September 16, 1896.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. discovered, the instigators being a few evil disposed persons who thus sought to take advantage of the present distressed condition of Spain. Then followed assurances that there need be no alarm, and that the Governor- General and the Archbishop of Manila had re- ceived numerous congratulatory visits on the frustration of the rebel plans.
4 FIRST ENCOUNTER,
being implicated in the affair. On the other and it is urged that, it would have been impossible for the incriminating documente have been passed through the press with- out the knowledge of those, responsible for the conduct of the office, in other words, that the clerical party must have connived at, if they did not instigate, acte for which the possibly innocent perpetrators are now being punished.
The whole affair still remains, so far as we in Hongkong are concerned, shrouded in mystery. At first it was
said by the opponents of the clerical party that there was no conspiracy, that it was altogether a bogus affair got up by the friars for the purpose of disposing of certain persons who had fallen under their displeasure and of enhancing their own importance as the true guardians of the national integrity. It is difficult to reconcile this with the fact that the disaffected party have taken the field and commenced active hostilities, on a serious scale. The only means of making the theory fit in with the actual facts is that by working up a bogus conspiracy and then meting out drastic punishment to those accused of taking part in it the people have been in censed and goaded into rebellion. On the other hand it seems unlikely that they could have been ready to take the field unless they had been preparing for such an event for a long time. As to the object of the movement, whatever it may really amount to, while it is called by the Government a separatist rebellion, it is alleged on the other hand that it is really directed not against the union with Spain, nor yet against the Church as such, but solely against the monastic orders, whose expulsion is demanded on the ground that their conduct is inimiesl to the welfare of the country. The desire of the people is, it is said, that the friars should be replaced in the cures by the secular clergy, that is, we may explain for the benefit of Protestant readers who are unaware of the distinction, by priests such as we are familiar with in England This proclamation resulted from the rebels and Ireland, who are unattached to any attacking Manila on the previous night. They monastic order. It is contended that the made their way into several of the outlying friars sacrifice all other interests to that of parts of the city, but were easily beaten off by building up the wealth and influence of their the garrison. The rebels appeared to be be respective orders and that the people's sub-tween five and six hundred strong, badly armed, stance is eaten up for that purpose.
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مجھے
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possible. They have attacked villages, and ⠀- military detachments continually traverse the disturbed districts, where the villagers heartily welcome them. This merely represents (what suits the Philippine Government to make public. The Comercio throws out dark hints that the rebellion is the work of a few villains who conspired in masonic lodges and reckoned on the help of secret societies.
WHY THE EXPULSION OF THE FRIARS FROM THE PHILIP- PINES IS DEMANDED.
But no details were given until the 27th, when it was admitted that rebel bands, badly armed and equipped, hovered in the mountains near Manila, and that, on the 25th, a party of them had attacked a village called Caloocan, where they plundered several shops and killed a China- man. A body of armed police, 30 strong, then
THE CASE FOR THE ANTI-CLERICAL PARTY. attacked and dispersed the band. The forces of the Government suffered no loss. Upon news of
There has come into our hands a pamphlet this reaching Manila, reinforcements hastened printed in 1888 entitled "Long live Spain, to the spot, and precautions against attack Long live the King, Long live the Army, Down were taken at the city. Meanwhile, pursuit with the Friars." There is no indication of of the band resulted in the capture of four-where it was printed, or by whom published, teen rebels, who were taken to Manila. On the and it was, we presume, issued surreptitiously, 27th, a column of troops from Caloocan came
as it is not of such a character that its open across scattered groups of rebels, who dispersed circulation in the Philippines would be allowed. on its approach. The troops followed in close It purports to give the case against the friars pursuit. Several prisoners were taken, three in the form of a series of petitions and addresses of whom bore marks of incisions in the arms to the Queen Regent and the Governor-General. - showing that they were bound by oath, after We take it that no such documents have ever been drinking each other's blood. Dead rebels were formally signed or presented, but that the form found in the fields. On the 28th, further of petitions has simply been adopted as a con- military precautions were taken at Manila, and
venient one for the author to express his views arrangements were made to send troops into in. There are, however, one or two documents the mountains. More prisoners were brought at the commencement referring to specific in on the 29th, some of them wounded, and grievances of the time that may possibly be others bearing the incision marks. Military genuine. It appears that for sanitary reasons preparations went on at Manila.
an order had been issued by the civil Govern- ment directing that no more burials were to towns and villages, but only in cemeteries lo- take place within the confines cated in suitable positions; also prohibiting of the
the bringing of the corpses into the churches for the funeral service. If we are not mis- taken, it is the custom in the Philippines not to close the coffin until it is about to be lowered the introduction into churches of corpses in into the grave, and the sanitary objections to open coffins will readily be understood. The Government order on the subject was not accepted by the Archbishop, who issued a pastoral directing the priests to disregard it. The first petition,. purporting to be addressed --- to the Governor-General by the headman and ... the law being thus set at nought and asks inhabitants of a certain place, protests against-
for its enforcement. Passing -
·-over some other documents we come to a long petition, addressed to the Governor-General, which seems to con- tain a complete statement of the case, against translation below. In doing so we accept no the friars, of which we give a summarised responsibility for the contents, but give it: simply as an interesting paper that may assist in throwing some light on the present position- in the Philippines:--
SPREAD OF THE RIBING.
On the 30th, the Governor-General pro- claimed martial law in eight provinces around Manila, with provisions for the summary trial of rebels. Pardon was offered to all rebels who surrendered within forty-eight hours after the issue of the proclamation.
ACTION AT MANILA.
EFFECT IN SPAIN.
only a few having muskets. The rebels left many dead on the field, and the troops took A-London telegram of the 22nd August in from thirty to forty prisoners. The Govern the Vancouver papers says: The development forces lost only a few wounded, and the ment of the troubles of Spain is followed here native troops showed not the least hesitation in with considerable interest. The outbreak in shooting down the rebels. the Philippine Islands is regarded as seriously increasing hor difficulties, and the news of the discovery of the conspiracy has caused great excitement in Madrid, where it is stated that the Government is considering the advisability of promptly reinforcing the Spanish garrisons. The outbreak, however, is not a surprise to the Government officials, as news reached them some time ago of considerable activity among the half-breeds. The object of the conspirators is to secure the independence of the Philippine Islands from Spain, and a committee of the re- fugees at Hongkong is said to have relations with the Cuban insurgents.
On this news reaching Spain, military rein- forcements, two thousand strong, received orders to proceed from there to the Philippines. Sup- plies of arms and ammunition were also to be for warded, and two men-of-war also received orders for the Philippines. The Home Government assured the Governor-General of their un- diminished confidence in him, and also authorised him to raise a volunteer force at Manila.
'FURTHER REVOLT.
On the 1st instant, news came that rebellion had broken out in the province of Cavite, near Manila, and that risings had been reported from several places there. The rebels broke into Manila papers have been received at Singahouses in search of arms, and attacked the pore
of later date than those so far to haud police. At Manila, the Governor-General here, and from the Straits Times we take the authorised the raising of a volunteer force, and following summary :-
many Spaniards enrolled themselves for service.
The Manila Comercio to the 2nd instant con- tains guarded statements regarding the political crisis in the Philippines. The press stands "there under strict censorship, and can only publish news that bears Government approval. Bo silence was kept regarding troubles there until the Government allowed the publication of the following telegram from Madrid:-"The conspiracy discovered and frustrated in the Philippines has raised a cry everywhere in Spain for the punishment of the guilty parties. The Home Government has announced its confidence that General Blanco (the Governor-General) would settle matters. All political parties in Spain offer to help in quenching the flame of revolt An Association, styled the Hispano- Filipino Club, at Madrid, has been closed."
THE DISCLOSURE.
The Comercio: then broke silence on the Angust by stating that a conspiracy to rebellion in the Philippines had just been
LATEST ADVICES.
On the 2nd instant, the date of last mail advices, a physician named Pio Valenzuela, a suspected person who had fled from the capital, came back and surrendered himself. He turned approver and gave valuable information to the authorities. A Freemason also turned informer, and gave the names of two rebel chiefs, who were thereupon arrested. Many rebels were also reported to have surrendered themselves to the Spanish authorities, and, on that day, forty-eight of them were pardoned. Arrests con- tinued to be made at Manila and elsewhere, and a strict watch was kept on rebel movements. The rebels in Cavite, about 500 strong, armed with a few muskets, and with long choppers sharpened like razors, encountered a body of froops on the morning of the 2nd instant, and were dispersed with the loss of 20 killed and 10 prisoners. The troops lost two wounded. The rebels, in fact, keep out of the way of the troops as much as
and ingratitude invariably bring evils in their The first paragraph sets out that disobedience
train, and on account of their disastrous con- sequences ought never to be tolerated. These reflexions are suggested by the disobedience of the Archbishop of Manila, the Excellent Senor Don Fray Pedro Pazo, in issuing his pastoral of the 30th October of last year (1887) giving instructions to the parish priests that they shall follow the ancient custom of celebrating funerals with the body present in the church, notwithstanding the notifications of the Civil Administration of the 18th and 24th idem pro- hibiting the placing of bodies in the churches; the pastoral alleging that it was not the wish of the Director-General of the Civil Administra- tion to oppose in the least degree the usages and dogmas of the church, especially a religions custom so closely in harmony with ecclesiastical discipline as that of taking the bodies of the f dead to the church there to receive the benedio-ort tion of the priest.
It appears wrong that the ecclesiastical authority should override a law so salutary, for the inhabitants of the country, and although it parochial revenues might suffer some diminutions is that is no sufficient reason for disobedience to the civil authority in a law whose benefits aretus superior to pecuniary considerations, which ought to be sacnficed for the common good particularly by men consecrated to the service of the altar and with whom ideas of gai not to predominate. It was only the prejudice
ought
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