174
THE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY
AT MANILA.
minal
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resort
[September 2 1896.
THE GROWTH OF TRADE AI SHANGHAI AND HONGKONG.
to this
In reviewing the Chinese Customs returns for the April-June quarter the Shan Mercury makes some which in several respect. "On the whole, says
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND there was never any thought of revolting against established authority. It is possible however, that a perusal of the protest" may Little apprehension need be entertained, lead to a too sweeping condemnation of the we think, that the trouble in Manila, re- priests, many of whom, individually, are ported in another column, will have any most, excellent men, doing a great deal serious result, except, perhaps, for the un- of good in the country. In the rural fortunate persons accused of being im districts the priest is not unfrequently plicated in the conspiracy and who have the only European, he stands for civilisa-"the Customs reports been thrown into prison. If ever there was tion and morality; and by his moral influ- showing a satisfactory impro
body of trade. They bear out wh we a chance of success for a rebellion in the ence preserves order. It is not the tyranny
"have previously remarked as to the dis- islands it should be now, when the Madrid of the individual priests that is to be com-
"tinctions between North and South. In Government has its hands full with the plained of so much as that of the monastic
"this respect Shanghai contrasts with Hong- Cuban insurrection, which is draining Spain orders to which they belong. The secular both of men and money. But the, popula- clergy possess little or no influence, the great "kong; while trade in the South remains tion of the Philippines is very different in orders being paramount and all the vi- stationary or retrogrades, trade in the its constitution from that of Cuba. In the carages and curacies being held by their
North progresses fairly satisfactorily. good deal of this is doubtless due to latter the Spaniards, or persons of Spanish members. But societies will often perpe-
"natural causes, but more of it is due to descent, compose two-thirds of the populatrate acts in their corporate capacity that
"remediable influences. The guilds and tion, the remaining third being negroes, and would be repugnant to the members indivi-
"other trading combinations in the South it is among the Spaniards themselves that dually, and the religious orders in the the standard of revolt has been raised. In Philippines, being no exception to this "have always been stronger than in the
aud cri-
business to contemptible
North, and we have in our the Philippines, on the other hand, the rule,
measures. for the consolidation
arrangements more or less permitted our Spaniards constitute a very small section of
"selves to be made their tools. We have, the population and the discontent is confined and preservation of their power, influ- to the natives and the mestizos, or half-castes, ence, and wealth. The position of the "in fact, sworn brotherhood with the "monopolists and have quietly submitted the latter being the more active spirits in Friars is very lucidly discussed in ¬Mr.
" rather than raise a contest, or changes our the movement. That the Goverument and FOREMAN's interesting work on the Phi-
ways. With all respect to Hongkong,
Fit the priests lay a heavy yoke on the people, lippines. After referring to the great in «
"has never made any real protest. It has that extortion and corruption are rampant, fluence they exercise, Mr. FOREMAN goes
complained to the Minister, it is true, but and that there is in many respects good on to say:--" But the Friars are undoubt reason for discontent there can be no doubt, edly losing ground among a certain class.
"it has never put its own shoulder to the but there can equally, we think, be no
"Natives are emerging yearly by hun- "wheel. What has it done to support Mr., "dreds from their mental obscurity. ANDREW, for instance? It has written to doubt that the party of discoutent are quite incapable of achieving emancipation from Already the intellectual struggle for "the Minister, and the minutes of the "freedom from mystic enthralment has "Chamber of Commerce bear testimony to Spanish rule. The natives are not of
"commenced without injury to faith in some brave words. They have begun and the material of which successful revolu- tionists are made; they have no high
things really divine. Each decade brings" ended in words; the merchant has gone some reform in the relations between the
"back to his counting office and summoned aspirations, nor does the spirit of self-
parish priest and the people. Link by "his compradore. sacrifice find much place amongst them.
The compradore has mestizos might be The
dangerous if
"link the chain of priesteraft encompassing "grinned and contrived a few more mono- they were in sufficient number, but in Ma- "the development of the colony is yielding "polies in his guild, and the merchant has "to natural causes. The most enlightened “smiled and done nothing." As it happens, nila, the capital, the Spanish mestizos are less than four thousand, and the Chinese "natives themselves are beginning to under- the action taken in support of Mr. ANDREW stand that their spiritual wants are not the has not ended in words. Mr. ANDREW'S mestizos, who number forty thousand, would not be likely to take any part in a
only care of the priests, and that the aim claim for the loss and delay he suffered in movement which, however it turned out, "of the church, through its satellites, is to consequence of the obstruction of the Chinese would not be likely to do any good to them.
monopolise all in the world worth having, officials has been dúly admitted and settled, The fact that the garrison is mainly com-
"and to subordinate to their common will the money having been paid over to the "all beyond their mystic circle." But the Consul, and, furthermore, the right to trade posed of natives may constitute a source of danger, but the troops are officered by orders cling tenaciously to their power, and under the transit pass system has been Spaniards, and, we believe, there is no for its preservation are not above resorting established and is now being availed of. serious discontent amongst them. How to the vilest trickery. When a man is ever, if a revolution did break out and known to entertain liberal views and to range were carried to a successful end it would be himself in opposition to the claims of the a misfortune from every point of view; it priesthood he can be got rid of by denounc would mean a relapse into savagery, for ing him as being engaged in plots and the natives are not sufficiently advanced conspiracies, when he is banished to some to set up any respectable form of remote settlement and his property wholly or partially confiscated, the religious orders government for themselves, nor are the Spanish mestizos a sufficiently numerous or enjoying its reversion. Liberty of the press influential class to hold the power in their does not exist in the country and own hands. We believe it was decided soine thus these acts of injustice are usually time ago to increase the European garrison, unheard of beyond the circle of the victim's but Spain has had to send all her available personal acquaintance. A system such as men to Cuba, and it is doubtful whether this must necessarily engender discontent even the present scare in Manila will be and provide material for the agents provoca- sufficient to secure another regiment for the teurs of plots and conspiracies to work upon. Philippines. It will be wise, however, to The exposure of the present plot. however, add to the European troops as soon as possi- may have an effect contrary to that its ble, but in the meantime such danger as instigators anticipated, and instead of crush- exists might be materially reduced by in- ing out all aspirations for freedom may the chain of quiring into the grievances of the natives in lead to a further yielding of
'priestcraft encompassing the develop- a sympathetic spirit and redressing them
ment of the colony." With the Cuban where they are seen to be well founded! -
trouble on its hands Spain would be wise to see to it that the religious orders in the Philippines are not allowed to cultivate the seeds of discontent for their own interested purposes, lest an outbreak occur beyond the power of those who pro- voke it to control or subdue.
II.
In another column we publish a bitter attack on the priesthood of the Philippines, who are accused of acting, for interested and mercenary motives, as agents provocateurs in fomenting conspiracies against the Govern- ment and then denouncing those who have fallen into their toils. The evidence goes to show that the present trouble in Manila has had some such origin, that the alleged conspiracy is quite a bogus affair, and that
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According to the Shanghai Daily Press it is intended to do away with the Home Guard and to create a Reserve force to the Shanghai, Volunteers.
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Then with regard to the statement that Shanghai contrasts with Hongkong, "while trade in the South remains station- ary or retrogrades, trade in the North progresses fairly satisfactorily." Before in- dulging in sweeping generalisations of that kind our contemporary would do well to instead study the figures for a term of years, i of jumping at conclusions on a cursory ex- amination of the returns for a single quarter. 1888 was the first complete year in which the Kowloon and Lappa Customs stations were in operation, and we will therefore take that year as the basis for comparison. We find, then, that in 1888 the total imports of China were valued at Tls. 124,782,893, while in 1895 they were Tls. 171,696,715, showing an increase of 37 per cent
same period the imports During the
at Canton, Kowloon, entered Lappa rose from Tls. 30,896 662 to Tls. 41,112,604, being an increase of 33 per cent A trade that increases 33 per cent, in eigh years can hardly be correctly described as It is true the retrograde or stationary, increase is not so great as at Shanghai, where the imports during the same rose from Tls. 68,433,543 to Tls. 98,639, or an increase of 44 per cent. Unfort local manufactures, a potent trade, are not springing up Hongkong as at Shanghai, owing the difficulties arising from the water, partly to climatic considera
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