureaus — Provincial Governments 53
CHAPTER VI.
Municipality of Manila a Credit to Commission — Police Force Efficient — Good Work of the Board of Health — Bilibid Prison Becoming like an American Penitentiary — Music on the Luneta — Sentiment Re- garding Tearing Down of Walls 63
CHAPTER VII.
System of Courts — ^Justices of the Peace — Munici- pal Judges — Courts of First Instance — Supreme Court — ^Judge Odlin Rebukes Attorney General Wil- fley — American Lawyers before the Judges — Ex- penses of Law Suits Doubled — Native Judges and Presidentes Unfair 73
CHAPTER VIII. The Army in the Philippines — Its Reward Public Ingratitude — General Wheaton Attacked — Senator Rawlins' Attack on General Chaffee — Chaffee's Di- plomacy— Colonel Lee's Opinion of Chaffee — General Bell's Humane Concentration Plans — General Smith, a Conquering Hero, Accomplished with Little Blood- shed in Six Months What Spain Never Succeeded in Doing — Peaceable Natives Favor Army 83
Contents. ix
CHAPTER IX. PAGK
Major Gardener's Report Asked for by the Senate — The Report Itself — Thorough Investigation Or- dered— Evidence Proved Report a Complete Mis- statement of Facts — Gardener Hoodwinked by Na- tives from Beginning to End 95
CHAPTER X. Facts Concerning the Real Condition in the Prov- inces by a Former Civil Treasurer of Nueva Ecija. 109
CHAPTER XI.
The Labor Problem — Filipinos Ingenious in Ma- chinery, Skilful Workers in Cigar and Cigarette Factories — Absolutely Unfitted for Hard Manual Labor — Break Down Quickly Under Strain — Im- portation of Chinese Would Benefit all Classes — Contract Labor Law Prevents Importation of Japan- ese or Indians — Labor Unions in America Do Not Understand the Situation — Strikes Caused by Isa- bella de los Reyes 152
CHAPTER XII. The Currency Question — Governmental Salaries Nominally Gold, Paid in Mexican Silver — Ide Re- fuses to Make Fluctuating Ratio on the Importation of Mexican Silver in Order to Keep the Ratio Two for One — Prices Increased Enormously — An Iowa Teacher's Letter to Secretary Shaw — A Well-Known Banker's View of the Situation — A Merchant's Views 162
CHAPTER XIII. Religion in the Philippines — Work of the Y. M. C. A. — Episcopal Bishop Appointed — Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian Science Churches — Fondness of the Filipinos for Display and Pomp — The Filipinos Fond of Religion — Fiestas — The Friar Question — Unnecessary Alarm — Good and Bad among Them — In the Main a Body of Christian
X Contents.
Workers Who Have Been Responsible for Bringing to Christianity the Filipinos as a Race 179
CHAPTER XIV.
Taft Considers Chief Success of the Commission the Judicial System — He Thinks Pick of Filipino Lawyers Secured for Bench — The Governor Excuses the Sedition Law — Thought Necessary to Control American Editors in Manila — Taft's Defense of Law Weak — Power of the Commission and Judges Dan- gerous to Liberty — A Military Despotism Under Civil Officials — Filipinos Detest Foreigners — Artists in Dissimulation 187
CHAPTER XV.
Business Outlook in the Philippines — Increase in Number of Banks — ^Difficulties Under Which Busi- ness Labors — Only Two American Firms Before American Occupation — Numbers of Firms Success- ful— A Merchant to Represent the Mercantile Inter- ests of the Philippines When Congress Meets — Busi- ness Men Desire Representation on the Commis- sion— Price of Meats and Other Food — Transporta- tion 196
CHAPTER XVI.
Social Life in the Philippines — The Clubs of Manila — Captain Ramsey's Success with the Army and Navy Club — Taft President of University — Immense Growth of American Club in One Year — To Build Magnificent Quarters — Private Entertain- ing on a Large Scale — Chaffee Most Popular Man in the Philippines — "The Brains of the Commission" — Dinner Organizations — Naval Entertaining — Women in the Tropics — ^Launch Parties 206
CHAPTER XVII.
Who Are the Filipinos? — ^Like the Natives of Java — Some of the Facial Characteristics of the
Contents. xi
PAOX
Japanese — Not Cowards in Action — Treacherous — Wanting in Gratitude — Untrustworthy — Ignorant — Vicious — Immoral — Lazy — Ingenious but Tricky — Partido Federal Really Dominates Race — Alexan- drino, Appointed by Commission with Blood of Americans Wet on His Hands — Katipunan Society — Possible Solution of the Illness of Taft and Funston 217
CHAPTER XVIII.
Constabulary and Scouts — Native Forces and the Work They Are Doing — Active Against Ladrones — Credit Due Captain H. T. Allen — Possible Amal- gamation of Constabulary and Scouts into Native Army — Commission Would Nominate Allen for Brigadier — Will Native Forces Be Loyal in the Next Insurrection ? — Probabilities against It — Unpleasant Forebodings of the Future 228
CHAPTER XIX.
The Author's Views — The Utter Failure in the Matter of Statesmanship — Governor Taft a Politi- cian, not a Diplomat — Good Lawyer but Poor Ex- ecutive— Credit Deserved for Minor Accomplish- ments— Insurrection not Probable Before Five Years 239
CHAPTER XX.
A Stranger in Manila Soon Desires to Return Home — No Sorrow Felt at Leaving — Choice of Routes — Author Selects Coldest — Trip by the Cana- dian Pacific "Empress of Japan" — Hong Kong — Shanghai — Nagasaki — Kobe — Yokohama — Vancou- ver— Salmon Canneries — Lakes in the Clouds — Mag- nificent Banff — Home 251
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Major General Adna R. Chaffee, U. S. A. .Frontispiece
PAGE
Headquarters of the Military Governor i8
Hon. William H. Taft 36
The Escolta, Manila : 54
Hon. Luke E. Wright , 68
Changing Guard in the Rainy Season 86
Major General Lloyd Wheaton, U. S. A 100
Where General Lawton Was Killed 1 14
Hon. A. W. Fergusson 132
Moving a Shack 148
W. Morgan Shuster 166
Native Carpenters at work 174
The Caraboa 190
E. F. O'Brien 220
BUibid Prison 246
AS IT IS IN THE PHILIPPINES.
CHAPTER T.
!The Olmate of the Philippines. — Tjrphoons, Earth- quakes, Plag-e, Cholera, etc. — Governor Taft and the Commission Take Charge. — Taft's Success be- fore the Senate Committee. — The Governorship of the Archipelago a Magnificent Position. — Taft's In- sincerity.— Ability of the Commission. — Civil Gov- ernment a One-Man Rule. — Native Commissioners.
The Bible and all history tells us that God made the world, and incidentally, the Philippine Islands must have been thrown in for good meas- ure. There are places in the world that have worse climates, but they can be counted on the fingers of one hand; Sierra Lecme is one, and where the others are it would be hard to tell. Still, the Civil Commission, with Governor Taft at its head, with that optimism which pervades jits every thought connected with the Philip-
12 As It Is in the Philippines.
pines, has been led to say that the Philippitffes are as healthy as the healthiest part of America, and they quote the death rate among Europeans for several years back to prove their statements, ignoring the fact that the class of Europeans that has gone to the Philippines has not been the laboring class or the very poor, but men who have gone out to Manila, Iloilo, or some other part of the Archipelago, representing large firms, banks, or capitalists; men who, when they be- come seriously ill, do not hesitate to take the first steamer for Europe, and if they die through the effects of the Philippine climate, their names do not appear on the death register in Manila.
Governor Taft, when he became ill, imme- diately pined for the bracing climate of his na- tive Ohio. As soon as he was able to get out of bed, he was placed on board the first transport homeward bound. Commissioner Ide, as soon as he felt under the weather, immediately left for the mountains of Japan, where he stayed some three or four months.
The climate of Manila and of the greater part of the Archipelago is enervating in the extreme. It is only necessary to see its effect on European and American women and children who have been there a year or longer, to recognize that it is an impossible place for colonization.
As It Is in the Philippines. 13
Five months of the year typhoons are of fre- quent occurrence, sometimes doing great damage. Earthquakes frequently enliven proceedings. The plague, cholera and all sorts of tropical diseases invariably make their way to Manila as soon as they appear in the East, and all the efforts and hard labor of the health authorities have failed to keep them out, although the city of Manila and the other large towns have been cleaned and purified by American methods.
The object of this volume is not to criticise the Government, but to show the state of affairs existing in Manila to-day, and to refrain as far as possible from lending the coloring of individ- ual views to the subject, certainly so far as to w)hether the United States of America was wise, in the first instance, in acquiring the islands, and, in the second place, now that phe has them, whether it is wise to retain them.
It is unnecessary to reiterate the story of the destruction of the Spanish fleet and the practical capture of Manila by Admiral Dewey, the land- ing of General Merritt, or even the military gov- ernment presided over by General Otis, and after- wards by General MacArthur, but beginning from the time when Governor Taft assumed the reins of civil government and General Chaffee became Division Commander with the rank of Military
14 As It Is in the Philippines.
Grovemor, exercising authority over those prov- inces that the civil government admitted not to be pacified, though, at any time, it was within the power of the civil authorities to declare a prov- ince pacified and to take over its control.
Governor Taft had been several months in the Philippines as the head of the Commission when he was called upon to assume the reins of government, at the time when President Mc- Kinley's instructions were to establish a civil government in the Archipelago. He was barely four months Governor before he was stricken with sickness that afterwards compelled him to go home, leaving the reins of government with Acting Governor Wright.
Anybody who has met Governor Taft knows him to be a smiling, courteous, suave gentleman, greeting one with a cordial handshake and cheery words, making the caller think he is the one in- dividual that the Governor has been anxious to meet, and one generally leaves his presence "on very good terms with oneself." To any one who has read the evidence of Governor Taft before the Senate Committee, or at all events to any one familiar with the Philippines, he is stamped as a politician of the first water, and not a single Senator was able to succeed in getting out of Governor Taft anything he did not wish to ap-
As It Is in the Philippines. 15
pear. No one, it may be said safely, more deeply regretted than Governor Taft that the Gardener report was called for by the Committee, as no one knew better than he that, although the report claimed that the civil government was an un- qualified and unbounded success in the Province of Tayabas, in reality but a cursory investigation would have shown that at the time when the re- port was wiritten it was a hot-bed of insurrection and discontent. At the time when Major Gar- dener, as civil Governor, traveling from town to town, was received with acclaim by the multitude, while brass bands thundered forth the "Star Spangled Banner," the insurgent General in com- mand usually knew every movement of the Gov- ernor, and if he visited the same place the next day was received in an even more enthusiastic manner than was Gardener the day before, and Gardener did not even hear of his having been in the neighborhood.
Governor Taft is an able lawyer, but wdthout the highest grade of executive ability; at least if he has it, it has not been developed in the Philippines. A large number of bureaus have been established, some apparently for the purpose of making salaried positions. The Governor- ship of the Philippine Islands is an important
16 As It Is in the Philippines.
and desirable position, a position that any man might well be proud to occupy, with a magnifi- cent palace to live in and an income of twenty thousand dollars a year, a police guard over his house. Government yachts at his disposal, and the cringing, smiling fear of some few millions of natives, which is regarded by the members of the Commission as an expression of love for themselves.
From a social point of view, the Governor fills the position admirably, and the majority of Amer- icans in the Philippines who have come in con- tact with him admit that he is a most agreeable man, even if his promises or his sincerity are not certain to be real. Just as Governor Taft was about to leave for America on the transport, and as the different people who had come on board to bid him good-by were leaving the ship, Gov- ernor Taft shook hands with a member of the Municipal Board, and in his cheery way wished him well and hoped to find him in the same posi- tion or a better one when he returned from the United States. Governor Taft himself, only two days before, had arranged with Acting Governor Wright that this man's resignation was to be asked for, and his successor had already been ap- proached on the subject of accepting the position. It is barely possible that Governor Taft may have
As It Is in the Philippines. 17
overlooked a little thing like a $4,500 a year position, and had forgotten that this had been arranged, but it is hardly probable, as for some time previously it had been his intention to ask for the resignation, the man apparently not being in accord with the Commission, having some ideas of his own as to the government of a big city, instead of acting as directed by the Commis- sion, or, in other w'ords, Governor Taft,
A few weeks after the arrival of the author in the Philippines, he received a letter from a newspaper friend who urged him to be very careful in dealing with Governor Taft, for the writer had seen letters in which Taft had urged that influence be used to remove a certain cor- respondent from the Philippines, as he was too young, and had too many friends among military men ; while all the time to the man in question, he was saying that when the time came for him to leave he did not know what the Commission would do, and when he did leave, gave him a letter containing most glowing tributes to his personality and the work he had done.
Acting Governor Luke E. Wright is a type of man very different from Governor Taft. He is a typical Southern gentleman in all that the best sense of that much used term implies, a man whom it is a pleasure to meet and to do business
18 As It Is in the Philippines/
with. He has a dignified, courteous manner, and whether in his office or in his home will invariably make his caller at ease. Next to General Chaf- fee, probably Governor Wright has been the most popular American who has been in the Philippine Islands. While it seems hard to say so of a man for whom one has the most unbounded respect and admiration, he certainly did not make an unqualified success of his administration as the Acting Governor of the Philippine Islands. Several of the questions that came up seemed to swamp him along with the rest of the Commis- sion, and left them floundering in deep water try- ing to touch bottom. In fact, after Governor Taft's departure, the Acting Governor and his colleagues seemed to be in the position defined by a well-known lady in Manila, who is not a great admirer of the civil rule. "The Commission," she said, "reminds me of a chicken that has had its head cut off, and has been thrown on the ground, where it flops around in all directions be- fore it finally expires."
Commissioner Bernard Moses was a college professor when he was elevated to the dignity of a commissionership, and the right to a special police guard over his house, like the rest of the Commissioners In the pacified City of Manila, and from all accounts by graduates from the Uni-
As It Is in the Philippines. 19
versity of California, with which he was con- nected, he was an admirable college professor, and it seems a pity that the profession of teach- ing should have been robbed even temporarily of such a valuable member in order to make a poor commissioner. He tried hard to earn the $15,000 which is the pay of the Commissioners, but it is evident that at times he must have had the idea which ninety percent of the Americans 5n the Philippines had, that he was a sort of fifth wheel to the coach *
Commissioner Ide wlas at one time a school teacher and afterwards a lawyer and judge. He is a man of very dignified personality, and from that point of view lends a great deal of pres- tige to the Commission. He is one of those who most praise the climate of Manila and is the first to leave on the approach of sickness, infinitely preferring the hills, chrysanthemums and cherry blossoms of Japan to the miasma and the dengue fever of the Philippines.
Last but not least among the American Com- missioners is the Hon. Dean Worcester. The Hon. Dean Worcester is a character, and what he does not know about the vertebrae of a butter- fly, the habits of an ant or the breeding of a rooster is not worth knowing. He is also an expert on automobiles, but whether that con-
*Since the above was written Professor Moses has resigned from the Commission.
20 As It Is in the Philippines.
Btitutes him as exactly the man for a Civil
Commissioner at $15,000 per annum is to be
doubted.
■ The following is a stenographic report of part
of a conversation at one of the regular meet-
,ings of the Commission:
"The derivation of this word is extremely .difficult," began Professor Moses. "I have no- ticed it in the old Saxon statutes," interrupted Judge Ide. "It would make a good name for an automobile or a pet rooster," suggested Com- missioner Worcester. Governor Wright: "Mr. Ferguson, please translate these remarks for the benefit of Commissioners Legarda and Tavera."
It seems to be the general opinion among the Americans in the Philippines that the civil gov- ernment was meant to be practically a one-man government under the direction of the President and Secretary of War, but to have one man in absolute charge would savor too much of mili- tarism, so that first of all a strong, able man was found in the person of Governor Taft, a man who would carry out to the letter the ideas laid down in Washington, while it was neces- sary" to secure as his associates some men of ability, against whom no possible objection could be urged, men of pure and irreproachable char- acter and with honorable records, men whose
As It Is in the Philippines. 21
views were not antagonistic to the administra- tion on the Philippine question as laid down for the Commission, and that this was the rea- son for the selection of such men as Luke E. Wright, Dean Worcester, H. C. Ide and Bernard Moses.
Governor Taft was just such a man as was needed to dominate absolutely such a body of men, and it is doubtful if any of them ever dissented from the Governor on an important question. The members of the Commission are honorable men. They stand well in their own communities and before the country, but they have not shown that ability for the management of affairs in the Philippines, which should en- title them to be considered good administrators, their handling of the financial question alone stamping them as incapable. Compare the Gov- ernment of the Philippine Archipelago for twelve months by Governor Taft and his associates, with an equal length of time in Cuba under General Wood. The difference is as great as it is be- tween the Government of Turkey and the Gov- ernment of the United States. In Cuba, although a nominal military head with a Cuban Cabinet, there was in reality a Cfvil regime, though under a military governor.
On the other hand, in the Philippines, the
22 As It Is in the Philippines.
regime has been, although nominally civil, a mili- tary, rather than a civil administration. Per- haps the best definition of civil government in the Philippine Islands was given by a gentle- man at an amatuer vaudeville performance at one of the clubs in Manila last winter, when he described it in a monologue on diplomacy as "The Civil Bureau of the Military Government of the Philippine Islands with headquarters in the War Department, at Washington, D. C, un- der the war power of the President."
There are three native Commissioners, Tavera, Legarda and Luzzuriaga, who were appointed apparently not so much for any particular work as possibly for a sort of sop to the Filipinos. The two former at present occupy most of their time in libel suits against papers that have ac- cused them of infamous acts before the American rule. The Spanish editor of "Miau" was sentenced to a fine of several hundred dollars and exile from Manila, at least fifty miles, for six months. On the other hand, the American editor of the "Free- dom" for merely printing the evidence that was given in open court in the "Miau" case was sen- tenced to six months' imprisonment and $i,ooo fine. It is treason and sedition in the Philip- pines to utter a word against the Commission.
As It Is in the Philippines. 23
As a former high military officer in the Philip- pines said to me recently: "In our time the Americans in the Philippines thought that they were being chastised with rods ; under civil rule they apparently are getting it with scorpions."
CHAPTER II.
Civil versus Military Rule. — Friction That Was Bound to Occur. — Common Sense of Chaffee Largely Pre- vented Open Rupture. — The Brooks Habeas Cor- pus Case. — Victory of Military. — Harmonious Solu- tion.— Improper Attitude of the Governor of Leyte. — Grant and Gardener Hoodwinked by Wily Na- tives.— Harmony Will Come.
When first the civil government was estab- lished, the very natural differences that were cer- tain to arise, began to take place throughout the Archipelago between the outgoing military officers and the incoming civil authorities. It would have been much better, if it had been possible, to have removed every army officer from the place where he had been in command to some other place where he was a stranger. The man who gave up the reins of power, frequently turned them over to some man he had known, and for whom he had a certain amount of contempt,
As It Is in the Philippines. 25
both as to experience and ability, and as to his educational attainments. It was certain that there would be a conflict of authority sooner or later. The man who had been accustomed to authority and control naturally was appealed to frequently by the natives to decide some point. Sometimes, without thinking that he might be encroaching on the province of the new regime, he adjusted these disputes, thus innocently infringing on the rights of the Civil Commission. On the other hand, every such infringement had the effect of irritating the civil authorities, and in consequence caused many appeals to Manila. Of course, as soon as the case was referred by Governor Taft or afterwards by Acting Governor Wright to General Chaffee, the officer in question invariably got orders to confine himself absolutely and en- tirely to military affairs and it was very certain that the same officer had not again to be reproved for the same offense.
Such cases came up day after day with the greatest regularity at the commencement of the civil rule, leading the majority of the civilians in Manila and even in the provinces to believe that there was an organized attempt on the part cf the military to belittle the civil authorities, and in consequence a considerable amount of an- tagonism was aroused, and in many instances
26 As It Is in the Philippines.
a feeling of dislike was engendered between men who, on other occasions, would have been very good friends. It also had the effect of making the civil officials very harsh in their judgment of even the slightest misdeed of a soldier. A single soldier drunk on Beno would be regarded as an excuse for a general attack on the army, as a lot of drunken, worthless scoundrels whose main occupation in life was to worry the civil author- ities.
Had the civil authorities recognized the fact that what had occurred at the commencement was a logical sequence of the transfer of author- ity where the civil and military functions were not clearly defined, all would have been well, but instead of doing this, they acted, as a rule, when finding themselves sustained, with haughty ar- rogance and insufferable conceit, frequently an- tagonizing the natives against the army and send- ing around, for signature, petitions condemning the army and lauding the civil rule, although the natives had not even realized that any change had taken place beyond the fact that some other American had supplanted the one previously in power.
In Manila, General Chaffee in every possible way subordinated the military to the civil govern- ment, frequently, in the opinion of some of the
As It Is in the Philippines. 27
highest ranking officers in the Archipelago, going beyond what they considered right or what they thought was required by the President and the Secretary of War. On only one occasion was there any serious conflict of authority, and in this case. General Chaffee was so unquestionably right that, with a desire to uphold the civil au- thorities, the Administration in Washington had to tell Governor Taft that he was in the wrong and to instruct both the civil and the military Governors to come to some harmonious solution of the question.
The case in question was that of a man named Brooks, who was discharged by favor from the army to accept a position under the military gov- ernment under the Adjutant General, agreeing, in consideration of his discharge, to serve the Government at a stated rate of pay for twt) years, which gave him five or six times as much as he was receiving as a soldier for the same work. Brooks got an offer from some firm in Manila very shortly after his discharge, which paid him a little more than he was getting from the mili- tary. He left his position, and his arrest by the military authorities followed. General Chaffee decided not to try the man by court martial but simply to put him on a transport and deport him home, considering that sufficient punishment. A
28 As It Is in the Philippines.
lawyer took the case up on behalf of Brooks and applied to a Supreme Court judge for a writ of habeas corpus. The Sheriff presented the writ to General McKibben, the commander of the post of Manila, who took it to General Chaffee ; after a conference it was decided that Brooks should be brought ashore from the transport, but that he should not be presented in court. General McKibben and Colonel Grosbeck, the Judge Ad- vocate General, answered the writ.
The claim put forward by the Judge Advocate was that Brooks was a military prisoner, and as such subject to the military, who did not recognize the right of the Court, as constituted, to issue a writ of habeas corpus for such a per- son. No court in the United States has any such power excepting Federal Courts, and as the Su- preme Court of the Philippines had not been vested with any such authority, either by Con- gress or through the military power of the Presi- dent, the man would not be produced.
The Commission naturally was indignant at the action of the military authority in this case, and the wires were kept busy between Manila and Washington on the question as to the right of the matter. Members of the Commission talked to representatives of the press, and expressed themselves very strongly, which made a harmoni-
As It Is in the Philippines. 29
ous solution difficult, but it was well-known that the victory was completely with the army. The Governor and General Chaffee had frequent con- sultations and it was finally decided to define the exact relations concerning matters between the civil and the military. General Chaffee agreed to produce Brooks, to use a Chinese expression, "to save the face of the civil authorities," and the Governor agreed that in future, in any case where a writ of habeas corpus was issued for a military prisoner the Judge Advocate General appearing in court and stating that the individual was a military prisoner, would be sufficient answer and the rights of the Military would be respected.
Perhaps one of the worst features of the civil versus military dispute was the attitude of the Governor of Leyte, adjoining the Island of Sa- mar, who persisted in maintaining that his dis- trict was absolutely pacified and quiet notwith- standing the well established fact that it was a hot-bed of insurrection and a camp and resting place for the Insurrectos of Samar, but a stone's throw away.
After seeing their mutilated dead at Balangigi and the dreadful atrocities perpetrated on the dead bodies; after having seen numberless acts of treachery in other parts of Samar, it was no wonder that the temper of the American
30 As It Is in the Philippines.
soldiers, both officers and privates, brooked but little interference on the part of the civil au- thorities in Leyte, for they knew that not only was it the abiding place of a population, ninety- five percent of whom were antagonistic to Amer- ican rule, but that a large number were actually engaged in furnishing supplies and even arms to their comrades in the Island of Samar, and also that the Insurrectos of Samar were making the Province of Leyte a resting place and recu- perating post.
Governor Grant of Leyte, for some reason best known to himself, refused to admit the pal- pable situation in his province, and sent glowing reports of the loyalty and good feeling of the natives. It is more than probable that he was largely hoodwinked by the natives who sur- rounded him, and who gave him the information that they knew would please him. It was this sort of information that was given to Governor Gardener, of Tayabas, by the native officials, all of whom, it was afterwards proved, were giving information to the insurgents. They assured Major Gardener that not an Tnsurrecto was left in the province, while the testimony afterwards given by two of the insurgent Generals, proved that Tayabas at that time was the best disciplined and most loyal of any province to the Insur-
As It Is in the Philippines. 31
rection. Governor Grant did not have the same excuse as did Governor Gardener. However, the fact was evident that the natives of Leyte were disloyal from the number of murders of Amer- icans and Americanistas.
It will probably be some time before absolutely and completely harmonious relations exist be- tween the civil and the military authorities all over the Archipelago. The civil officials will not soon forget what they look upon as the con- tempt of the army officers for themselves and their positions, while the army officers will cer- tainly feel the suspicion of enmity in the air and are not likely to go far out of their way to bring matters to a more harmonious understand- ing, and consequently very little communication, for the present, will take place between them. But eventually, as men are changed about, both in civil and military positions, the situa- tion will develop a feeling, where mutual com- mon sense will bring those living in close prox- imity to a better understanding, both working for the same end, the uplifting of the Philip- pines and the credit of the United States of America.
In Manila, to General Chaffee, and largely to General Chaffee alone, is due the credit that serious friction has not occurred, as he has gone
32 As It Is in the Philippines.
out of his way on many occasions, not only by actions but by words, to prove his complete sin- cerity in subordinating the military to the civil. Few men could have succeeded as admirably as he has done, not only in gaining the confidence of the members of the Commission who imagine that they see an insult in every act or word of the military, but also, by his own example, and by his orders to leading officers of the army to act in complete accord with the civil authorities with whom they come in contact.
CHAPTER III.
The Department of Public Instruction. — Competent and Incompetent Teachers. — Complaints that Presidentes Are over American Teachers. — Municipalities Re- sponsible for Payment of Native Teachers. — Presi- dente's Rake-oflF. — Normal School in Zambales. — The Great Success of the Nautical School in Manila. — Devotion of Pupils to Lieutenant Commander Knapp. — Educational Prospects Bright
The Department of Public Instruction, under the direction of Dr. F. W. Atkinson, has made an admirable attempt to Americanize and civ- ilize the Islands by means of the teaching of the English language to all the children and to those of their elders who wish to learn it.
This was a most excellent idea, and no one was probably better fitted than was Dr. Atkinson for the carrying out of this plan. One thousand teachers were brought from the United States on Government transports. Most of them as- serted that they did not come for the salary, but as educational missionaries to elevate the Fili-
34 As It Is in the Philippines.
pinos to the level of the civilized and educated. A very large proportion of these teachers were earnest, willing, efficient and kind men and wom- en who have endeavored conscientiously to do their duty and carry out their original idea. On the other hand, there were some who came out tinder contract as teachers, but with no inten- tion whatever of remaining in their ranks. They are on the outlook for business opportunities or for any means whereby money can be made. Many of them have found nothing else to do and have continued as teachers and have brought more or less discredit on the entire organization, which is very unfair, for the work which has been accomplished as a whole has been excellent.
The Educational Department unfortunately was organized in rather a loose manner under Law No. 74, which compels the defeat of many of the objects striven for. Education was not made compulsory. American teachers were not given enough power. They were only special teachers of English and in many cases the native teacher, with but a slight smattering of read- ing and writing, was the real head of the school. Another of the principal complaints was that the American teacher was subordinated to the native Presidente or Mayor of the town where the teacher was stationed. It is difficult, how-
As It Is in the Philippines. 35
ever, to see how the Commission could have made any other rule. In addition the act provided that municipalities should sustain schools but fixed no penalty for noncompliance.
The islands were divided into several divi- sions, some twenty in all, each of which had a superintendent. With the exception of three temporary superintendents who were appointed from the army, soon rejoining that service, these $uperintendents were all men from the United States, and almost without exception unable to speak Spanish, much less the local vernacular. This was a great hindrance to them and the teachers were in the same position. The super- intendents were also given power to appoint na- tive teachers and to fix their salaries, but the towns were to pay each teacher, with no penalty for non-payment. It is easy to see that the native teachers have generally received what the local town council saw fit to pay. The rake-off to the Presidente is generally ten percent. A na- tive school board, usually worthless for work, was also ordered for each town.
Under the Spanish law of 1892, the native teachers received their pay from the province in which they were stationed. Considering the higher prices of everything at present, it was a better arrangement than the local town system.
36 As It Is in the Philippines.
The schools have not been attended by the chil- dren of the lower classes as much as was ex- pected, mainly from the fact that the higher classes rule and advise them as much as in Span- ish days and it can be said that until Americans learn the native tongue, so that they can talk to the lower classes freely, just so long will the belauded self-government they enjoy to-day be the narrow and selfish rule of a Malay oli- garchy, founded not on nobility or education, but merely upon wealth, arrogance and snobbishness.
The oligarchy can and does communicate by means of Spanish all over the islands. The poor class does not read or write its own dialects, but under the law this poor class has no share in the government of the schools; neither has the resident American. It has been handed over to the Tagalog or Bicol or Visayan or Ilocano "principal" who in ninety-five cases out of a hun- dred is an insurgent at heart, and who is rivet- ing the chains still tighter upon the lower classes. It is safe to say that one hundred and twenty- five men with their fifteen hundred retainers control the movements, work, ideas and destinies of all the members of the so-called Qiristian tribes. And the policy pursued is not loosening their grasp but is helping to increase its strength.
Details have not been worked out as finely as
HON. WILLIAM H. TAFT. Governor of the Philippines.
As It Is in the Philippines. 37
they might or should have been in school matters, and a true esprit de corps can hardly be said to exist. Teachers have been sent to remote towns to do work without adequate encouragement or support. Formal circulars a month old are not very sustaining even as far as they go.
Dr. Atkinson has been indefatigable in his ef- forts, and Normal Schools were established in the summer in several places, though cholera unfor- tunately interfered in some. As an instance of the success that has attended these schools, the following letter from a teacher from Iba, Zam- bales, under date of June 25th, will probably give as good an idea of the work as anything that could be written at present on the subject :
"The first school opening in Zambales province took place at Iba, on i6th June. The work is well organized and is running smoothly, and shows plainly that the principal, Departmental Superintendent C. E. Putnam, has done some hard work and earnest thinking along the right lines. The school has many excellent features and cannot but help the earnest young people mentally and morally, now and through the com- ing years. There is a pleasing atmosphere of comradeship and helpfulness about the work, es- pecially during the hours of study and opening
38 As It Is in the Philippines.
exercises. In the morning all the pupils and teachers meet together in an assembly hall made by driping the partition between two of the school rooms. Songs are sung by the school and an informal talk given by some of the American teachers. The first morning, Governor Poten- ciano Lesaca welcomed all with a pleasing ad- dress in which he told the pupils of the great educational plan and of the advantages to be de- rived from this normal school work. He was fol- lowed by Don Juan Manday, Provincial Fiscal, who also congratulated the students upon the edu- cational advantages they were about to enjoy.
"There are more than two hundred and thirty- eight pupils representing the towns of Bolinao, Alaminos, Agno, Dasol, Santa Cruz, Masinloc, Candelaria, Palawig, Iba, Botolan, Boni, Caban- gan, San Felipe, San Antonio, San Mar- celino Castillejos, Subig and Olongapo. Out- side of Iba, the largest delegations come from San Marcelino, San Narciso Agno and Botolan. Throughout the Province, in towns where Amer- ican teachers have been stationed, the advance- ment of both native teachers and pupils is very apparent.
"So much has been accomplished by the few teachers who have worked in this province, that it is greatly regretted that there are not enough
As It Is in the Philippines. 39
American teachers for every deserving town to have one. The schedule of work includes the ordinary school curriculum, as well as music and free hand drawing. The music is under the di- rection of Miss Kelshaw, and the young people seem to be thoroughly enjoying it. The classes are held in a chapel a short distance from the school building, where scholars sing to their heart's content without interfering with their les- sons. A comfortable new six-room building was opened for the Normal School, and to have this building completed in time, the people have worked hard. They may be justly proud of their efforts, for they now have the finest building in the Province, well lighted, fitted with American desks, together with a good supply of black- boards.
"A feature of the normal work that is designed to be especially helpful to the native teachers, is a model class of children between the ages of ten and twelve, conducted as much as possible on the principles of an American school. Here the native teachers are sent to observe and ab- sorb as much as possible of the true spirit and atmosphere of an American school room.
"The work along all lines has commenced in a satisfactory manner. Both teachers and pupils seem thoroughly in earnest and the school prom-
40 As It Is in the Philippines.
ises to be very successful. A flag raising has been planned to take place on the Fourth of July, when suitable exercises, accompanied by songs appropriate for the occasion, will be rendered. The different towns in this district will be repre- sented."
Probably one of the most useful acquisitions that has descended from Spain as a legacy to the American administration is the Nautical School, which was under the direction first of Lieutenant Commander V. L. Cottman, U.S.N., and later, since April, 1901, of Lieutenant Com- mander John J. Knapp, U.S.N. This school has made great improvements, and is a credit not only to the two gentlemen who have managed it from the time when it became an American in- stitution to the present, but also to the Educa- tional Department and to the Commission itself.
During Spanish times, the school was located in the Walled City, but when it was reopened by the Americans, quarters were assigned in Calle Santa Elena, Quartel Meisic, where the school is at present located. All instruction, except that in English, was in the Spanish language. At present all instruction is in English. This change was made by Lieutenant Commander Knapp, as soon as he took charge, and its success has
As It Is in the Philippines. 41
been absolute and complete. There are no Filipino boys speaking better English than those who have been at the Nautical School. On the occasion of the graduating exercises last spring, addresses in the English language were admirably made by several of the pupils, astonishing even those who had the greatest confidence in the development of the Filipinos by education.
The corps of instructors assisting the Superin- tendent now consists of four American teachers and one of the former native teachers. The latter's services will be dispensed with, as soon as another officer of the Navy can be detailed as an instructor in technical branches.
With the change in the method of instruction, has also come a change in the subjects of in- struction. The course is being developed as rap- idly as practicable to correspond with that of the United States Naval Academy, at Annapolis,, with the exception of the military training, which it is not deemed advisable to institute at present.
Owing to a lack of .primary instruction in the Islands, the nautical cadets, when they begin their course, are very poorly grounded in the subjects of primary education. This has made it necessary to crowd into four years, everything from the beginning of arithmetic, to plane and spherical trigonometry. What is true of the
42 As It Is in the Philippines.
course of mathematics, applies equally to other branches. Not only has the lack of primary training been an obstacle, but it has also been necessary to overcome the effects of the former bad system of training. This is particularly the case in mathematics, in which study the method has been that of memorizing, rather than of rea- soning. In spite of these obstacles, success has been achieved, and the graduates of the past year read and speak English with a fair degree of fluency, and accredit themselves well in their navigation work, theoretically as well as practically.
Though it has been desired to give these young men a technical education, the principal aim has been to imbue them with American ideas, and as the school draws its pupils from the various parts of the Islands, it is believed that this effort to Americanize the pupils will have an effect gen- erally throughout the Islands.
To achieve the best results, the school should have more ample quarters, where the students could be housed and fed, where machine shops, gymnasiums, laboratories and quarters could be located. At present, the cadets are living in various places about Manila, and the school has little control of their personal habits or their studies when away from the school itself.
Recommendations embodying these ideas, have
As It Is in thd Philippines. 43
been made by Lieutenant Commander Knapp, and are being considered at the present time by the Department of Education.
There is also urgent need of a training ship. The only practical work the cadets get in sea- manship now, is that afforded by a mast, yards, and accompanying sails rigged in the yard of the school building.
I have talked with many of the boys of the Nautical School, and have been astonished to find the extreme loyalty and devotion with which they regard their Superintendent, Lieutenant Commander J. J. Knapp, U.S.N., whose work has been admirable in the extreme. When the day comes for him to take his departure, his place will be very hard to fill.
The future of education in the Philippines looks bright, especially if some changes were to be made, such as giving the native teachers a certain length of time in which to graduate and pass a standard of education, of which English should be the most important feature, as the lan- guage of the Orient, through China, Japan and practically everywhere, for business purposes, is English. The great majority of the natives of the Philippines do not even understand Spanish, their own dialect being all they can speak. It is impossible, under such circum- stances, to have a united country.
44 As It Is in the Philippines.
CHAPTER IV.
Commencement of Civil Government Regime. — Upheld by Newspapers and Business Men. — Introduction of Sedition Bill Which Becomes Law. — The "Free- dom" Editorial upon Which Proprietor and Editor Were Convicted of Sedition and Treason. — Bad Outlook for Newspapers.
In the early days of the civil government regime, the American newspapers and business men of Manila, were unanimously in favor of the change, but to-day there is not a paper but would prefer all the restrictions that were placed upon them by Generals Otis and MacArthur, to the laws that have been passed to squelch them by the Civil Commission — laws that are interpreted by Judges who hold their offices through the grace of and by the will of the Commission alone. Not even the purely American cases are given a trial by jury.
The Commission, from the first, seems to have gone out of its way to antagonize and belittle the local press, all of whom were in favor of
As It Is in the Philippines. 45
it at the commencement. It would have required very little tact and judgment on the part of the Commission to have retained that loyalty.
Criticisms became frequent and common, and finally the Commission decided that libel laws did not cover the situation, that there was noth- ing in any existing libel law that could punish an editor for criticising or daring to assume that the members of the Commission, either indi- vidually or collectively, were not paragons of ad- ministrative excellence. Consequently a Sedition Bill was hastily prepared and hurriedly rushed through and made law. The main parts of the law were taken from old statutes of American states, to all intents and purposes obsolete, and the mere fact that such a law had to be passed proved the utter incapacity of the Commission. No more conclusive evidence could be required of what a slender thread the Commission hung by with the Philippine people, than their claim that it was necessary to charge the "Freedom" with Sedition for publishing in an editorial, on Sunday, April 6th, the following:
A FEW HARD FACTS.
Sidney Adamson, in a late letter in Leslie's Weekly has the following to say of the action of the Civil Commission, in appointing rascally natives to important government positions:
46 As It Is in the Philippines.
"It is a strong thing to say, but nevertheless true, that the Civil Commission, through its ex- insurgent office-holders, and by its continual dis- regard for the records of natives obtained dur- ing the military rule of the islands, has, in its distribution of offices, constituted a protectorate over a set of men who should be in jail or de- ported. . . . Tecson, ex-presidente of San Pablo, was removed from his position for his double dealing. Among other crimes he had a great many of the rich residents arrested on charges of complicity with the insurgents. One by one, he complained to the commanding officer that he had been mistaken, until they were all set free. It was afterwards discovered that he obtained $100.00 a head to obtain their release. The Civil Commission returned him to the town recently as a justice of the peace. This is the kind of foolish work that the Commission is do- ing over the island, reinstating insurgents and rogues, and turning down the men who have during the struggle at the risk of their lives, aided the Americans."
These are serious charges which are made against the civil government but the most serious part of the matter is that there is good reason to believe for the most part, that the charges are true. This is one of the grertest weapons which the Civil Commission has furnished to be used ao-ainst itself. There is no doubt but that the Filipino office-holders of the Islands are in a good many instances rascals. The Federal Party, which claims to be the true friend of the Amer- icans, has time and time again been accused of
As It Is in the Philippines. 47
double dealing. The Commission has exalted to the highest positions in the Islands Filipinos who are alleged to be notoriously corrupt and ras- cally, and men of no personal character, and in other instances has depended for its information upon the alleged hypocrites who obsequiously furnished the greatest number of triumphal arches, and bands of music to greet the visiting gubernatorial party.
Editor Valdez, of "Miau," made serious charges against two of the native commissioners, and if those against Pardo de Tavera, were true, they would brand the man as a coward and a rascal, and with what result? Was any effort made to disprove the charges ; was de Tavera asked to vindicate himself, or did the Commis- sion do anything to vindicate itself from having appointed a man, with charges of this sort against him, to the highest position in the gift of the Commission, at a greater annual salary than that paid to the vice-president of the United States? As far as is known. No! However, the native commissioners, claiming that they were libelled (under a law which specifies that the greater the truth the greater the libel), entered suit against the alleged writer of the articles, Seiior Valdez, and on one charge alone he has been found guilty and sentenced to a fine of eight hundred pesos. And the beautiful part of it is — think of it, Americans in the United States ! — that the trial under Spanish law was no more than a travesty of justice from an American stand- point and could no more have taken place in America than it could have in the moon. The
48 As It Is in the Philippines.
defense were not allowed to prove the truth of the allegations, which they were willing and anxious to do. Is this Americanism? Is this the form of justice that the people of the United States desire should prevail in the Philippines? Is it the desire of the people of the United States that the natives against whom these charges have been made (which, if true, abso- lutely villi fy their personal characters) be per- mitted to retain their seats on the Civil Commis- sion, the executive body of the Philippines gov- ernment, without an investigation?
Outside of the "Miau" incident, many other charges have also been made ; it is a notorious fact that many branches of the government or- ganized by the Civil Commission are rotten, and corrupt. The fiscal system, upon which life, liberty, and justice depends, is admitted by the Attorney-General himself to be most unsatis- factory. It is a fact that the Philippine judiciary is far from being what it should. Neither fiscals nor judges can be persuaded to convict insur- gents when they wish to protect them, and it is not strange that this condition of affairs should exist. The whole truth of the matter is that the Civil Commission have done too much work. They have established a government here for which the Filipinos will not be capable for years, and, realizing their mistake, they are attempting to strengthen the vital points to a sufficient ex- tent to save the destruction of the system through its own imperfections. This is a sign of possible regeneration.
The Civil Commission have a very hard task
As It Is in the Philippines. 49
before them. In their position they are open to criticism from all, and must realize that it is im- possible to please all. It is to be feared, how- ever, that the Commission, realizing this fact, has determined to go ahead and please itself without reference to any one else. It would seem, in the matter of industrial taxation, the currency and the many others that have come up from time to time, that the Commission has done exactly the opposite of what was desired by the major- ity of the interests of the islands. The evils of its policy have been realized and have fallen upon those who have had no remedy. It is a significant fact, that, although as a natural con- sequence, newspapers would support the govern- ment, the Civil Commission has been unable to find an organ among the reputable papers of Manila, and that every correspondent who has visited the islands has constituted himself a par- tisan against the civil government. These facts are significant, Messrs. Commissioners; they mean that there is something wrong somewhere ; they mean that you have made fatal mistakes, and that the results of your optimism have not been suiSicient to warrant it.
There is not a newspaper in the Philippine Islands but prefers civil government to military government. When you started off on that mem- orable 7th of July, with a flourish of trumpets and a waving of banners, we were all with you. Since then we have dropped by the wayside one by one, according to the amount of courage which accompanied our convictions. Some of us still attempt to stand by you because of certain com-
50 As It Is in the Philippines.
mercial reasons, demonstrated by advertising" patronage, but these make the most ludicrous at- tempts to reconcile the truth with their editorial policies, and often find direct contradictions in the same issue. Press agents for the civil gov- ernment would succeed in convincing the news- papers of Manila that everything was lovely if it was not for the reports from the Provinces to the contrary. Only a short time ago the editor of "Freedom" had a long interview with an officer of the constabulary, who attempted to point out the peaceful conditions existing in Tayabas, and to emphasize his statements, pointed out the sit- uation with the aid of a map. This officer had just returned from Tayabas. Now we hear all sorts of reports as to rottenness existing in the province, and especially the northern end of it, it is said that it is impossible to secure the con- viction of the law breakers and outlaws by the na- tive justices, or prosecution by the native fiscals. Outlawrj' and insurrection continue. Leyte is in the doubtful column, and there are rumblings from many other districts. In Manila the great- est dissatisfaction exists as to the stand taken on the currency question. The long and short of it is that Americans will not stand for an arbitrary government, especially when evidences of carpet- bagging and rumors of graft are too thick to be pleasant.
If civil government is to be a success in the Philippines, there must be a radical departure from the altitudes, and a listening to reason and the desires of the people. Backbone must be
As It Is in the Philippines. 51
instituted into the provincial governments, and the entire system must be strengthened. If not, the present movement which has already gained way in the States is liable to spread until it drowns out the Philippines altogether. Many a little boy has lost all the pleasure from his ice cream by eating too much of it.
Since the publication of that editorial, outside of what may have appeared at the trial, for which the editor and publisher were condemned, the statements then made have been amply and em- phatically proved, as : ly one who read the sworn testimony given before the Gardener court, of which General Wint was the presiding officer, will fully agree. The facts developed in that case alone would suffice in the mind of any ordi- nary individual to endorse all that was stated in the "Freedom."
Although the "Freedom" was probably more severe in its criticisms than any other paper, the "Times" and the "American" practically echoed and endorsed everything printed by it. but the Commission now has the papers sufficiently ter- rorized so that they are afraid to tell the truth, and they will doubtless be very cautious. There are, however, some brainy, able men at the heads of the newspapers in Manila, who will neither be forced nor compelled to write what they do not believe in order to elevate Governor Taft and his associates into the position of Czars.
The Press Club made an appeal to President Roosevelt when the law was first put into force against the "Freedom," and they cabled to Wash-
52 As It Is in the Philippines.
ington at considerable expense, but not even a reply was vouchsafed.
Under present conditions in the Philipp'nes, the outlook for successful newspaper work is very poor.
CHAPTER V.
The Custom House. — Phenomenal Rise of the Collec- tor, W. Morgan Shuster. — Postal Affairs. — Good Work done by Auditor Lawshe. — Excellent Results Accomplished by the Forestry Bureau under Cap- tain Ahearn. — Some Useless Bureaus. — Provincial Governments.
One of the principal branches of the Govern- ment is naturally the Custom House, which, ac- cording to merchants in Manila, both those who have been there for years and recent American arrivals, is far from being what it should be, not so much on account of its management, but on account of what is called by many its exces- sive tariff, which is practically much higher than it was in Spanish times. Under Spanish domina- tion, the merchants, by a little judicious greasing of the palms of the Manila customs officials, could always get in goods of a high quality un- dervalued, whereas, under the American regime, this system of defrauding the Government has entirely disappeared, much to the sorrow of the merchants and incidentally of the general public.
54 As It Is in the Philippines.
as it has meant a very large increase in the prices of almost all classes of goods, so much so that from being one of the cheapest places on earth to live in, it ranks among the most expensive.
The present Collector of Customs, Mr. W. Morgan Shuster, made an admirable record as a customs official during the entire period of Gen- eral Bliss' reign as the Chief Collector of Cus- toms for the Island of Cuba. Mr. Shuster is a splendid example of the possibilities of the Amer- ican boy who has integrity, intelligence and en- ergy. At the outbreak of the Spanish-Amer- ican War, Mr. Shuster joined the War De- partment as a temporary clerk at $900 per year. He had been a student at the George- town University, and as he had completed his studies, took the first opportunity that arose to gain remuneration. While in the War Department he did his work as stenographer and typewriter so well that when something of special importance had to be done it seemed nat- ural to entrust it to him.
When Havana was occupied and the Island Government was being organized, clerks were needed. There were all sorts of stories about yellow fever and discomfort. Slightly increased salaries were offered as an inducement. Mr. Shuster decided that he wanted a wider field,
''I
As It Is in the Philippines. 55
and he went as a total stranger with Major, now General Bliss as a clerk in the Cuban Customs Service. His industry and attention to work soon attracted the attention of his new superior. It was Mr. Shuster who discovered the attempted customs frauds in Havana, and he was gradually promoted until he became principal assistant to General Bliss.
Later, when civil government was established in the Philippine Islands, the President, in look- ing for a good Collector of Customs for the Arch- ipelago, called upon General Bliss to recommend some one, if there was anybody in the Island of Cuba that was competent. General Bliss, with- out hesitation, suggested Mr. Shuster. Mr. Root, Secretary of War, having had an opportunity of learning the value of his work, fully concurred in the suggestion made by General Bliss, and in consequence Mr. Shuster was appointed at a salary of $6,000 a year as Chief of the Customs Service in the Philippine Archipelago.
Thus, it will be seen, that Mr. Shuster, solely by his own exertions, in the short period of three years, rose from an obscure clerk among the forty thousand in his class in Washington, where he was earning less than $1,000 a year, to one of the most important positions in the Philippines, which he fills with dignity and honor. His rise is
56 As It Is in the Philippines.
probably more phenomenal than that of any per- son brought forward by the events connected with the Spanish-American War, and is a splen- did example of the possibilities of American youth.
The postal affairs of the Archipelago have as- sumed a considerable volume of business which amounts to fully three times as much as was ever handled under the old Spanish regime. The Direc- tor-General, C. M. Cotterman, has organized a satisfactory system of delivery for the entire Archipelago, that is, satisfactory so far as the means of transportation at his disposal allow, as in many cases it is impossible to get mail to the people oftener than once in a week or ten days, and sometimes even longer, but that is not the fault of the postal authorities.
The post office in Manila is in a convenient locality, situated on the Escolta, Manila's princi- pal street, but the building deserves attention, not being up to the needs and requirements of the postal service as it is at present, and many a city in the United States with one-fifth of the population of Manila has a much more com- modious building.
Another branch of the Philippine civil gov- ernment, which covers a considerable amount of work in the course of a day, is that of the
As It Is in the Philippines. 57
treasury, the Treasurer being Mr. Frank A. Branagan.
The Treasury Department arranges for the payment of all the civil employees of the Gov- ernment from one end of the Archipelago to the other, which means a considerable amount of work, while closely allied to the Treasury De- partment may be said to be the Auditor's De- partment, presided over by Mr. A. L. Lawshe.
Mr, Lawshe has long been connected with the Auditor's Department in Washington, and was appointed auditor to the Island of Cuba when the gigantic postal frauds were first discov- ered. As soon as civil government was formed in the Philippines, Mr. Lawshe was sent there with all the power that could be given to an auditor, for the Administration in Washington was deter- mined that no such scandal as the Cuban postal affair should tarnish the American record in the Philippines if it was in their power to prevent it, and consequently Mr. Lawshe was chosen as one of the ablest men the War Department had, a man still young, having energy and at the same time considerable experience and unimpeachable integrity.
A branch of the Government that has in the oast few months had its hands full is the Quar- antine Department, which has been in charge of
58 As It Is in the Philippines.
Dr. J. S. Perry, of the Marine Hospital Service. Dr. Perry or an assistant boards every steamer that comes to Manila between daylight and dark, and he is in constant communication with the American Marine Hospital Service at Hong Kong and Yokohama. As soon as cholera was announced in Hong Kong, vessels from that port were put under a strict quarantine in the hope of keeping the dread epidemic from the coast of the Philippines, but no effort could prevent its com- ing in, as it seems to have spread from Hong Kong throughout China and even Japan, which has the strictest quarantine laws in the world. The purchase of supplies for the Philippine Islands for the use of the various branches of the Government is in the hands of a bureau, at the head of which is Major E. G. Shields, who is a conscientious and hard-working man, though he has made himself very unpopular with the merchants of Manila, as the majority of the supplies are purchased away from the Philippines and come in free of duty, very much lower than it is possible for the merchants of Manila to supply the same goods, as they have to pay the original price plus the high tariflF at Manila. The merchants do not attack his honesty of purpose, and indeed, the majority blame the Commission for the situation more than Major Shields, al-
As It Is in the Philippines. 59
though, as he is the individual who advertises the contracts, a number do not discriminate be- tween the individual and the power that com- pels him to act as he does.
The Forestry Bureau, under the direction of Captain George P. Ahearn, loaned for duty to the civil government from the Ninth United States Infantry, has done excellent work since its inception, April 14, 1900.
The Spanish Government had inaugurated a forestry service in 1863, nearly three hundred years after their occupation of the islands. The forestry officials were selected from the forestry service of Spain, the subordinate places in the Philippines being partly filled by Filipinos, and at no time had a Filipino risen to any of the higher places in the service. After Captain Ahearn took charge, notices were sent to the former forestry officials to make applications for positions in the bureau if they so desired. Men acquainted with the country, forests, language and former regulations were considered more useful than any officials from other countries. A number presented themselves with credentials, which usually consisted of diplomas from the Agricultural College of Manila. None but na- tives presented themselves, the Spanish foresters having returned, leaving the Islands without a
do As It Is in the Philippines.
single trained forester. Since that time a num- ber of Filipinos have risen high in the forestry service and are doing excellent work. All tim- ber cut on public land is cut by license.
The demand for forest products during the last few years has been so great in the Philip- pines that men with the information just outlined were sought by the lumber companies and of- fered higher salaries than were given in the forestry service. No forestry official was per- mitted to receive any money in addition to his salary in the Forestry Bureau for supervising papers or any other work rendered in the course of his duties.
Captain Ahearn found the Spanish forestry laws and regulations that were in force in Au- gust, 1898, to be excellent, and practically in line with similar laws and regulations in Europe, where the science of forestry has reached a high stage of perfection, but unfortunately these laws and regulations, up to the time of American oc- cupation, had not been enforced and the science not practiced, as the record of the testimony of an official shows. Under Spanish administration, licenses cut any and everything. Trees to be felled were not selected. No minimum size was maintained. Valuable rubber and gutta percha
As It Is in the Philippines. 61
trees were felled and some of the finest woods were used as fire wood.
Captain Ahearn has caused a complete change in all this, and at present the bureau is one of the most effective under the Philippine Com- mission.
The Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes, under the direction of Dr. D. P. Barrows, is one of those bureaus that has yet to show for what pur- pose it was made a separate and distinct organ- ization and not merely a part of some other branch of government.
The Mining Bureau, under Mr. Charles H. Burritt, has not yet assumed proportions to en- title it to be a special bureau, and it could easily have been made a portion of the Forestry Bureau with a single additional clerk.
The Agricultural Bureau, which has recently been formed, should prove of immense value.
The Weather Bureau, under the direction of the Rev. Father Algue, who is superintendent of the observatory, does good work in giving warning of approaching typhoons, and is gen- erally accurate with regard to weather prob- abilities.
The Government Cold Storage Bureau, in a climate like Manila, has been a boon to all those entitled to purchase their ice from it. Of course.
62 As It Is in the Philippines.
the local ice manufacturers objected to the for- mation of this bureau, as they have had to re- duce the price of ice, and also have lost a very large number of customers, owing to the fact that anybody connected with the Government can purchase ice from the Cold Storage Bureau at half the price at which it is obtainable from the merchants, but there is no question that the cold storage for the Government was necessary, as the supply of ice from the local manufacturers was neither certain nor satisfactory when ob- tained, as customers could never be sure that the water used in the making of the ice was sterilized. For some time Captain L. S. Ron- diez has been in charge of this bureau.
It is difficult to go through a list of the numer- ous bureaus that have been put into commission by the present civil government, but the prin- cipal ones not previously alluded to are the Bu- reau of Public Lands, the Bureau of Architecture and the Bureau of Printing.
CHAPTER VI.
Municipality of Manila a Credit to the Commission. — Police Force Efficient. — Good Work of the Board of Health. — Bilibid Prison Becoming like an Ameri- can Penitentiary. — Music on the Luneta. — Senti- ment Regarding the Tearing Down of the Walls.
Perhaps of all the departments of the govern- ment of the Philippine Islands for which the Commission is responsible, the greatest success has been in the municipality of Manila. It has been under the immediate eye of the Commis- sion since the commencement of civil rule, and the two American members of the Municipal Board are young and energetic men, in thorough accord with the ideas of the Commission and quick to take suggestions when offered. Both Governor Taft and afterwards Acting Governor Wright spent a considerable portion of their time in studying the needs of the City of Manila.
The Municipal Board consists of three mem- bers, the President, Arsemo Cruz Herrera, at
64 As It Is in the Philippines.
$5,000 per annum, while the American member^ are Percy G. McDonell and Charles H. Sleeper, at $4,500 each per annum.
In line with the policy of placing Filipinos in high salaried and responsible positions, a Fili- pino was made the president of the board, and his appointment has been a success, for even if he has done nothing to amount to anything, he has had the good sense not to interfere and hinder the American members of the board in their work.
First and foremost of the departments under the Municipal Board, both for its size and ef- ficiency, is the police force, and to Captain George W. Curry, the superintendent, who resigned on the 5th of July, is due the credit of having or- ganized a police force, the white portion of which is the peer of any police force in the world.
Captain Curry was once Sheriff of his county in New Mexico. On the breaking out of the Spanish-American War, he became an officer un- der Wood and Roosevelt in the Rough Riders. After that regiment was mustered out. Captain Curry applied for and obtained a commission in the Eleventh Volunteer Cavalry, serving in it with honor and distinction, until the early part of 1 90 1, when he was made Governor of the Cam- arines. There were many applications for the
As It Is in the Philippines. 65
position of Chief of the Police Department when the civil authorities took over the reins of office, but Curry was not one of them. He was se- lected solely on account of his fitness, and it was unquestionably one of the best appointments that the Civil Commission made.
The police force had about four hundred white policemen, all of whom had served in the army in the Philippines, the majority of them in the Volunteers. Every man was picked, the result being a fine, able-bodied, strong, healthy-looking lot of men, accustomed to discipline and obeying orders with promptitude. They were always civil and obliging to the public and ambitious to rise.
They were placed in the most important parts of the city, especially those places which the white inhabitants frequented. There was always a certain amount of resentment on the part of the American residents at the fact that each mem- ber of the Commission had a white police guard continually over his house, as it was the opin- ion that if the city was really pacified, there was no necessity of a special guard for the Commis- sioners any more than for any business man, whereas, if it was merely a matter of dignity, they required more than Cabinet officers in Washing- ton.
66 As It Is in the Philippines.
Captain Curry brought this branch of the po- Hce force to a splendid state of efficiency, and was instrumental in obtaining for them a gym- nasium and club, while he also succeeded in forming a club for the thousand or more na- tive policemen belonging to the force.
The native police also deserve their meed of praise, for they have really done good work, and although they look rather diminutive along- side of the stalwart American policemen, still on frequent occasions they have shown consider- able pluck in capturing criminals.
The work of the Board of Health this year has been something enormous, and Colonel L. M. Maus has worked with his assistants early and late, mainly in the endeavor to stay the ravages of cholera. Portions of the city have been isolated and even burned, the food supplies have been examined, vegetables and other foods have been prevented from coming into the city from the provinces, houses all over the city have been made sanitary and in many cases con- demned and ordered to be torn down; a deten- tion camp was formed in which to keep for a certain number of days, people who happened to reside in a house where cholera broke out, and all this caused an immense amount of labor and a large increase in the force. At one time
As It Is in the Philippines. 67
over five hundred additional men were employed.
In the fall of 1901, the work of the Board of Health was largely devoted to stamping out the plague, and two cents each was given for every rat that was brought to the stations at which In- spectors were. If the City of Manila is not to- day healthy, it is not the fault of Major Maus and those who have assisted him during the past twelve months, chief of whom may be said to be Dr. H. A. Herman.
In the office of the Board of Health, all busi- ness concerning the different departments of San Lazaro Hospital, Hospicio De San Jose, Plague Hospital, Experimental Hospital for Rinderpest and Plague, Vaccine Station and Municipal Laboratories is transacted. If one becomes ill of any suspicious disease, a doctor from the Health Board takes charge of the case until all danger of infection is over, or until the pa- tient is laid to rest in quicklime, in one of the numerous cemeteries of Manila.
The water arrangements of the city are not at present adequate to the population, and plans are on foot to largely increase the supply. Many years ago a Spanish gentleman died and left a sum of money which was to be used for the building of a reservoir and for the purpose of bringing the water into the city, prior to which
68 As It Is in the Philippines.
water was brought in carts and sold from house to house. The only stipulation that the donor made was that this water was to be free to the poor, a stipulation which, strange to say, seems to have been always carried out. The members of the Municipal Board have plans now before them to more than double the supply at present ob- tained.
The Fire Department has been very antiquated and practically useless, but under the new chief, Hugh Bonner, formerly Chief of the Fire Depart- ment of New York, if his plans are carried out, the city eventually will have an efficient Fire De- partment. Manila does not as a rule suffer from very serious fires, but when a conflagration does take place, the fire is generally past quelling as far as the house itself is concerned, before the Fire Department arrives, and their work here- tofore has mainly been to endeavor to save the surrounding property. Mr. Bonner hopes to have his Department arrive at such a state of efficien- cy that the fire in the house itself may be stopped, and in the course of time this result will doubt- less be achieved, as no more Nina shacks are allowed to be built within the limits of the city. The ordinary Nipa shacks only last from two to three years, and their places will have to be taken either by stone or wooden houses.
HON. LUKE E. WRIGHT. Vice-Governor of the Philippines.
As It Is in the Philippines. 69
There are several public markets in Manila, which have their own inspectors as well as be- ing supervised to a certain extent by the Board of Health, and all animals that are killed for public consumption have to go through the slaughter house.
The Bilibid Penitentiary is in the City of Manila, and in the last twelve months has un- dergone considerable improvement. It is begin- ning to assume the appearance of a modern Amer- ican jail. The Warden, Captain G. N. Wolfe, was Deputy Warden under the military regime. He speaks Spanish well, and is now acquainted with the majority of the criminals in the Philip- pines. Changes that have been made, have been mainly if not entirely at his suggestion, and the sanitation is as nearly perfect as it can be made at present in the Philippines, while the food is abundant and healthful.
The Penitentiary at Manila is partly self-sup- porting and Captain Wolfe hopes to make it entirely so. There is a laundry in connection with the prison, at which the public can have all washing done. There is also a furniture store for the sale of bamboo furniture, all of which is made in the prison. There is also a curio de- partment, where all sorts of knick-knacks are
70 As It Is in the Philippines.
sold, made of Caribao horns, fancy woods, and other odd materials.
The Department of Streets, Parks, Docks and Wharves is one for which the people of Manila should be very thankful for the efficient man- ner in which the work is conducted. The streets are well watered and when found in need of repairs are attended to promptly. The streets themselves are a long way from what the people would like, mainly on account of their narrow- ness and the material with which they are made, and it is estimated that it will take some twenty million dollars to put in drains, sewer pipes and proper streets in the city.
One of the main features of Manila life is the Luneta, which is the daily evening drive of every- body who has a horse in Manila, and the walk of thousands of others who do not own anything in the way of transportation excepting their own legs. The Luneta has been vastly improved since the old Spanish days. It is well lighted, and is a most pleasant resort between half-past five and seven o'clock, during which hours, six nights a week, the Military Band plays, Monday being the only day when it does not.
For a time, shortly after the civil authorities took possession of the city, there was some trou- ble as to where the music should be obtained, the
As It Is in the Philippines. 71
city not possessing a band of its own, while the Military did not feel called upon to send their bands without express orders. Finally it was agreed upon that two regimental bands should play three times a week each, while the city should contribute $ioo per month to each regi- ment for the purchase of music, repairing the ij.'struments and similar uses.
The municipal authorities have in contempla- tion the establishment of a city band, which will probably be in connection with the Police De- partment, though at one time the idea was dropped as too expensive. There is no question that music is much more of a necessity in a coun- try like the Philippines, than it would be in a colder clime, and it is almost a certainty that within the next few months, Manila will own her own city band.
Taken all in all, the municipality of Manila is a credit to the American administration and in every way a great improvement over what it was under Spanish rule, though to make a mod- ern city of Manila will require a vast expendi- ture of money, which sooner or later, before epidemics can be checked, must be undertaken.
There is some sentiment in the United States with regard to the tearing down of the walls of the Walled City, which would considerably
72 As It Is in the Philippines.
increase the size of Manila and would enable a wide park to be laid around it. At present all health authorities agree that the wall and the moat are menaces to the health of the city. This is recognized even by those who know noth- ing whatever about sanitation, but it is impos- sible to look upon the dark, murky water in the moat which is a breeding place for mosqui- toes and is full of malaria, without recognizing the fact that from it comes a considerable por- tion of the sickness in Manila.
The walls are historically not of any great importance, being little over a hundred years old, and sentiment should not be allowed to interfere in the course of progress, and in a matter that affects the health of tens of thousands of peo- ple.
CHAPTER VII.
System of Courts. — ^Justices of the Peace. — Municipal Judges. — Courts of First Instance. — Supreme Court. — ^Judge Odlin Rebukes Attorney- General Wilfley. — American Lawyers before the Judges. — Expenses of Law Suits Doubled. — Native Judges and Presi- dentes Unfair.
The new system of courts under the civil gov- ernment was created by virtue of a law passed by the United States Philippine Commission, in June, 1901, known as Act No. 136. This system therefore has been in operation over a year and it is possible to give a clear idea of results.
The system provides for a Justice of the Peace in each municipality of the Archipelago, whose jurisdiction extends to civil cases in which the amount involved does not exceed $100, United States money, and who is empowered to try persons charged with crime where the penalty may not exceed six months' imprisonment, or
74 As It Is in the Philippines.
$100 fine. Their criminal jurisdiction also ex- tends to investigations of more serious crimes, which, if tried at all, come before the Court of First Instance in the Province, in which the Justice of the Peace sits. This system is not applicable to the City of Manila, where the work is divided. There two Justices of the Peace are entrusted with civil suits where the amount does not exceed $ioo, gold, and to dispose of the criminal business two Municipal Courts exist, presided over by American judges whose func- tions are purely those of criminal judges and who have jurisdiction over all offenses against mu- nicipal ordinances of the city, and also over violators of the Penal Code where the penalty does not exceed six months in prison, or a fine of $ I GO, gold, or both. All Justices of the Peace are natives.
Coming down to the courts now in rank, corresponding to the Superior Courts or Cir- cuit Courts as they are variously designated in the United States, the Archipelago, outside of the City of Manila, was divided into fourteen districts and in each district a Court of First Instance was created with one judge assigned to each district. Of the fourteen judges thus assigned six were Filipinos and eight were Amer- icans. In addition a special court was created
As It Is in the Philippines. 75
for the Island of Negros to dispose of a vast accumulation of business, and this special court is presided over by an American, Judge Nor- ris, formerly of Nebraska.
In the City of Manila it was thought at first that two judges would be sufficient to handle the business each sitting in separate court rooms and the work being divided equally between them. The figures, however, show that between July 1st, 1901, and July ist, 1902, thirteen hun- dred and twelve suits were instituted, of which three hundred and sixty-three were criminal and nine hundred and forty-nine were civil. The amount of business being largely in excess of what was expected it became necessary to in- crease the number of judges in Manila from two to three, which was done in May of the pres- ent year, and B. S. Ambler, of Salem, Ohio, was appointed as third judge of First Instance, in Manila, and is now sitting daily with the other two judges.
The Court of First Instance in Manila, as well a,s in the Provinces, not only has original juris- diction in all civil cases in which over $100 is involved, but also has original jurisdiction over all crimes wherein the penalty may exceed six months' imprisonment or $100. Furthermore, appeals from courts of Justices of the Peace and
76 As It Is in the Philippines.
from Municipal Courts in the City of Manila, are heard by the Court of First Instance in the respective Provinces.
The highest court in the Islands, the Su- preme Court of the Philippines, comprises a Chief Justice and seven Associate Justices. The Chief Justice and the two Associate Justices are Filipinos, and the remaining four Associate Justices are Americans. This court corresonds to the highest court in a State or Territory, and has a limited original jurisdiction, but the great- est bulk of its work is, of course, in the matter of appeals from the Courts of First Instance.
The Justices of the Peace receive no salaries. Their income is derived from a fixed schedule of fees. The municipal judges in the City of Manila each receive $3,000. The Judges of Courts of First Instance receive salaries ranging from $3,000 to $5,000, according to the amount of work in their respective districts. The larger salary is received only by the three Judges in Manila, and the increase is based largely upon the fact that living expenses in Manila are much more than in the Provinces.
The salaries of the Justices of the Supreme Court are $7,000 each, with an extra $500 al- lowance for the Chief Justice.
A total of four hundred and eight civil cases
As It Is in the Philippines. 77
were brought before the Supreme Court, of which three hundred and fifty-five were received from the old aboHshed Supreme Court, and fifty-three from the new Courts of First Instance by way of appeal. Of these four hundred and eight cases the Supreme Court decided forty- three on the merits, seven appeals were withdrawn, sixty-one cases were pending on January ist, 1902, for decision, and two hundred and ninety-seven were not at issue by reason of having been defectively transferred from the old Supreme Court. Under the former practice cases could be appealed from interloc- utory orders, without having the pleadings com- pleted. This vicious practice has been very wise- ly done away with, by the new Code of Civil Procedure, which allows appeals in civil cases only after judgments which are final.
Turning now to the criminal side of the work of the Supreme Court, we find that the present court inherited from the former Su- preme Court three hundred and thirty-nine crim- inal cases, and received ninety-one by way of appeals from Courts of First Instance, thus mak- ing a total of four hundred and thirty. Of these four hundred and thirty cases, the Supreme Court during the first six months of its existence decided two hundred and eighteen, and five
78 As It Is in the Philippines.
appeals were withdrawn, thus leaving two hun- dred and seven cases pending for decision.
In addition to the above, there were sixteen applications for writs of habeas corpus before the Supreme Court, of which ten were denied, five issued and one withdrawn. There were also three case of certiorari from Courts of First In- stance, in one of which the writ was issued, and in two of which the writ was denied. There are also four cases pending involving questions of jurisdiction between the military courts and the ordinary civil courts.
Before the time when the Philippine bill passed Congress, the Supreme Court claimed there was no appeal in any case from their decision to the Supreme Court of the United States, and that the only appeal possible was to the pardoning power of the Commission. This was felt by. every American in the Philippines to be unjust, and had any important case arisen there is very little doubt that the constitutional right of such a decision would have had to be passed upon by the Supreme Court of the United States. The Judiciary is entirely and absolutely under the Commission. The appointments are made by the Commission and removals at any time can be made by it.
It is not the desire of the author to in any
As It Is in the Philippines. 79
way impugn the honor and integrity of any judge in Manila, but at the same time, even the most honest and upright of judges is only human, and where he knows that the desire of the Commission is to have a man convicted, his own inclination would be more than probable to be in accord.
A notable exception to this occurred in the "Freedom" sedition case, when Judge Ar- thur F. Odlin severely reprimanded Attorney- General Lebbeus R. Wilfley, who had the pre- sumption to inform Judge Odlin that he knew what the wishes of the Commission were on the subject and that it was his duty to do it. Judge Odlin informed Attorney-General Wilfley that individuals had rights as well as govern- ments, and that he was there to protect those rights, and that so far as his court was con- cerned, he was going to do justice to individuals as well as to the Commission.
When a high authority like the Attorney-Gen- eral seemed to take it for granted in open court that the judges all knew it was their duty to do as the Commission wished, a more potent argument for trial by jury, in American cases at all events, could not be adduced. As a high' ranking military officer said to the author after this, "Well, Bellairs, they may talk about mili-
80 As It Is in the Philippines.
tarism and military courts, but if I was the com- manding General, and should send word to a court by the Judge Advocate what I desired should be done in the case, what a howl there would be from one end of America to the other. I do not think that the people of Manila have gained very much, by their judicial change, at all events, for although a military commission w^s composed of a number of army officers, still it came nearer being a trial by jury than any- thing now in existence."
The "Freedom" sedition case, as soon as Judge Ambler was put on the bench was taken away from Judge Odlin and put in the new court. This may have been and probably was purely accidental, but the proprietor and editor of the "Freedom" looked upon it as equivalent to a conviction for themselves, for they doubted very much whether another judge was on the bench in the Philippines as fearless as was Judge Odlin.
There was not a man in Manila who had a case before the court, when he thought he was in the right, who did not desire to get his case before Judge Odlin, and the bar of Manila, almost to a man, considere 1 that he was the best lawyer on the bench, Supreme Court in- cluded.
As It Is in the Philippines. 81
A question that has often come up, is that regarding the practice of American lawyers in the Philippine courts, several taking the ground that the mere fact of their being qualified to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States should be sufficient reason why they should be permitted to practice before any court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court of the Philippines, the American Justices of whom have themselves not passed the examina- tion and probably could not if they wished, de- cided that a lawyer must pass the necessary Spanish qualifications, even though the case was a purely American one. The consequence is, that the expenses of law suits in Manila are double, as, if one desires a lawyer that he believes to be the one best able to take care of his interests, and this lawyer happens not to be a member of the Philippine bar, a Filipino lawyer must first be obtained, who then hires the American lawyer as adviser, and that is the way the major- ity of the important suits in the Philippines are tried.
There is no question that, through all the Provinces, the native Justices and Presidentes carry things with a high hand, and the man with the most money wins his suit, and where
82 As It Is in the Philippines.
it is a case of a native against an American, or a foreigner, the result is never in doubt, the na- tive winning it every time. Complaints of such cases are frequent throughout the Provinces and even in Manila.
CHAPTER VIII.
The Army in the Philippines. — Its Reward Public In- gratitude.— General Wheaton Attacked. — Senator Rawlins' Attack on General Chaffee. — Chaffee's Diplomacy. — Colonel Lee's Opinion of Chaffee. — General Bell's Humane Concentration Plans. — Gen- eral Smith, a Conquering Hero, Accomplished with Little Bloodshed in Six Months What Spain Never Succeeded jn Doing. — Peaceable Natives Favor Army.
The work done by the United States Army in the PhiHppines, both by volunteers and regulars, has been one of ceaseless toil and unwearying de- votion to duty. Lives have been cheerfully given up for America's honor, and out of chaos and blackness has appeared the davm of a new era in Philippine history.
The reward for this has been national in- gratitude, partly expressed in the press of the country, but more so in the halls of Congress. The Senator from Utah, Mr. Rawlins, said : "My God, Senators, will any one rise and tell me when
84 As It ts in the Philippines.
and where among a barbaric people, you have read of such an act of brutality as that? When was anything like that disclosed elsewhere upon the face of the earth?"
This was an allusion to the army in the Phil- ippines. Senator Lodge ably defended the army in Congress, but until he spoke there was nothing but abuse and contempt.
When General Wheaton, a gray haired vet- eran of the Civil War, Indian campaigns and the Spanish-American War, incidentally remarked that it was a pity such remarks as President Schurman's were published in the Philippines, and it was thought that he had criticised the mi- nority report of the Senate, the abuse showered on the gallant soldier was of the most vituperative character, and one Senator went so far as to allude to him as a "charity boy," believing that he had been at West Point. General Wheaton was not a West Pointer, but had he been, he would have had something to have been proud of, for what graduates of West Point have done in one war alone, has saved the coun- try many times over what West Point has cost since its inception. West Point has given to the United States Army the finest trained body of officers of any army in the world. To be a graduate of West Point is synonymous with be-
As It Is in the Philippines. 85
ing a gentleman and a man of honor, and to characterize these men as "charity boys" mere- ly stamps the speaker as ignorant and ill-bred.
Senator Rawlins alluded to General Chaffee's having received his education in savagery in China. If there was one man in China noted for his humanity and his soldierly qualities, it was General Chaffee. Many a British officer has the author heard remark: "Why don't they send us a man out to command us like your General ?" There is not a known case of cruelty on rec- ord of a single soldier of the United States Army, cavalry, infantry, artillery or engineer, in the China campaign. Their exceeding human- ity was an oft quoted example among the na- tions in China.
General Chaffee is far too well known to be injured by such a man as Senator Rawlins. His record, from the time when he first became a private in the Sixth United States Cavalry, in July, 1861, to April, 1902, when he became a Major General, has been one of long devotion to duty, and honor, integrity and ability.
Few people who knew General Chaffee best gave him credit for the diplomatic ability that he displayed during the campaign in China, where he had so frequently to come into close rela- tions in delicate matters with the officers of the
86 As It Is in the Philippines.
foreign powers. To have succeeded in the Phil- ippines under the continual nagging and suspi- cion of the Commission, required an amount of tact, diplomacy and patience granted to but few men.
From July, 1901, until July, 1902, General Chaffee had a very much harder problem on his hands than fell to the lot of any of his pred- ecessors, who were commanding generals in the Philippines. They were also supreme in all the powers of government, and could do what they chose, but General Chaffee had a nominal title as Military Governor, which extended over a few of the Provinces, and was supposed to be co-equal with the Civil Governor, the Hon. William H. Taft. This equality was very much resented by the civil authorities, and, there is little doubt, whether intentionally or uninten- tionally, that business relations were made very unpleasant for General Chaffee and the army generally.
General Chaffee succeeded in that twelve months, as few men could have done, and even succeeded in gaining the esteem of the Com- mission itself. What foreigners think of Gen- eral Chaffee, let Colonel Lee, the British Mili- tary Attache with the army in Cuba, express. He said, in writing of El Caney :
As It Is in the Philippines. 87
"The strong post had been carefully recon- noitered by Brigadier-General Chaffee in person, on June 28 and 29, and he had submitted a plan of attack which was afterwards carried out al- most to the letter.
"I feel it only just at this point to mention that, however novel the absence of reconnoissance in other directions, nothing could have been more enterprising or systematic than General Chaffee's exploration of his own theater of operations. I had the pleasure of accompanying him on more than one occasion, and derived much profit from a study of his methods.
"Leaving his staff behind, he would push far to the front, and, finally dismounting, slip through the brush with the rapidity and noiselessness of an Indian. My efforts to follow him were like the progress of a band wagon in comparison, but I gradually acquired a fairy-like tread and a stumbling facility in sign language, which enabled me to follow the Gen- eral without too loudly advertising our pres- ence to the Spaniards. On one occasion we were in such proximity to the Spanish pick- ets, that we could hear the men talking over their suppers, and until I began to speculate on the probable efficiency of the British passport that was my sole defensive weapon. In this silent,
88 As It Is in the Philippines.
Indian fashion, General Chaffee explored the en- tire district, and was the only man in the army, to whom the network of bridle paths around El Caney was in any sense familiar." In another case. Colonel Lee, says : "Wishing to see how they were faring, I crawled through the hedge into the field be- yond, and incidentally into such a hot corner, that I readily complied with General Chaffee's abrupt injunction, 'G^t down on your stc«nach, sir.' Indeed, I was distinctly grateful for his advice, but I could not fail to notice that he was regard- less of it himself. Wherever the fire was thick- est he strolled about unconcernedly, a half- smoked cigar between his teeth and an expression of exceeding grimness on his face. The situa- tion was a trying one for the nerves of the oldest soldier, and some of the younger hands fell back from the firing line and crept towards the road. In a moment the General pounced upon them, inquiring their destination in low, unhoneyed accents, and then taking them per- suasively by the elbow, led them back to the ex- treme front, and having deposited them in the firing line, stood over them while he distributed a few last words of pungent and sulphurous ad- vice. Throughout the day he set the most in- spiring example to his men, and that he escaped
As It Is in the Philippines. 89
unhurt was a miracle. One bullet clipped a breast button off his coat, another passed under his shoulder strap, but neither touched him, and there must be some truth in the old adage that 'fortune favors the brave.' "
General Bell has been bitterly attacked on ac- count of the reconcentrative policy established by him to end the war in Batangas, and was compared to Weyler, to the Duke of Alba, and to various others, whose record in history is some- what unsavory, and on what grounds? Mere- ly because he carried out as humane a policy as could possibly be imagined and succeeded in pacifying Batangas.
The concentration policy of General Weyler in Cuba was right and justifiable, had arrange- ments been made for the feeding and care of those in the concentrated zone, but no arrange- ments of such a nature were made, and the result was intense suffering and in many cases death from starvation. The policy carried out by General Bell was very different, and the re- concentrado camps were models of health and sanitation, every man, woman and child being well fed and cared for, so much so, that when Batangas was pacified, it was with difficulty that the people could be made to return to their homes.
90 As It Is in the Philippines.
The case of General Jacob H. Smith is one that seems to be particularly hard. He was sent to Samar to quell the rebellion there. The natives of Samar have, all through Spanish times, been adverse to foreigners. General Smith arrived there immediately after the mas- sacre at Balangiga, and saw the atrocious man- ner in which the dead had been mutilated. He made some remarks to Major Waller in the heat of passion, which he probably never really intended. In fact. Major Waller testi- fied that he did not suppose that General Smith intended that he should kill persons who were found and had committed no offenses. There is no doubt but that General Smith did say, "kill and burn; make Samar a howling wilderness;" and when Waller asked him what age limit, he replied, "Anything over ten years of age." Ma- jor Waller testified that he construed this to mean anybody over that age, found fighting the Americans with arms in his hands, and it is a well-known fact, that the boys of from ten to fifteen were among the most useful soldiers that the Filipinos had, not only as spies upon the Americans, but also, they were as able to handle a bolo as their fathers and elder brothers.
The idea of a ten-year-old boy, with a bolo, fighting a man, was laughed to scorn
As It Is in the Philippines. 91
by the Senate, but the evidence given in the Smith trial and in the Waller trial, proved that the statement was nevertheless correct, and it must be remembered that development comes much quicker to the youth of a tropical land, than it does to those born and bred in a colder clime. General Smith was personally active through the short and effective campaign that followed, and in less than six months, at comparatively small cost of Filipino life, had accomplished what Spain, in all her history in the Philippines, with some of her most renowned Generals actively in the field, had failed to do : Lucban had been cap- tured and Samar had been pacified; all arrange- ments had been made for the formal surrender of the insurgent forces to General Smith.
Naturally every one looked to see this hero, this conquering General, receive the reward and promotion that was due him, but instead even the reward of receiving the surrender of those whom he had conquered was denied him, and he was ordered to Manila, to give evidence in the Waller court martial, after which he was or- dered to be court martialed himself.
That the words that he had uttered were in- discreet, there is no question, but they w^ere ut- tered under circumstances and at a time when they would be excusable even for a saint. Such
^ As It Is in the Philippines.
was the opinion of the court that tried him, but its members had to do their duty, which they did with a great deal of regret, and he was sentenced to be reprimanded.
It is not the author's intention to criticise the additional punishment that was placed upon General Smith, by the President of the Uuited States. It may have been an expression of the will of the people, but, if so, the people were woefully misinformed as to the character of General Smith and what he had done.
Portions of the public press were bitter in their condemnation of General Smith, and they even attributed to him a name that never was his. He was called "hell roaring" Smith, which was a name given to another General of that name, who died several years ago. To make it more emphatic, several papers altered it to "hell roaring Jake."
A great deal has been made of a few cases where the water cure was administered, gen- erally with success, so far as obtaining the in- formation desired was concerned. Major Glenn, when on trial in Samar before a court of which General Fred Grant was President, had there two witnesses who had formerly been police of- ficers in New York, who were to testify that the water cure was no more cruel than the "third de-
As It Is in the Philippines. 93
gree" used by the police of New York, at the time when the present President of the United States and General Fred Grant himself, were Police Commissioners, and that it was done with their knowledge and acquiescence. This evi- dence was not admitted as the Court decided they would not hear anything outside of the Philippine Islands. Major Glenn was convicted and sentenced to a month's suspension from duty and a fine of fifty dollars.
Very naturally, among members of a large army, there have from time to time unquestion- ably been occasional acts of inhumanity, but it is doubtful if ever a campaign of such a na- ture was conducted with so much kindness and humanity.
President Roosevelt, in a recent speech, said: "The men who after three years of painful, harassing and incredibly laborious warfare in the tropical jungles against a treacherous and savage foe, have finally brought peace and or- der and civil government in the Philippines, are your sons, your successors. The tempta- tion to retaliate for the fearful cruelties of a savage foe is very great, and now and then it has been yielded to. There have been a fewl, and only a few, such instances in the Philip-
94 As It Is in the Philippines.
pines, and punishment has been meted out with unflinching justice to the offenders."
The Commission has invariably tried to show that the army in the PhiHppines was unpopular, but it is a fact that there are several hundred petitions from the natives in various parts of the Archipelago, that urge and implore Gen- eral Chaffee to return the military to numbers of places to protect them against the ladrones and the native authorities who are in league with the ladrones.
CHAPTER IX.
Major Gardener's Report Asked for by the Senate. — The Report Itself. — Thorough Investigation Or- dered.— Evidence Proved Report a Complete Mis- statement of Facts. — Gardener Hoodwinked by Na- tives from Beginning to End.
One of the most interesting incidents in re- cent Philippine history, was the report of Major Cornelius Gardener, acting as Civil Governor of the Province of Tayabas, which it has since been claimed, he considered a perfectly confiden- tial report, only for the eyes of Governor Taft and the Secretary of War. Somehow word of this report reached the Senate, and it was called for in Congress. The following is the report as sent by Major Gardener to Governor Taft:
96 As It Is in the Philippines.
Province of Tayabas, P. I.,
December i6, 1901. The Civil Governor of the Philippine Islands,
Manila. Sir:
As Governor, I have the honor to make the following report as to the political and other conditions in this Province, and a short review of its history since American occupation.
I came to Tayabas Province with my regiment, the 30th U.S.V., on February 4th, 1900, and immediately occupied, under orders from Gen- eral Schwan, its principal towns.
The insurgent troops then occupying the Prov- ince, consisted of nine companies of one hun- dred and six men each, about two-thirds of them armed with rifles. Besides the insurgent troops proper, all the male inhabitants of suitable ages, were organized into militia or reserves under the cabegas or lieutenants of barrios. These were armed with bolos and a few with rifles.
The insurgent troops proper did not act as a single body, but were scattered throughout the Province, acting in single companies or bat- talions. The militia or reserves occupied the barrios (villages) in small squads and wore no uniform.
A vigorous campaign was at once organized against insurgents in arms, with the troops act- ing under positive orders to shoot no unarmed natives and to burn no houses except barracks.
Looting was prohibited under the strictest pen- alties; company and other commanders were or-
As It Is in the Philippines. 97
dered to pay for everything taken for neces- sity or bought from natives.
When the American troops first occupied the Province, the towns, by order of the insurgent commander, were entirely depopulated, and all the people lived in the woods and scattered vil- lages, called barrios.
A proclamation was circulated in Spanish and Tagalo by the commanding officer of the Amer- ican troops, setting forth the intention of the American people towards the people in these Is- lands, and promising protection of the lives and property of all peacefully disposed persons.
The troops were ordered to make friends with the people wherever possible, and little by lit- tle the towns were repopulated. Many native priests assisted greatly in rehabilitating the towns and schools were at once started, in which de- tailed American soldiers taught the English lan- guage.
The larger towns only were at first garri- soned, it being impracticable for want of suffi- cient troops to garrison all of the twenty-three pueblos or towns.
A field column composed at different times of from sixty to one hundred and twenty men was organized, the soldiers being selected from the different garrisons and commanded by able of- ficers. This column was kept in the field for six months, moving from point to point in the Province, doing most of its marching and at- tacking by night.
The garrisons kept the country in the imme- diate vicinity clear of armed insurgents. Nearly
08 As It Is in the Philippines.
all the Spanish prisoners from the Provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas had been scat- tered throughout this Province, and farmed out for safe keeping in lots of three and four to every cabega or barrio.
The Province is densely wooded and very mountainous, and to liberate these prisoners, was a very difficult matter, because upon the ap- proach of American troops, the prisoners would be rushed up and hidden in the mountains. By November of 1900, over nine hundred had been liberated or had escaped to our lines, and by December 30th none remained captive.
In a number of severe engagements, the in- surgent troops were defeated and their organiza- tion entirely broken up. Most of the arms were either captured or delivered up, and by January 30th, 1901, by reason of constant patrolling, there was no organized insurgent body in the Prov- ince.
The attitude of the people of the towns at that time, was all that could be desired, but the people of the barrios or villages were still timid and uncertain of American intentions; the more so, because these had been longer under the influence of the insurgent leaders and had been formerly most cruelly treated by the Spaniards.
The troops that succeeded the volunteers did not for three months keep up the scouting and patrolling system, and a new force of some two hundred insurgents was organized on the bor- der line of the Province, armed with guns that had been hidden or brought in from Laguna Province. This force was, however, in May,
As It Is in the Philippines. 99
1901, induced to surrender and that ended the insurrection in Tayabas.
The treatment of the peaceful natives by the incoming troops was, however, much different from what it had been at first. The Provincial Government was organized, on March 12th, tqoi. By July, of that year, all of the twenty-three pueblos had been organized into municipal gov- ernments, with the single excej tion of the pueblo of Dolores, which pueblo had been burned by order of General Hall and there was no town in which to organize a government, every build- ing having been burned in ihe town proper, ex- cept part of the church. Five pueblos had been organized prior to March ist, 1901, under G.O. 40.
The revenues in all the pueblos have been col- lected regularly since organization, and on No- vember I St of this year schools were in operation in every organized pueblo, and English was be- ing taught by American teachers in every pueblo except three.
A complete and accurate census of the Prov- ince has been taken, showing an increase of 15,000 since the census of 1891, a copy of which is herewith enclosed.
A careful vaccination of the entire popula- tion has been made, so that now no case of small- pox is reported. Twenty-five miles of roads have been macadamized and repaired. Several bridges have been built and repaired.
A Court of First Instance has been estab- lished, justices of the peace and auxiliary jus- tices have been appointed in every pueblo, all
100 As It Is in the Philippines.
of which courts are presided over by natives, to the great satisfaction of every one, because there has as yet occurred no instance of mis- carriage of justice.
Three Americans, the Governor, the Provincial Treasurer and Supervisor are the only Americans holding office in the Province.
I have been long of the opinion that our prin- cipal efforts in the matter of education should be directed towards establishing schools in the barrios, where the masses of the people live. In the towns proper, the people are fairly well edu- cated and informed, but in the barrios there prevails the densest ignorance and not over five percent of the people can read and write.
The people of the barrios, while very observant of their religious duties, and a moral, hard-work- ing population, are very ignorant and supersti- tious and easily imposed upon, for personal gains, by priests religiously and insurgent sympathizers politically, and, I have therefore, in everv way encouraged the establishment of barrios schools, where children could be taught elementary knowl- edge, by native teachers in the Tagalo language.
At present there are of such over a hundred in operation in this Province, the teachers being paid by the pueblos.
The adjacent Province of Batangas on the west and Laguna on the north, being during all this time still more or less in a state of insur- rection, this Province, in the month of October last, was invaded bv a small fcce of insurgents trom one of these Provinces, which force occupied and roamed at will in the three most westerly
MAJOR-GENERAL LOYD WHEATON, U. S. A.
As It Is in the Philippines. 101
pueblos, Tiaon, Candelaria and Dolores, and did some forced recruiting in the barrios of these pueblos, also collecting from the people of the barrios by force, contributions of money and rice.
Owing to this invasion, the whole Province is now again practically under military rule, and is being treated as an insurgent Province, with civil procedure practically, and writ of habeas corpus actually suspended.
Tulisans, or highway robbers, had always in Spanish times been a disturbing element in Taya- bas, and, because of the mountainous nature of the Province, had never been entirely suppressed.
A band of these, composed of the criminal ele- ment of the Province, and armed with about sixty rifles, but under color of being patriots, have in the last two months been levying con- tributions in some of the southerly mountainous pueblos of the Province and attacking towns. After a two-years' experience in this Province, I am convinced that the Tulisan element can only be successfully operated against by constabulary or native troops, assisted by the native police of the towns, and that whatever insurgents, as such, there still remain in the Province, had best now be operated against by natives and not by U. S. soldiers, and for this reason : In the first place a force of three hundred men or more com- posed of natives of this Province can easily be recruited here, which, if fairly well treated and regularly paid and properly uniformed, could be depended upon to be loyal to its officers and the United States. Since I have been Governor, I have traveled all over this Province with no
102 As It Is in the Philippines.
other escort than nativ^es. Secondly, as Civil Governor, I feel it my duty to say that it is my firm conviction that the U. S. troops should at the earliest opportunity be concentrated in one or two garrisons if it is thought desirable that the good sentiment and loyalty which formerly existed to the U. S. Government among the peo- ple of this Province should be conserved and en- couraged.
Being in close touch with the people, having visited all the pueblos one or more times, hav- ing lived with them in their homes. I Know that such a sentiment once existed. Of late, by rea- son of the conduct of the troops, such as the ex- tensive burning of barrios in trying to lay waste to the country so that the insurgents cannot oc- cupy it, the torturing of the natives by so-called water cure and other methods, in order to ob- tain information, the harsh treatment of natives generally, and the failure of inexperienced lately appointed lieutenants commanding posts to dis- tinguish between those who are friendly and those unfriendly, and treating every native as if he were, whether or no, an insurrecto at heart, this favorable sentiment above referred to. is being fast destroyed and a deep hatred towards us engendered. If these things need to be done, they had best be done by native troops, so that the people of the United States will not be credited therewith.
Almost zvithoiit exception, soldiers and also many officers, refer to the natives in th^eir pres- ence as "niggers" and natives are beginning to understand what the word "nigger" means. .,
As It Is in the Philippines. 103
The course now being pursued in this Prov- ince and in the Provinces of Batangas, Laguna and Saniar, is in my opinio sozving the seeds for a perpetual revolution, or, at least, prepar- ing the people of these Provinces to rise up against us in revolution hereafter, whenever a good opportunity offers. Under present con- ditions the political situation in this Province is slowly retrograding, and the American sen- timent is decreasing and we are daily making permanent enemies.
In the course above referred to, troops make no distinction often between the property of those persons who are insurgents and insur- gent sympathizers, and the property of those who have heretofore risked their lives by being loyal to the United States and giving us information against their countrymen in arms. Often every house in a barrio is burned.
In my opinion, the small number of irrecon- cilable insurgents still in arms, although admit- tedly difficult to catch, does not justify the means employed, especially when taking into considera- tion the sufferings that must be undergone by the innocent and the effect upon the relations with these people hereafter.
The work of the Philippine Commission and the laws that have been enacted by it, are every- where favorably commented upon by the natives. The efforts being made for the general educa- tion of the people are appreciated by all. The provincial government and the municipal govern- ments established, are slowly bringing order out
104 As It Is in the Philippines.
of chaos and anarchy, and there begins to be visible everywhere in this Province progress and prosperity. True loyalty and contentment can only come under a benign civil government.
The attitude of the army, thereby meaning ftwst of its officers and soldiers, is, however, de- cidedly hostile to the promncial and municipal goT/ernment in this Province, and to civil govern- ment in these Islands in general. In Manila es- pecially it is intensely so, even among the higher officers. The work of the Commission in the establishment of provhtcial governments, is ridi- culed, even in the presence of the natives. It is openly stated that tlie army should remain in charge for the next twenty years. Outrages committed by officers or soldiers against natives in an organised municipality or Province, when reported by the presidente or governor, to the military authorities, are often not punished. This in my opinion, is unfortunate, because loyal na- tives begin to fear that local self government promised them, will not last long and that any slight disturbance in a Proznnce may at any time be made the pretext to again place it under military rule, and this is just the thing the in- surgents at heart, most desire.
It has been stated that a Filipino or any Oriental does not appreciate just or kindly treat- ment, and that he considers it an evidence of weakness, and that severe and hars^ me^snT-es are the only ones that are permanently effective with Filipinos. I have found that just and kind treatment, uniform and continued, is the only way by which those people can be made per-
As It Is in the Philippines. 105
manently our friends and satisfied with United States sovereignty.
Having been stationed six years on the Rio Grande, I am well acquainted with the natives of the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and while stationed in the Province of Santa Clara, Cuba. I visited every town in that Province, and was able to observe the intelligence and education there. I believe that the people of Tayabas Prov- ince are in every way superior in education, in- telligence and civilization to the people of Ta- maulipas or Santa Clara.
As an officer of the army, I regret that my duty as Civil Governor of this Province impels me to state the attitude of the majority of my fel- low officers towards civil government in the Is- lands and its effect upon the people, but I feel that the interests of the Government involved and the future ol this people, for whose welfare we are responsible, are of such vast importance that I ought to report things as I see and know them, in order that my civil superiors may be able to order intelligently what the situation demands. Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, Cornelius Gardener, Major, 13th Infantry, U.S.A.
When this report became public an investigfa- tion was immediately ordered and a court, of which General Wint was the presiding officer, sat for some months investigating the matter. Some of the evidence taken was startling in the ex-
106 As It Is in the Philippines.
treme, as showing how absolutely and utterly Major Gardener was fooled by the people as to the conditions of his own Province. Insurgent generals testified that they marched in and out of Tayabas with large bodies of their troops, dur- ing the time covered by the report, and General Cailles testified that on one occasion he en- tered a towTi and, in the public square executed a number of men for treason to the Philippine Re- public. General Malvar testified that Tayabas, during all the troubles in Batangas that only re- cently have ended, was used by him as a base of supplies, and that the insurrecto agents were the presidentes appointed by Major Gardener himself. The investigation, if it elucidated nothing else, should certainly force the present governors of Provinces, those that are Americans, to endeavor to discover the state of their Provinces by some other means than that attempted by Major Gar- dener. During the investigation, Major Gar- dener apparently proved nothing of what he had alleged, and, it is generally believed alleged in good faith. He is recognized as an enthusiast on the subject of the Filipino. In his opin- ion the Filipino is more intelligent than the Mex- ican, the Cuban or the natives of any of the South American republics. He considers them the most loyal, trustworthy, honest and reliable of men,
As It Is in the Philippines. 107
and he would invariably take the word of a Fil- ipino before that of any white man.
The investigation developed the information that during his entire term as Governor up to the time when the report was presented to Gov- ernor Taft, the whole Province, with the possible exception of one town, was organized by the insurrectos, and in the majority of cases the American municipal and insurrecto agents were the same persons, and where this was not the case, they worked in perfect harmony with one another.
Both in 1900 and 1901, the only places not under insurrecto control were the towns garri- soned by American troops.
No one, in 1900 and 1901, ever traveled with- out an armed escort, including Major Gardener himself. It was a state of guerilla warfare in the Province until the end of General Bell's opera- tions.
Every effort was made to get at the complete truth of Major Gardener's wholesale charges, and the court was moved from Tayabas to Batangas, and from Batangas to Manila, so that witnesses could be obtained. He did not give the names of witnesses to General Chaffee or to the Board, for the reason that he did not have any to give, to prove his charges, and when he went down to
108 As It Is in the Philippines.
Tayabas at the commencement of the inquiry, he had to grope around for help.
Major Gardener has admitted that he was very much mistaken in the conditions existing in his Province, and has tried to excuse his report on the ground of haste. It is the almost unan- imous opinion of every official, both civil and military, that the statements contained in the report were either false or very much colored.
CHAPTER X.
Facts Concerning the Real Condition in the Provinces by a Former Civil Treasurer of Nueva Ecija.
There have been occasions when the author- ities of the civil government have fallen out among themselves. Most cases, the public, as a rule, hear little about. In the case of Amzi B. Kelly, Treasurer of the Province of Nueva Ecija, a most interesting tale was unfolded to the public, interesting as showing the real opinion of those at work in the Provinces under the civil government, and while their salaries are de- pendent upon it, they are not only loyal and faithful servants of the Government, but make glowing reports which they know will please the Commission, but which in many instances, the majority of people not belonging in Govern- ment employ, know to be either false or mis- represented. Mr. Kelly is evidently an honest man, if he is somewhat indiscreet. He discov-
110 As It Is in the Philippines.
ered what he considered to be a deliberate fraud on the part of the native Governor, and public- ly charged him with it, reporting it to the Com- mission.
The Governor of the Province being an influential man, the Commission did not de- sire openly to take any action. They thought it better under the circumstances to remove Mr. Kelly to some other sphere of duty, but Mr. Kelly strenuously objected to being transferred and demanded a full investigation Sn public. Thereupon the Commission removed him from office. Mr. Kelly went to Manila and wrote out his views on the subject for the public press, and very interesting they proved to be, a thor- ough exposure of things connected with the civil government, by one of its employees. Of course, allowances must be made for the fact that Mr. Kelly was bitterly indignant at the treatment he received, and his views are probably some- what biased, but there is such a stamp of truth in all of it, that, making due allowance for ex- cessive indignation, Kelly's article should be ac- cepted entire. It was published in the Manila "American," a week or so after his dismissal from office, that paper taking considerable risk of be- ing charged with sedition and treason. Th& fol- lowing is a copy of the article:
As It Is in the Philippines. Ill
Amzi B. Kielly, ex-Treasurer of the Prov- ince of Nueva Ecija, believes that the Gov- ernment is making a mistake in its methods of governing the Islands. In an open letter, he points out where he believes the Government's policy is weak, and gives some good advice to the Civil Commission. He brings to the atten- tion of the public the grave charges which he is prepared to prove against Governor Santos of Nueva Ecija, who was retained while the charges were impending. The letter, together with affidavits in support of the charges against Santos, follows:
Office of Amzi B. Kelly, Attorney at Law.
AN OPEN LETTER
To President Theodore Roosevelt, Members of the House of Representatives, and the Amer- ican Public ; also the Acting Civil Governor, Hon- orable Luke E. Wright and the Members of the United States Philippine Commission, who on May i6th, 1902, dismissed me as Treasurer of the Province of Nueva Ecija, for the reason that I had made charges affecting the character and integrity of Epifanio de los Santos, Provincial
112 As It Is in the Philippines.
Governor of Nueva Ecija, and that I then and there branded him as an infamous rascal, and unworthy to longer continue as Provincial Governor and stood ready and eager to prove my assertions.
The object of this letter, is to right a wrong, vindicate the honor of my country for the ben- efit of the people of this whole Archipelago, especially the ignorant and the poor, and I in- tend to fearlessly, frankly and honestly explain through the press, through letter, and if neces- sary, in the lecture hall and upon the stump, the true conditions, as they exist in the Prov- inces in the Philippine Islands, the terrible con- dition of the poor people and the unwise policy and acts of the present United States Philippine Commissioners, and their apparent total disre- gard of the rights, liberties and good of the masses of the people, to turn full upon their heads the weight of their bad judginent; and to show up in all its ridiculousness their weak policy. And further to show to all the world that when I stated that de los Santos, Provincial Governor of Nueva Ecija, was a rascal and cor- rupt official, and that his retention in office and my dismissal was a fatal blow at good govern- ment, a bad example for the people of this whole Archipelago and a disgrace to the name of Amer-
As It Is in the Philippines. 113
ica, that I spoke the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God. And, I now add to that statement, that such unwise acts by the members of the Commission may be the begin- ning of their end. Not of the end of a strong minded Commission, but the end of the present apparently weak uninformed members of the Philippine Commission of this day. I unhes- itatingly concede to Luke E. Wright, Bernard Moses, Henry C. Ide and Dean C. Worcester, honor and integrity. But they have not left the impression that they are men of good judg- ment and strong mind, needed at this critical day and time to govern these Islands.
From out your palace windows you view' these Islands. Those who meet your gaze— clad in white collars, white clothes and patent leather shoes — sail swiftly by in carromattas, calesins and victorias. In your office and in the legisla- tive hall you meet only the bowing and scraping, college-bred hombres, those who have done more than all else to drench this land with blood, and to-day still stand masters of the situation.
Come with me into the Provinces. Visit the barrios and the cocoanut groves, the rice fields and the fishing ponds, — there you will find the masses and majority of the people in this land. There you will find the hombres behind the guns.
114 As It Is in the Philippines.
Those with whom you deal are the men behind these hombres, — have a talk with these old bullies, — they know naught of Spanish, less of English ; honest, ignorant, timid, poor, barefooted and ignobly clad. For three hundred years they have been dominated over by this sace' rico ele- ment ; have obeyed without a murmur their every command, perjured their souls in hell at their be- hest, sacrificed their daughters upon the unclean altar of lust. Why? They knew that to refuse meant prison, torture and death, and the same condition exists to-day, and that too, under the banner of fredom. Listen and I'll prove it. Not with words from my own lips, but with quota- tions from the sworn statements of seven of these poor, ignorant people, and which you could have learned by an investigation of ten minutes, or taken the word of an honest American.
I hold in my possession the sworn affidavits of six poor men and one illiterate woman, whose names are : Candelaria de los Angeles, Norverto Cajucom, Pablo Mauricio, IMariano Castro, Es- teban Hilario, Isaac Cauman and Cecilio Hur- gues, residents of Cabanatuan, to the effect that this man, whom you call the Hon. Epifanio de los Santos, and whose character and integrity you dismissed me for assailing, while Provincial Treasurer of this Province, forced them to come
As It Is in the Philippines. 115
into San Isidro, and in his residence sign a forged and false will. They will tell you, too, under oath, that he wrote on a slip of paper for each of them what he knew to be an infamous lie, and told them, if they did not swear it was the truth, before the Judge of First Instance, that he would place them in jail. They will tell you also tliat during this last month of May, while I was in Manila, working for the better- ment of these people, and his dismissal, that he, as Governor of this Province, was instructing them and attempting by intimidation to again get them to perjure their souls in hell, by swearing that there was but one will, and that was the false one which he made, or had made. That ignorant old woman will tell you under oath that she paid him 800 pesos for "paper, ink and trouble," that she gave him in his hands 600 pesos, and gave to Ramon Tombo, his hire- ling, 200 pesos; she will further tell you that he told her and these old hombres that this forged document was nothing but a copy, and that there was no harm in what they were doing. She will also tell you that she employed a Filipino law- yer in Manila to defend her, and that he came to this Province supposedly in her interest and that he instructed her to swear that there was but one will — while he held in his hand two,
116 As It Is in the Philippines.
the original and the false. She will tell you that at ten o'clock, one night, under guard, she went to the residence of Amzi B. Kelly, and in the presence of his wife and Mr. Wilson, told him in broken Spanish that she had "much sus- picion" for her lawyer, and, placing her two fingers together, timidly showed us how he and Santos stood.
These old hombres will tell you that they too had employed this same attorney — an ex-school- mate of Santos — ^but when he instructed them to swear there was but one will, when they knew that they had signed two as witnesses, and that they, too, had "much suspicion," and denounced in open court, trembling with fear, they told the Judge of First Instance that they wanted an American attorney to defend them.
Did you say "Hurry along," gentlemen? No. Come to my residence, in San Isidro, and I will show you a sacred last will and testament made by old Petra Marian, dated, July 27th, 1900. It is signed by ten people as witnesses. Right by the side of that I will place before your eyes the copy, or false will made by, or by the direc- tion of your beloved Santos, and dated, March 4th, T901. It is signed by only six people- as wit- nesses, and one of these did not sign the original.
"Hurry along !" No, be patient ; that is not all.
»^f.
As It Is in the Philippines. 117
I will show you a death certificate signed by the padre of Cabanatuan, and bearing his seal, which states that this poor old woman died July 28th,
1900, and was buried and received all the sacra- ments, July 29th, 1900. Right by the side of that, I will place another death certificate, signed by this same padre, but without his seal, and doubtless made by Santos or his hirelings, stat- ing that this same old woman died March 7th,
1901, and was buried and received all the sacra- ments March 8th, 1901. Now what do you think of that? This old woman died, was buried, and received all the sacraments in July, 1900. Then she waited a year and went through the same performance. In addition to that, July, 1900, she made her will, died and was buried, remained in mother earth for a year; then arose, made a copy of this will and dated it, March 4th, 1 90 1. That's what Santos says, and as the pa- pers were gotten from his hands, it must be so, and Santos is an "honorable man" so it appears, says Luke E. Wright and the members of the Commission. After seeing this, there is but one of three conclusions, namely: Nueva Ecija has produced a remarkable old woman or a more re- markable old padre; or a most remarkable old governor, and I'm inclined that the latter con- clusion will hit the nail square on the head. Now,
118 As It Is in the Philippines.
is not this a nasty mess? Haven't you discern- ment enough to see that in your bunglesome and weak endeavor to keep peace, you have been the cause of subordinating peace?
And what you have read is not all of his ras- cality, but God knows, it is enough at present. Did some one say, "Why don't you swear out a warrant for his arrest?" No!!! As repre- sentative of the civil government, I did that in this Province, and had put on trial, before this Filipino judge as guilty a man as ever faced the bar of Justice. He was turned foot loose. No, I do not wish to have him put in jail. It might interfere with his term as governor. I wish him to reign in all his rottenness so the little children of this Province can point their innocent little fingers at him, and exclaim: "Be- hold there is our governor, the ward of the Fed- eral party, the pet of the Commission and the blot of infamy upon the cheek of Columbia."
This is the same class of hombre and his in- famous associates, who for three centuries have intimidated, abused, oppressed and enslaved the masses of these people; the ones who in the in- surrection against the Americans, placed arms into the hands of these ignorant hombres and by sheer force of intimidation and threats of tor- ture compelled them to fight and die like rats
As It Is in the Philippines. 119
in the trenches before my countrymen. I say to you to-day, that if insurrection, revolt and re- bellion against the American Government is ever to cease, it will be when every living- one of these poor men and women are instructed and shown positively that they, too, though ignorant and barefooted, are creatures of Almighty God, and that they are not compelled to bow to the behest of this high element and slavishly obey their every command. When we show to them upon every occasion, by example and by our ac- tions that whenever the humblest of all that mighty host informs the officials or any citizen of the American Government, that a Filipino or American clothed with the garb of official ca- pacity, this man of wealth, power and influence, is a rascal, corrupt or oppressive, that then and there stands at their backs for their protection and defense, eighty-five million Americans, ev- ery foot of that sunny soil, every dollar, silver, gold and paper in that American treasury, every soldier and every gun that we can muster, every pound of ammunition that is in our arsenals, and every boat of our mighty navy is at their ser- vice, demanding and compelling an investiga- tion, and if what they say be true of this man of power, no matter what his position or wealth, he will then and there be tried, convicted, and if
120 As It Is in the Philippines.
necessary hanged — then, and not until then, can you safely sheath the sword and wield the pen.
What great lesson have these poor people been given in this regard by the actions of the Philip- pine Commission in the Nueva Ecija scandal? There I stood, an American, my honor and in- tegrity unquestioned, my record unchallenged, thinking of the honor of my country and the bet- terment of those people above all else, conscien- tiously and with all the power that God gave me, denouncing as an infamous rascal the gov- ernor of this Province, begging and pleading that an investigation be made, and if what I said be true, that he be dismissed and no longer allowed to stand as the highest official in this Province; a damnable blot and an infamous ex- ample to the youth, children and ignorant poor of this land, and what was the result?
"He may be, Mr. Kelly, all that you say he is, but we wish you to transfer. Harmony can- not longer exist in that junta with you and he in it."
"But, my dear governor, you must remove the inharmonious key. Well, but, Mr. Kelly, we don't wish any ladrones to take their guns and go to the mountains in that Province; we will investifrate him later."
As It Is in the Philippines. 121
Did ever grown men clothed with the power of the governorship of a country suggest and later carry in execution such an injudicious act? Rather than make an investigation of ten min- utes, they allow a rascal to remain in the position as governor and dismiss an honest treasurer. In reply to that, I frankly tell you, "Of course, you did not know it." And that is one of the strongest reasons why I say that your administration of affairs demonstrates the weakness of this government, — it is your business to know it; you approve the appointment, election of these governors and treasurers, and the Filipino and American people hold you personally responsible for their conduct and their character. They may excuse you, as they have often had to do before, for putting a rascal in an official position when you did not know it. But when they read over my letter, later my telegram, then my words before you, on May i6th, and then investigate the records of your palace and find therein, in addition to my honest statements, sworn affidavits as to the ras- cality of this man, which had been on file at least two months, they will never excuse you for such a blunder.
The words that you said to me in regard to the Province of Nueva Ecija, may yet be hurled back
122 As It Is in the Philippines.
in your face by eighty million freemen: "Your services, gentlemen, as far as the government of the Philippine Islands is concerned, are at an end." "The day of your destiny is o'er and the star of your fate hath declined."
By your actions you are judged. You dare not deny that your policy keeps in office cor- rupt officials, for by the grace of God, you have done the deed. Nay, more ! You have not only placed in official positions in the Philippine Is- lands men who are notoriously corrupt, but you have actually dismissed an honest official in or- der to retain in power and position such a one, and why have you done this ?
In order to carry out a weak policy you fool- ishly listened to the whisperings of the party fed- eral. They tell you, "Gentlemen, this man whom Mr. Kelly has denounced, is an influential man in the Province of Nueva Ecija, and his dis- missal just at this time may cause his followers to take their guns and go to the mountains."
And what do you do? You tremble in your boots. You know in your hearts the man is corrupt, but for fear that you hear again the crack of the Krag-Jorgensen and the Mauser, you timidly ask the honest man to transfer, and later foolishly dismiss him and retain in office a cor- rupt and infamous official. And why? Because
As It Is in the Philippines. 123
you are pigmies and not giants, because you are absolutely ignorant of affairs as they exist in the Provinces.
What would the strenuous Roosevelt have said and done (he who purified the New York po- lice force) to these influential federalists? We all know that he would have reached out that strong iron hand, grabbed the gentleman by the back of the neck, slammed him up against the wall, and in words of fire, told him "Quedao, hombre! If you are here to assist in the gov- ernment of this country, and to make suggestions for the betterment of your people, I'm with you. But if you're here to attempt to foolishly influ- ence me, retain in office a rascal and back up your damnable suggestion by the statement that if I do not do it, there is liable to be another war, I'll tell you frankly, as a represent- ative of the American people, that we prefer war to dishonor, and that the of- ficial of the American Government, not in Amer- ica, but in Porto Rico, Hawaii and the Philip- pine Islands, stands flat-footed and uncompromis- ingly for honest and upright servants. And whenever you and your followers wish to revolt against this policy, and take to the mountains, the bars are down and the gates are open, and I'll put an army of Americans in that Filipino
124 As It Is in the Philippines.
field, and in less than three months they will wipe you and all your busy tribe of mischief makers off the face of the earth."
That is the kind of talk we want as members of the Philippine Commission. We've got 'em in America, and we demand 'em in the Philip- pines. The people of this country are weak ; the government shall and must be strong. This smoothing over and excusing of rascality is non- sense and un-American. You cannot stop this rotten Filipino bull by grabbing him by the tail ; you've got to take him by the horns. This winking and blinking at corruption has got to cease and the time for action is now. This dilly- dally policy is a disgrace to our country and an infamous example, and if we cannot to-day peace- ably fire out every one of these corrupt officials, from police to governor, I, for one favor their dismissal, even though the very imps of hell rise in revolt. Why wait for two or five years hence ? The issue has got to come ; our swords are sharp, our arsenals filled with ammunition; our guns cleaned, our colors yet uncased, our men used to hiking, their eyes and hands are better trained to-day than they will be then.
Down with corrupt officials.
Up with honest men.
Out with the weak commissioners.
As It Is in the Philippines. 125
In with strong-minded men.
Your argument and preaching without prac- tice amounts to naught. You "spare the rod, you spoil the child." You must shape your rules of government and put into vogue the policy which effects and makes better the majority of the people of a country. You cannot make your laws and your rules of government to be in conformity with the high standard and intel- ligence of the few ; you must set into force and put into execution that rule which will be best understood and appreciated by the masses of the people. In every school room under the Amer- ican flag, the master therein has under him one or two high-minded, intelligent little fellows, but the majority of his chaps are mischievous and bad. He makes the rules and hangs over the desk the rod not for the betterment of those good boys, but for the punishment of the bad ones. Your policy, gentlemen, is only understood by the few. The masses of these people cannot comprehend your ideas when you put into a po- sition a corrupt man and excuse his rascality. They know it's wrong and they think that it is pull, power, wealth and influence that retains such a one in official capacity — and in the light of my American training, I am inclined to the same view. I lay it down as a proposition that
126 As It Is in the Philippines.
every time you place in jail one bad hombre, you keep out ten ; that every time you tan the hide of one mischievous kid, you save the elbow grease that would have later been required in the train- ing of the hide of twenty more. You do not comprehend the magnitude of the situation. You have no conception of the habits, customs and natures of the masses of these people. You are unquestionably the most gloriously hood-winked body of intelligent men with whom I have ever come in contact. Outside of your immediate associates and those who depend upon you for their bread and meat, and those whose interests it is to influence, there is not one American, either soldier or civilian, who does not heartily con- demn your policy and laugh at your ignorance of the situation. I have yet to meet one intel- ligent army officer or American, who has been in this country for any length of time, who does not laugh at your laws, ridicule your actions and pity your weak endeavors.
Is this retention and smoothing over of pub- lic officials your only display of bad judgment? It certainly is not. You have foolishly passed your "sedition law." It serves only as a protec- tion for the corrupt officials of this Philippine country. Even the strongest of us fears to turn on the light, and yet this is a land of dungeons.
As It Is in the Philippines. 127
darkness and underhand work. The masses of the people are practically slaves, timidly afraid to say aught against their masters, even with- out this law. It should be the reverse. Criti- cism of public officials should be encouraged, for of all the lands under God's great heavens, there is none where the mighty light of reason, right and argument needs more to be turned on, where it is so necessary to separate the good from the bad, publicly condemn the wrong and strongly defend the right, bolster up and encourage the good, fire out and hang the bad.
All sedition laws from the beginning of time will never keep those people from revolt and rebellion; you cannot keep a human being from fighting for his rights, by making laws which only bridle his tongue in public and make his words more eloquent in secret. Your oppression adds fuel to the fire of liberty, begets pity in the hearts of his countrymen and "pity is akin to love," and what won't a man do for love of his f ellowman ?
You must repeal your sedition law and say in words of fervid honesty in every dialect throughout this Archipelago: "The American Government fears not your criticisms. Turn all your batteries upon us, and we will show you by our manly, honest, upright and straightfor-
128 As It Is in the Philippines.
ward administration of affairs here, that it is the government of and for the people, the strong- est defender of the weak, the breaker of the chains of slavery, the friend of the poor and the educator of the masses."
I maintain that out of the thirteen million people in the Philippine Islands, there are eight million of them worse slaves to-day, more abused and oppressed than were the negroes of the sunny South, and especially lay it down, that the man or men, government or power that breaks this domineering influence, that tears asunder those chains of slavery for all this mighty host, that they and their children will love, honor and respect that man, men or government, and that their hands will never be raised in revolt against those who gave them their freedom and their inherited rights as children of Almighty God. Go into the sunny South to-day, and you will hear the big-mouthed negro loudly exclaim that "Them Yankees don't know nothin' 'bout us niggers; that the Southern folk is our best friends ;" but go into Sambo's house, and if on his wall you behold a picture, 'twill be that of old Abe Lincoln; and follow all the Sambos on a presidential election day and you'll see they cast a solid Republican vote. Why is this? Because imprinted in his black heart is the name
As It Is in the Philippines. 129
and noble deeds of Lincoln, and in his memory is engraven forever the name of the party and men that gave him his freedom.
If ever America is to govern this land in peace and harmony, it will be when she, not by the enactment of sedition laws, but by some grand and noble method, touches the human chord of the masses of these people and actually does an act for which Almighty God will bless the American nation, and the angels in heaven will sing, "Peace on earth ; good will to all Amer- icans." No people will ever revolt against gov- ernment, when the laws of that government are benevolently and justly administered. I say to you to place over these people kind and benev- olent governors, conscientious and just judges; firm and honest fiscals ; it will then be in vain for the mischief makers to again raise these people against the American government. They might as well attempt to convince a loving child that the homage and attachment which he renders to a fond parent, is but a debasing servitude.
Let us view your unwise act of only a few days ago, which is proof positive that you know ab- solutely nothing or do not care to know of the conditions in the Provinces, and less of the char- acters of the men into whose hands you place power.
130 As It Is in the Philippines.
Take Act No. 413, where you put the gov- ernors of the Provinces in possession of the keys of the provincial jails and give them full con- trol and management of the prisoners. As one who has served as Provincial Treasurer in the Provinces and knows the situation as it exists, I tell you that in nine Provinces out of ten where there are Filipino governors, under your policy, you might just as well bind hand and foot the poor people of those Provinces and place at their throat, with an open knife, a raving maniac. By this act alone you have torn down the Declara- tion of Independence, crushed in the hand the Goddess of Liberty, and you have placed in the hands of these unscrupulous men, the most fear- ful weapon which will be used by the majority of them to abuse, oppress and intimidate the peo- ple, advance the interests of friends and punish enemies, as has been done in this Province, and is being done to-day. Mark the prediction ! Un- less this government is promptly made stronger in less than a year, the power that those men will have gained on account of that act will stand them in good stead, and they will again cause an insurrection in this country.
Ask any officer or soldier who has served in this country for two weeks during the insurrec- tion, and he will tell you that the majority of
As It Is in the Philippines. 131
these barefooted hombres were forced into the trenches and on the battle field and there killed; and yet they knew not and cared less whether the governing power in Manila was Spain or Por- tugal, England or America. Seldom indeed has there been found in the trenches one of these shod hombres ; but he was then like he is to-day — what the power behind the throne made him. I have had no less than twenty Filipinos tell me, since the passage of this law, that it was the worst thing that could have been done for the poor people of those Islands ; and further, from the lips of intelli- gent army officers, soldiers, civilians and intelli- gent Filipinos, I have been told time and time again that the Americans are not in control of this government, but are being influenced and are ministering aflFairs according to the dictates of the party federal.
Another thing in regard to your provincial governors that strikes me as more comical than serious, is that the Governor is the highest and most honored man in the Province. Yet in the same act, being sheriff, he is also the hangman. That has always struck me as ridiculous, and so it did Ricardo Paras, Governor of Marinduque. The arresting of criminals and taking part in the petty feuds and quarrels of the gente should be beneath the Governor of a Province. Impar-
132 As It Is in the Philippines.
tially and dignifiedly he should reign over his people. You place him in a very awkward posi- tion by making him the executor of the orders of the court. The business of arresting, care and management of criminals and prisoners should be placed in the hands of the police or constabu- lary. A Governor should under no condition be compelled to take part in such affairs. It is beneath his dignity.
Take the public schools of this country, of which we so loudly boast. The system of these schools is faulty and radically wrong.
You have brought to this country, at great ex- pense, hundreds of most excellent men and wom- en, whose noblest ambition, while on their way out here, had been raised to the highest pitch, and who to-day are disheartened and discouraged, and are set down in some pueblo with a tyran- nical, impudent and lazy presidente who gives no assistance whatever to the teacher, and who in his official capacity is a detriment to the progress of these schools. First and foremost, the man- agement of these schools, the appointment of the teachers and the salaries thereof should be abso- lutely free and independent from the presidentes and ignorant con j ales. I'll venture the assertion that seven Filipino teachers out of ten in this Archipelago are presumably drawing, say twenty-
HON. A. W. FERGUSSON. Executive Secretary of the Philippine Commission.
As It Is in the Philippines. 133
five pesos, when in fact they receive only fifteen or eighteen pesos, the remainder going into the jeans of the presidente or some of the conjales. "Well, we did not know or We don't know that that condition exists." Of course you do not. I dare you to make an investigation or ask the teachers. It does exist and to a shameful degree. It was done in the Province of Marinduque un- der me and it is done to-day in the Province of Nueva Ecija, and what is true of these Provinces is doubtless true of the rest. These American teachers are too intelligent and too necessary, this day and time, during this unorganized con- dition of affairs, to be set down in a bamboo shack teaching a kid A, B, C. There are about one- tenth of the children in this Archipelago receiving the benefits of these schools, and they are the sons and daughters of the rich and prominent people, whose parents are amply able to send them to Manila. In San Isidro there are about three hundred children going to school, when there should be at least two thousand. The same condition exists in Cabanatuan of this Province. In fact, it exists in every barrio and pueblo in this Archipelago. The majority of the sons and daughters of the ignorant poor only view "the little red school house" from the outside, and I will venture the assertion that there are 75 per-
134 As It Is in the Philippines.
cent of the people who do not even know that they are entitled to send their children to school, and in many instances, doubtless, are in- structed by some of these presidentes and in- fluential hombres that the public schools are not for them.
What will relieve this condition of affairs? What will place in the San Isidro schools two thousand children instead of three hundred? Simply this : Instead of making your intelligent American teachers subordinate to presidentes, divide your Provinces into districts, place at the head of that district an intelligent American teacher, give him the power to appoint every teacher and to set their salaries. Frame your laws so that the council will have to pay them or turn the money over to the chief of the district, and let him be a paymaster. Then enact a law making him somewhat the father and pro- tector of all the children within that district, be- tween certain ages, rich and poor alike.
Frame your law so that he will have authority to go into the homes of these people and kindly but plainly tell them that it is the law of this land that every male and female child between certain ages is required to attend that school which is nearest their domicile. I am not wedded to the policy of compulsory education, but I am em-
As It Is in the Philippines. 135
phatically in faVor of education, and it strikes me that if Governors of Provinces can force grown men to swear lies against their will, and pres- identes have the power and use it, to make igno- rant men come in from the barrios in crowds of twenty or thirty to build their homes without pay, that a noble and kind-hearted American teacher would not be overstepping the bounds of propriety if he forced ignorant children to do an act which can only result beneficially to them- selves, their parents and their country. Make your American teacher the general and in- structor of the Filipino teachers. Your system in vogue to-day, as far as benefit to the masses of the children is concerned and the labor of your American teachers, is wasted on the desert air. You have an American foolishly teaching one child his A, B, C, while he should be in truth superintending the instruction of two thousand in these letters.
"Well," you will say, "but we have not enough American teachers to teach this number of chil- dren English." I'm well aware of that fact, and am not one of those who foolishly think that if a child cannot be taught the English language he should be taught nothing. I lay it down as a proposition that if you start in to-day and teach two thousand children the Spanish language for
136 As It Is in the Philippines.
a period of two years, that at the expiration of that time you will have done more good for these people and this country, and the masses of them will have a wider general knowledge of this world's history and be more capable of assisting in this government than they will be at the ex- piration of five years under this present system.
I am sure that if the Father in Heaven were to bless my home with a child I would a thousand times prefer that little one to read the Book of God and the Declaration of Independence in the Chinese or Spanish language than not to read them at all. If we are short on English teachers, we must not foolishly stop or slow up the wheels of education. These teachers should be teaching an army of children instead of a battalion. When confronted by two evils, we must accept the lesser.
The children of this country must be taught the knowledge of God. the grandeur of a government and the beauties of liberty. If unable to teach him the Word of God, I would train his little lips to whisper his prayers to Dios ; if unable to pronounce Liberty, I would teach him "libertad." We must not lose sight of the fact that the main question at issue in this par- ticular is education, knowledge and information. If we cannot give them these by the English
As It Is in the Philippines. 137
route, then let us by all means impart it to them by the Spanish or Tagalog-. In feeding the starv- ing multitude you do not necessarily have to place their food in a silver spoon in order to fill their empty stomachs. Let them put it in with their hands or sticks, but get it in. "Do not prize the vehicle above its precious freight!"
It is far better for this land that ten thousand children know and appreciate the word "honest- idad" than that only one thousand know and pro- nounce the word "honesty." Your school sys- tem, gentlemen, is only reaching the favored few. "Well, but that is not our intention." I willingly admit that, but you are doing the deed. Why? Want of knowledge of the true conditions of af- fairs, and unwillingness to take the word of your honest, true and tried American lieutenants.
While upon the subject, let me pass a few re- marks on the foolish bar that has been placed in the case of every American lawyer; no matter what his credentials or abilities are, he must first spend three or four months studying the three codes, and then attempt to pass a fixed or prej- udiced board before he is able to argue a point upon the same codes before a judge who himslf has not been required to go up against it and who could not in less time pass the examination.
This I consider not only unjust, but it staves
138 As It Is in the Philippines.
out for a while men who just at this time are very badly needed in the building up of this country. There are many excellent young bar- risters in America who would, if this bar was down, which it will be, come to the Philippines, scatter themselves about in the different Prov- inces and larger pueblos, and there they would stand as guardian angels to the ignorant, poor and oppressed of this country, and as doubtless most of them would soon learn the Tagalog lan- guage, they would soon be the most powerful de- fenders of this government. While making their living, they would in truth be eye-openers to all of these people. They are the moulders of gov- ernments— I do not mean shysters and carpet- baggers, but honest, upright young men who would come to this land to live and die. and stand ready and willing to sacrifice their lives, prop- erty and sacred honor for this, the home of their adoption. It is dollars to doughnuts that if each Province had two such men in it, in less than six months 90 percent of legal abuses and corrup- tion would disappear ; the poor would soon learn that America is a government of and for the people; their presence, independence and manly courage would put the fear of God into the hearts of every Filipino judge in this Archipelago. And under their watchful eye your beloved fiscals
As It Is in the Philippines. 139
would "sige derecho" or get off the earth. They would also be a strong incentive to every pro- vincial and municipal official to "hands off" and "go right." By all means these empire build- ers should be let in free of duty, and without an- other examination. It is not so much a knowledge of the law of this land that we need, as it is obe- dience to it, and honest and courageous men.
You need only refer to the beginning of this and you can get an idea of what a poor client can expect when confronting a rich one. Let them in, but, let me caution you before you do this, that you had better retire or change your policy. For if this land is ever blessed with about one or two thousand honest, intelligent barristers, in the language of to-day, "they won't do a thing to you." They will line their guns of argument and reason upon your present pol- icy and force you to either change it, or quit the land.
Now let us take a peep into the purity of puri- ties, the land of Filipino judges and fiscals. Now, somewhere in his book on evidence, Mr. Greenleaf informs us that there are some facts so generally and universally known, that the court is forced to take cognizance of them, and I believe that the corruption of a large part of this outfit will not have to be proven, or at least,
140 As It Is in the Philippines.
that they are easily influenced. And let me say once for all, that I am not one of those prej- udiced, narrow-minded Americans who come in contact with a thieving muchacho and a rascally Governor and then wildly exclaim : "All Filipinos are naturally corrupt, dishonest, and bad." It's their nature and you can't change it. "It's costumbre." I do not believe that all Filipinos are thieves, bad or corrupt. My belief in my fel- lowman and supreme confidence in Almighty God, demand that I brand that statement as false and unfounded. The all-wise Providence did not place upon this earth thirteen million man beings, natural liars, thieves and scoundrels, and then take Moses on Mount Zion, and upon the table of stone, with his divine fingers, inscribe thereon the ten commandments. He did not make these human souls naturally so that they were unable to follow and comprehend his divine teachings. That is an infamous lie upon the Deity.
That there are too many Filipinos who seem to know little of the divine commandments and apparently care less, I willingly admit, and I am inclined to the opinion that the recent ac- tion of the Sages of the Commission is not cal- culated to cause those in high position to take cognizance thereof, — it is not necessary for the
As It Is in the Philippines. 141
public service. As long as you are a member of the federal party in good standing, you are sure of your job, or, as Santos remarked, braggadocio, when he learned of my dismissal, "Had there been ten treasurers fighting me, they would have all gone out." Or in other words, it requires eleven honest treasurers to oust one dishonest Governor. Show me a people, white or black, red or yellow, who have for long years been enslaved, mistreated, abused, and practically kicked and cuffed around, and no confidence placed in them, and I will show you a people with the same characteristics as those in this Ar- chipelago.
First and foremost, you must let the Filipino know that we have confidence in his intelligence, ability and honesty. Give him every position that it is possible for him to fill, in this, his home by right divine, then treat him just as you do the Americans. Don't crown him a king and then only accord him respect due to a slave. Don't make him a Governor of his people and then excuse his damned rascality on the flimsy pretext that he a weakling, or that for three hun- dred years his ancestors have been engaged in the same kind of business.
The individual, be he Filipino, American or
142 As It Is in the Philippines.
Chino, knows beyond the peradventure of a doubt, right from wrong.
Here, gentlemen, is where you plainly show that you are not masters of the situation, that you know naught of human nature. The best study of Man is Mankind. It is this foolish policy of placing intelligent Filipinos in posi- tions of power and trust, admitting that they have sufficient wisdom to preside in questions of life and death, and then deliberately turn round and with one fell swoop tear down your Solomon built by your own hands, and excuse him for doing an act that even his muchacho knows is wrong. And that, gentlemen, is the reason why the natives say, "Los Commissioners
mucho fools ; no sabe Filipinos," and them's
my sentiments, too.
You are dead wrong; you are woefully in- consistent; your judgment is bad, your policy childish, and you are being laughed at every day by the people you excuse. Let me give you a little sound advice in regard to handling these native judges, governors and fiscals, and you had better take it and put it into execu- tion. If you do not, sooner or later, your pres- ent policy will simply force other men to fire bodily every Filipino Governor, Judge and Fis- cal in this Island and supplant them by Amer-
As It Is in the Philippines. 143
leans, which, frankly, I do not wish to see. This is the Filipino's land and I, for one, wish to see him given preference over all comers, if he is equally honest and capable. Establish a cer- tain standard of morals and official conduct; tell your native judges, governors and fiscals: "In clothing you with authority and position, the American Government places in you unlim- ited confidence. Quidao, hombre. If you step one foot to right or left, and follow any path save the straight and narrow, off goes your head.
"This business of oppressing your enemies and favoring your friends will not work for one minute ; this stuff about your three hundred years of false training is all tommy-rot. If you've got brains enough to be a judge, a gov- ernor or a fiscal, you have brains enough to be honest and to distinguish right from wrong. If you haven't, you had better bestride a carabao and take to the rice paddies."
Not only give them good solid advice like that, but put men on their trail ; watch 'em like hawks and the first time they go wrong, fire 'em bodily, and if they are criminally guilty, try them and put them in Bilibid. Do that and I will stake my life on it that at the end of 1903, you will have more Filipino judges, than
144 As It Is in the Philippines.
by the present policy, at the expiration of that time.
The American administration, whether Repub- lican or Democratic, Populist or Prohibitionist, is not going to allow or stand for corrupt pub- lic officials anywhere, especially in this land, where we are told the hand of God placed us. You must separate the good from the bad. The Almighty set you the example when he rail- roaded Satan and all his imps to hell, and it strikes me that what was deemed necessary in heaven for the proper government of angels, might cut some ice if put into force among our little brown friends. I emphatically maintain that it is far better for this country and an ex- ample for the youth that we have one honest, upright judge, than forty rotten and corrupt ones.
You show plainly your lack of wisdom, both going and coming, in this proposition. Let me ask you, in all candor, will you kindly inform me what business you have putting into such important positions, such brainless idiots, men who are just and wise enough to sit as judges and sentence their fellowmen to death, yet don't know right from wrong ? Great God ! ! Was there ever such a bunglesome piece of work done by bearded men, — men who are far enough ad- vanced to reign as Governors over thousands
As It Is in the Philippines. 145
of people, but must be excused when they do an act that ought to place them in jail. In all candor, were I a member of your Commission and had assisted in such a foolish policy, no man would have to ask for my retire- ment. I would pack my trunk, strike my tent and like the proverbial Arab, quietly but quickly steal away.
You have not advanced in knowledge and made good use of your time. Like the favorites in a race, you have made a beautiful start; the grandstand applauded you madly; you have been on the track now a year, and all eyes are turned upon you, looking for the re- sult, and I can assure you that no one has hoped for your success any more than the writer. It is of little importance who sets the pace in a race; it is the horse that comes under the wire first that wins. You are far from it. God knows and I know that you have done your best, but you have erred and erred grievously. You have been followers instead of leaders. In your en- deavors to pay attention to the customs of this land, you have been led astray; you must pay heed to the well-known good customs of a coun- try, but not to the bad ones. The teachings of Almighty God in the ten command- ments, were given to all men. Judge these
146 As It Is in the Philippines.
people under these divine commandments, and when they violate any or even one of them, when you fail to punish them severely, you ac- cept a fall into a bad custom which can only result detrimentally to the people of the coun- try.
Now let us take a passing shot at the Policia Municipal ; and in discussing this, I will not say that you are ignorant or uninformed, for I am absolutely positive that even you know of the rottenness, wholesale corruption and general no- accountedness of the municipal police, not of one pueblo, but of every one in this Archipelago. Ride up to the house of any presidente. A policeman will hold your horse; go inside, one will take your hat and cane; orderwzwei beers and a pretzel and another will bring it; take dinner with the presidente, one will wait upon the table; look into the kitchen and you will see one or two therein cooking your meals. Every month many thousands of dollars are paid out foolishly for police who are nothing more than servants and muchachos for the presidentes. Every day thousands of people are mistreated, thrown in jail, brow-beaten by these ignorant lepers upon the civil payroll. Of all the frauds, rascally fakirs and infamous scoundrels upon the face of this earth, these paid slaves of the
As It Is in the Philippines. 147
presidentes are the worst. Eighty-five percent of them receive only half of their pay, the rest goes into the personal funds of some municipal official.
They are lazy, impudent, no-account, and disgusting to behold. As far as the work that they are paid to perform is concerned, they might just as well be made of wood. Such men or things as these you leave in power, yet you know that one of the most important ques- tions that confronts the American authorities in this country is : How will this land ever rid itself of ladrones? Can it be done? You bet your life that it will be. You can never have peace and order in this land as long as no one re- spects your police department. You must pay more attention to the quality of the men and less to the quantity. There are in a pueblo twenty policemen, most of whom can neither read nor write, originate or put into execution an idea. Fire your twenty ignoramuses and put in their places one intelligent city marshal and four assistants, pay them forty pesos per month; put upon them a dignified uniform and appoint pnly decent young men to these positions.
Do this in each pueblo in a Province; then appoint a provincial marshal or sheriff of the Province; put all these other mar-
148 As It Is in the Philippines.
shals under him and separate them frcwn these corrupt presidentes; this Chief of Marshals for two years should be an upright American. This arrangement would not only be cheaper, but it would be ten thousand times more beneficial to the public service. Intelligent men can in one year's time run out and hound down every ladrone in the land. You can never rid this coun- try of this bad element as long as the mem- bers thereof have more brains and sense than the men who are supposed to catch them. You cannot catch the mule-eared rabbit with an or- dinary cur, you must supplant him with the fleet greyhound. I defy any congressman, senator, man, woman or child in America to come to this land and make a ten minutes' investigation of this uninformed and armed body of infamous rats, and then be able to truthfully say that Amer- ica is the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Mark you, I am no enemy of these people. As I write, there hangs over my head a photo of some of the New World's illustrious men ; in that collection is the noble Washington, the illustrious Franklin, the dauntless Webster, and the martyred McKinley. The largest in that mighty host is that of the Filipino patriot, Jose Rizal. My remarks are aimed not at men like him ;
As It Is in the Philippines. 149
I can stand upon the same platform with any honest, upright member of the federal party. I can take by the hand any native in this land who stands out boldly and fearlessly for hon- est and upright public officials and the liberty of the masses, his people, but I have nothing but contempt for any one who smooths over the actions of a scoundrel, though he be clothed with the title of United States Philippine Commis- sioner.
To sum up this situation and bring this to a conclusion : All Americans in these Islands have had a great question to solve. The Philippine Commission has failed; it has not solved the problem. The Provinces, on account of the millions of inhabitants, the enormous number of human souls that is in them, are the heart and core of this government. The Commission's policy has not touched them in the least. The masses of these people are worse off to-day than under any government in the past. The ques- tion is up to every American in this country, be he civilian, employee or private citizen.
We cannot change the condition of affairs that exists to-day unless we go right square to the source of the evil. When the affairs of a Gov- ernment are not properly administered, and hon- est, upright, and conscientious servants of the
150 As It Is in the Philippines.
public cannot get their just dues, the people who are at the head, and have charge of the manage- ment of that government, are to blame for that condition.
There is not to-day in all this land a school- teacher, an honest employee, who dares to open his mouth against his superiors, no matter how corrupt they may be.
Americans in the Philippine Islands, are you men or mice? Have you manhood to defend your rights? Have you courage to write the true condition of affairs to your friends, rela- tions, newspapers and representatives? If you have, and are in favor of honest officials, against dishonest officials, right against wrong, if you favor the American Government of these Islands, instead of the present government of the federal party, sit down this very night and write and tell your countrymen the truth the way you see it. The hand that will dismiss one honest man to retain a dishonest one, will dismiss another. Be very careful in your letters. Do not be prejudiced ; say naught against the little Filipino ; the masses and major- ity of them are not to blame for the condition of affairs that exists to-day. They are as much opposed to corrupt officials as you are, for the hand that will oppress a strong-minded Amer-
As It Is in the Philippines. 151
ican will crush the very life out of a poor Fili- pino. Line your argument, reason and facts against the policy of the Commission. These are the ones who have appointed these corrupt offi- cials, and they are the ones who to-day retain them in power and position.
My countrymen, Theodore Roosevelt, and members of the two Houses of Representatives: I do not ask you to defend me or help me in any way. I simply request, as an American citizen, for the honor of America and the poor people of this country, that you make an in- vestigation, and I pledge my sacred honor that you will be ashamed of your civil government and its officials in these Islands.
It's shameful ; it's pitiful ; it's disgusting.
Amzi B. Kelly, An American Citizen,
Dismissed Treasurer, of Nueva Ecija.
Attached to Mr. Kelly's statement were af- fidavits from a number of Filipinos supporting his charges, which were made with such specific detail, that they certainly merited some reply. At any rate, the statement is interesting as in- dicating the views of an official who had had am- ple opportunity of observing the working of the Commission's system of administration.
CHAPTER XL
The Labor Problem. — Filipinos Ingenious in Machinery, Skilful Workers in Cigar and Cigarette Factories. — Absolutely Unfitted for Hard Manual Labor. — Break Down Quickly under Strain. — Importation of Chinese Would Benefit All Classes. — Contract Labor Law Prevents Importation of Japanese or Indians. — Labor Unions in America Do not Under- stand the Situation. — Strikes Caused by Isabella de los Reyes.
The Labor problem in the Philippines is a serious one. The Filipino people have had an opportunity to earn "wages that they never dreamed of in Spanish times, and to have them paid regularly, and the result has been that they do not come up to the expectations that were held on their behalf. In certain branches, such as in the cigar and cigarette factories, they are skilful workers. They are ingenious and make fairly good machinists. There are very few in the cities who could do outdoor work, while
As It Is in the Philippines. 153
in the Provinces, they are accustomed to look upon it, unless working for themselves, as de- grading. Even those who work for themselves do not show nearly as good results as are ob- tained at plantations worked by imported labor.
The Filipino is not a hardy or robust man, nor is he energetic. A very few hours alongside a Chinaman in a rice field, expected to do the same amount of work, completely exhausts him, and there is little doubt that the unfortunate exclusion of Chinamen from the Philippines is recognized by nearly all Americans who have lived there, as a blow to the business interests of the Archipelago. The natives themselves be- gin to realize the same thing. The Filipino loves to lord it over his fellows, and he does it with the Chinamen to his heart's delight, but at pres- ent, the coolie element of China is lacking. The result is, that the Chinese there, are now fast rising to what is considered in their native vil- lages as wealth, and there are few Chinese in the Philippines earning less than $30 per month, if they have been any time in the Philippines and speak English, while large numbers drift into business and accumulate fortunes. The Chinese residents even have their own Chamber of Com- merce.
Continued experience has conclusively demon-
154 As It Is in the Philippines.
strated that the Filipino is not willing to per- form hard physical labor, such as with the pick and shovel, if he can in any way avoid it, and there are instances where he has starved, rather than undergo the exertion which such a class of labor demands. A case in point, is the Ben- guet road, which may be taken as a fair and just illustration. The men who went to work on this undertaking were out of employment and literally starving. They were paid good wages, given transportation, very good food and quar- ters. They were not pushed or driven at their work, in fact, the fickleness of Filipinos being realized, they were treated most liberally and with every possible consideration, with what result? At the end of a week, ninety percent of the men returned to Manila. They did not like the work. Meanwhile the Benguet road is still drag- ging along its weary length, hundreds of thou- sands of dollars spent, and its finish an indef- inite matter.
Senator Lodge in the Senate stated that the Filipino worked in the rice field under a sun which is even too much for a Chinaman, though where he could have got his information, people in the Philippines would very much like to know. The Filipino does labor there for two or at most three months in a year, and tnen needs recupera-
As It Is in the Philippines. 155
tion, which he takes for the following nine or ten months, as he earns enough from his labor in the fields, to supply his wants for a year. One of the greatest complaints since the American occupation, is that the Filipino, when he has saved money that he thinks will keep him with- out doing anything for a month, will throw up his position, and take his chances of getting an- other. This, of course, does not apply to the educated class, clerks, bookkeepers, and so forth, who generally have a vein of ambition and a desire to rise.
The only conclusion, therefore, that one can come to, is that the Filipino laborer works for such time as dire need compels him, and no longer. He has been tried now for some time, and has been found wanting. If Chinese labor is imported, it is the coolie class who come, and whose importation is desired, and it stands to reason, that all such kinds of work as the Filipino likes and will gladly accept, will be great- ly increased. Office forces will need to be doubled and trebled. The number of skilled fac- tory hands will need to be doubled and trebled. All classes of skilled labor will be in demand. The result will be a general advance for the betterment of the more desirable element of the Filipino population.
156 As It Is in the Philippines.
In regard to the provincial Filipinos, somewhat similar results will be obtained. Work always creates work. Given a Chinese doing the heavy toil, lighter places would soon be found for the less drudging, but more apt and versatile na- tive. He makes a good "boss" for the Chinese, and his services would be more in demand than now, when he has a monopoly of all such labor. But even if he wished to labor in the field he would not be denied such. The Chi- nese would by no means exclude him. In Manila, they are seen laboring side by side.
It can thus be seen that the importation of Chinese coolies would not harm, but would ben- efit the Filipino. Moreover, they could be taken there under contract. Merchants or capitalists in the Philippines, would be only too willing to put up the necessary bonds to insure their return, and a strict accountability under the law. As matters now stand, development is not only hindered but prevented. Prospective capital has repeatedly gone, seen and been conquered, go- ing home in unmitigated and unqualified dis- gust, and the outlook promises only aggrava- tion of such conditions. In the face of such adverse circumstances, certain concerns will doubtless go ahead, and for a time, by a tour de
As It Is in the Philippines. 157
force, secure laborers. The result will be a still greater dearth in the labor market.
With such conditions confronting, the situa- tion assumes a most serious aspect. If capital is discouraged now, while all eyes are directed there, the Philippines will receive a set-back from which it will take years to recover.
The chief agencies at work in bringing about such an unpromising state of affairs, are the views of the Administration, the attitude of the Filipinos, and the labor unions in the United States. As to the two former, their conceptions of what the importation of Chinese means, is erroneous; as to the latter, argument seems hardly necessary. In so far as the labor unions can have objection to Chinese labor in the Phil- ippines, they could be easily enlightened. The Philippines have already been treated as a leg- islative exception ; in the matter of the Exclu- sion Law, like treatment could be applied. The labor question in the States affords no precedent or parallel for the labor question in the Philip- pines. They are not in the same class. The Philippines also offer no opportunities for the American laborer. These facts being recognized and the Golden Gate being shut against the Phil- ippine Chinese, the problem is solved so far as the labor unions are concerned.
158 As It Is in the Philippines.
To the labor question in the Philippines one answer can be given. They need and should have Chinese. On the one hand they have stag- nation and poverty ; on the other, industry, devel- opment and prosperity.
The great business concerns in the Philippines are at a standstill to all intents and purposes for lack of labor, and the experience of a large employer is that it takes three Filipinos to do the same amount of labor that one American does in a day. This applies particularly to carpen- ters and skilled labor of such nature. Mr. E. C. McCuIlough, who has the largest printing house in the Philippines, pays Filipinos, as fold- ers $io Mexican per week, three of whom do less than one girl getting from seven to ten dol- lars, U. S. currency, would do here. This ap- plies to typesetters, pressmen, and everything throughout McCullough's premises, showing that Filipino labor is not cheap labor, but costs more for the same amount done, than it would in the United States.
There has been talk of bringing in large bodies of workmen from Japan, but thqre are two ele- ments that interfere with this plan; firstly, the Japanese Emigration Law prohibits the emigra- tion of their coolies, excepting under special contracts approved by the Government, and which
As It Is in the Philippines. 159
have to be carried out to the letter by the em- ployer, such as medical attention, food, holidays, and numerous other details; secondly, even were this to be overcome, which could doubtless be done, there would be trouble in the Manila cus- tom house, about labor imported under contract. Consequently that for the present seems not to be feasible.
As an instance of the difficulty of procuring labor, may be mentioned the importation of a thousand jin-rickshaws, and the attempt to get men to pull them. A company was founded, the" capital subscribed, and the rickshaws imported, but no labor could be obtained. Three Chinese started out with their rickshaws, but the com- pany found it impossible to make arrangements with any large body of men; in fact, they were not there. The majority of the Chinese left were making far too much in other directions for them to take to the hard manual labor of rickshaw pulling. On the other hand, the Fil- ipinos were not only unable, but unwilling, and the consequence is, that the rickshaws are lying in Manila useless, badly as they are needed in the streets for transportation.
With the power now in the hands of the Com- mission, it is easy for them to do something, such as passing some law which would simplify
160 As It Is in the Philippines.
the labor problem, but apparently they do not have the desire to do it. When they wish, they pass laws that override the Constitution of the United States itself, but where it is anything that would benefit capital, and thereby the other in- terests of the Philippines, they remain quiescent and say they have no power to do anything.
Another feature that has caused a consider- able amount of annoyance to business in Manila, has been strikes, which have been caused by a man named Isabella de los Reyes, who has a powerful influence among the uneducated Fil- ipino workmen, and has caused them to go out of places where they had worked at good wages, and demand an enormous increase. At one time, there was a considerable strike in the printing business, which did not, however, affect the newspapers, but was directed more against the men who ran printing establishments in the city.
Two hundred of McCullough's men went out one Monday morning, demanding an increase of twenty percent all around. Mr. McCullough saw the leaders of his own men, and they agreed with him that their wages were liberal, and some even admitted that they knew that if he could not get other laborers, or if he had to accede to the demand, it meant an immense rise of the
As It Is in the Philippines. 161
already high prices of printing in the Philippines, or else that the business would have to suspend indefinitely, but they had joined an organization of which Isabella de los Reyes was the head, and he had told them they must do as he said. In a week's time, those who had no money left, re- turned and went to work, and the rest of them gradually came back, so that in less than three weeks they were at work again. As an instance of the causelessness of the strike, it may be stated that men in McCullough's, who, three years ago were receiving the old Spanish wages of three or four dollars a week, were getting from twenty-five to thirty dollars. Printing is abnor- mally high in the Philippines. The reason for this is the cost of labor and the necessity of hav- ing one hundred and fifty Filipinos to do what fifty men could do in the United States.
Isabella de los Reyes also organized a strike among the dockmen and lightermen, many of whom were earning from one to two dollars a day, U. S. currency, with the result of a great interference with shipping and the final defeat of the men, who demanded the same as they would be paid in the United States for the same class of work, which would have meant ruin to the shipping, as it would take three men to do the work one does in America.
CHAPTER XII.
The Currency Question. — Governmental Salaries Nom- inally Gold, Paid in Mexican Silver. — Ide Refuses to Make Fluctuating Ratio on the Importation of Mexican Silver in Order to Keep the Ratio Two for One. — Prices Increased Enormously. — An Iowa Teacher's Letter to Secretary Shaw. — A Well Known Banker's View of the Situation. — ^A Mer- chant's Views.
The enormous decline in the value of silver in the past year has been an immense hardship to all classes in the Philippines. The Commis- sion refused to aid or assist the merchants and even their own employees in any way with regard to the matter, preferring to leave it in the hands of Congress, and Congress did nothing.
One of the principal faults was the con- tracting of governmental salaries throughout the Archipelago, in American gold, unless it was the intention to pay in American gold. The fact that the Commission took this course without
As It Is in the Philippines. 163
having the gold to carry it through, has been the cause of more trouble and annoyance than anything else since the American regime com- menced. The military authorities had made a compulsory ratio of two dollars Mexican for one American, and as the fluctuation in silver at the time was very slight, that parity was maintained until the first of January, 1902, when the Commission decided that it was necessary, owing to the fall of silver, to change the ratio, and it was made two and one-tenth for the next three months.
Almost as though their action had caused it, silver immediately fell ten or twelve points, with the result of again causing hardship to all those receiving their gold salaries on a Mexican basis.
The acting Governor and Commissioner Ide, under whose special department it was, were urged and implored by the bankers, merchants and others, not to interfere with the currency, un- less they made a final alteration to some differ- ent coinage. It was pointed out to Commis- sioner Ide, that the putting of a tax on the im-