October 8, 1896.
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people than the consolidation of their own bower The ecclesiastics claimed a veritable and recognised ascendency over the civil power, and, as we have heard, it is not so many years ago that the practice of the Archbishop, at one of the great feasts of the church, walking over the flag of Spain as a visible assertion of that ascendency was put a stop to by a Governor-General more liberal minded and more zealous for the honour of his country than some of his predecessors. With the civil and ecclesiastical authorities thus at war with each other what chance was there for genuinely good government in the country or for the promotion of the well being of the people? It has been al- leged, too, that odium has been thrown on the priests by traders who found their de signs to get the better of the innocent native frustrated by clerical interference. The truth is that the orders to which the priests belong are themselves farmers and traders; they hold immense estates, and the natives in the ordinary business of their lives have to work against a powerful and oppressive opposition. In addition to this oppression on the part of the priests it seems also to be a recognised thing that the officials are to make money out of their offices over and above their salaries, and under a general squeeze system content and good government are impossible. Against abuses such as these a few empty forms supposed to be represen- tative of political liberty, such as parish councils and honorific offices, are of small avail.
The general opinion seems to be that the rebellion will very soon be suppressed when the troops now arriving from Spain take the field. Assuming that this is successfully accomplished, Spain would do well to inquire into the sources of the
discontent and to remove them as far as
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*4
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
JAPAN AND THE PHILIPPINES.
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267
would act so contrary to their own interests as to actively promote disorder of a character calculated to bring all trade to a standstill. The paragraph we have quoted was written more than a month ago when little was known in Europe of the circumstances of the rebellion, but the Manila Government has now ob- tained, by the seizure of papers belonging to persons implicated in the rebellion, and also by confessions, full information as to the genesis and promoters of the move ment. Much reticence appears to be exercised with regard to the matter, but from the many arrests that have been made of pro- minent natives and half-castes, the nu-
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THE SANITARY OFFICIALS ON THE RECENT LAW SUITS,
The way in which Japan's name has been coupled with the rebellion in the Philippines is curious, and to Japan herself must be exceedingly unpleasant. The St. James's Gazette, for instance, says: "This "revolt, in fact, is really a cousequence to some extent of the rising power of Japan in Far Eastern waters. Having acquired Formosa and become ambitious " of à territorial and commercial empire, the eyes of the Japanese have lately been eagerly directed towards the next islands to the south; and the weakness of Spain is regarded as the opportunity of Japan.merical strength of the rebels, and the "But it is quite another. matter whether strange oath of blood by which they are "the Europeans Powers will take the bound together, the conspiracy would appear same view." That Japan would not be to have been essentially indigenous, and loth to assume the sovereignty of the even Cuban influence in the affair, if it Philippines if circumstances rendered it existed at all, probably amounted to no possible for her to do so with honour more than urging those who were already there can be little doubt, but that she has rebels at heart that the time was ripe for afforded any encouragement or assistance action. to the present rebellion is altogether in- credible. When. Formosa was transferred from China to Japan the latter Power came within close touch of the Philippines and it was deemed desirable by Spain that the respective spheres of influence of Japan and herself should be demarcated. Accord ingly a treaty was entered into by which it was agreed that a line drawn between Formosa and the Philippines should separate those spheres. Even if it be granted for the sake of argument that Japan, would not be deterred by con secretly violating that treaty and attempting to stir up sedition in the Spanish possessions, con- siderations of self interest would certainly prevent her doing so.
In the first place, even if the Spanish authority over the be allowed to profit by it; any enterprise islands were overthrown Japan would not she might enter on in that direction would prove even more barren of results than her occupation of Liaotung. In the second place, Japan is now securing recognition of her claim to be treated as on an equality
siderations
of
honour from
Dr. CLARK appears to feel hurt by the recent decisions given against the Sanitary Board by the Supreme Court in the cases arising out of the Board's illegal action in connection with the cleansing operations.
ct
"
Because Mr. SERCOMBE SMITH reads these by-laws together," he says, referring to certain by-laws he has quoted, "and the "officers of the Board duly authorized to carry out the house to house inspection "and cleansing did not certify in writing "that in their opinion these filthy cock- "loftsought for sanitary reasons to be "'destroyed,' the Board and its officers, "after working night and day to check the
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ravages of one of the most terrible "and fatal of diseases known to modern "science, and when their efforts have at "last, but at the cost of several valuable lives, been crowned with success, are cast in damages for this technical breach of a by-law which, owing apparently to its clumsy wording, has failed to give to the "Board those powers which under the Or- "dinance it is legally entitled to wield.". It certainly is discouraging, after has been doing what he considers good
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possible, not by conferring mock political liberties, but by instituting an order of things in which justice shall be the keynote of the government and in which the priests shall be relegated to their proper sphere as spiritual advisers and not be al- lowed to dominate in things temporal. No impartial observer can desire the success of the rebels, which would mean simply a reign of anarchy, but the movement un- doubtedly points to the existence of evils in the present order of things which can and ought to be eradicated. The difficulty of restoring peace, however, may turn
anticipated. out greater than is Cuba, the Times correspondent tells us, "There is much discontent amongst both
While on the one hand it is alleged that "officers and men of the army on account of Japan was concerned in the instigation of the "not receiving their pay regularly. They movement, on the other hand it is stated-in are now 4 months in arrear, the latter the latest home papers received that "the "half of March being still (1st August) due.
report is current in Madrid that the leaders "of the rising are German subjects resid- If the army was actively employed in
ing in Manila. In support of this it is campaign work and properly rationed this "matter of paying the troops punctually
"stated that a pamphlet hostile to Spain, "would not be of such very great im-
written by a Philippine half-breed, was portance. But the present circumstances
recently printed in Germany and that the "executive committee of the secret society "render it imperative" that the men should
which, according to the latest despatches, have money. In many parts of the island
"is responsible for the native insurrection, "rations are served out in a most irregu-"was composed of German residents in the
'lar manner, and, moreover, in so scanty a
with the Western Powers in international relations and it is of vital importance to her that she should preserve her good name and good faith as regards treaty stipulations and refrain from any act that would bring down upon her the execration of the civilised world, as would the stirring
it In up of such a rebellion as that now un-
happily existing in the Philippines.
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islands. This is evidently a canard. It quantity as to make it necessary for the is quite possible that foreign adventurers, 'soldier to supplement his portion by pur- "chases of food out of his own resources. "Without money he cannot do this in a "legitimate way; but he will not go hungry "if there is food in his neighbourhood, and “he takes what comes first to hand without asking leave of the owner. Hence in- numerable complaints of depredations com- mitted." If a similar state of things should prevail in the Philippines the rebels would soon receive recruits in large numbers from
the native troops.
some of whom may have been Germans, may have been implicated in the affair, but it is absurd on the face of it to regard it as principally or of a pamphlet hostile to Spain is very slen- largely a German movement. The printing der evidence to go upon, for the printing might have been done in any country. The German residents in the Philippines being almost exclusively engaged in trade, it is certain that no considerable number of them
one
work, to come a cropper" at the end,
but it is no use
crying about it if
is one's own fault. Not that we wish to impute any fault to Dr. CLARK personally; we are speaking of the Sanitary Board and its officers as a body. If the by-law in question is clumsily worded and fails to give to the Board those powers which under the Ordinance it is legally entitled to wield, whose fault is that? The Board's, of course. The decision arrived at by the Supreme Court, however, appears to us to be justified not only on technical grounds, but also on those of common sense and equity, and if any revision of the by-laws is proposed it is to be hoped a reasonable amount of respect will be shown for the interests of those whose property may be affected! That the Chinese true, and when it becomes necessary to are uncleanly in their habits is unfortunately compulsorily cleanse their houses it is idle to suppose the work can without causing a
certain carried out grumbling and dissatisfaction; all that must and cannot be allowed to interfere with be taken as in the natural order of things strictly necessary work; but oir the other hand it is not right that the cleansing gang shouldgo forth in the spirit of a military punitive expedition to inflict chastisement on the population. The treatment accorded to
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amount of