The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 3, 1899, Page 5

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1899. o GLOOMY PICTURE OF BHE FElLIFPRINES A5 A FIELD FOR AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL ARTS OREGON TROOPS Declare That the Islands of the South Seas Are Fertile in Many Respects and Are Susceptible of Profitable Cultivation, but Nearly All of the Land, and Certainly That Which Is Worth Possessing, Is Owned by the Church Authorities—American Workmen Cannot La- bor in the Fields and Live. ' @ A TA T AT A K A *Q*@*@*@*‘\\*Q*@*Q*‘}*Q*@W*@Wm@*@ww .‘ ance to most Americans who think they see i the Philippines a new field for industry and wealth. Care was taken also in the queries to learn labor in the Philippines, and: if not, what people can. A series of waluable answers was received to the inquiry in reference-to the effect of the climate upon American energy. The advantage or dis- adwvantage of giving to the natives of the Philip- pines the rights of American citizenship and of introducing and enforcing American labor lazes on the islands was also discussed. The answers of the Oregon troops to these questions constitute information of extremely great value. Most of the troops believe that the land of the Philippines is well adapted for American agriculture with the exception of the cultivation of wheat. This opinion might give rise to an optimistic view of the situation, but the soldiers add in the same breath that nearly all of the agricultural land, and certainly the * /TH]LI:' the triumph of American arms % Y and the stories of American valor in % ) the Philippines are worthy themes of | ¥ general discussion, there are other questions in | whether or not Americans can % connection with the new possessions of the I (¢ United States which are worth the asking. ( ans without cxception are honoring 5 o fought for their flag, they * > same time if the loss of life ) ice of treasure have been compensatea 5 dnthe acquisition of the islands of the southern {f the fighting is over and the nation 5% ts loss and gain, one naturally will ask 0 on which side the scale will tip. The Call has undertaken to obtain definite in- % formation on this vitally important problem from those that are best qualified to speak and to judge, from those that have just veturned from the Philippines and have had opportunities % not only to fight, but to observe the conditions which make or mar the physical prosperity of 0 a people. Member's of the Oregon Regiment, ir- 1 X yespective of rank, privates as well as commis- | % sioned officers, have been interviewed and have | ) been asked to express their opinions in reference | to the Philippines, not as a conquest, but as a } Philippines. ¥ material, labor enriching, wealth producing ac- | X quisition to the United States. ‘ A series of pertinent questions was asked of | making the natives cach soldier that was intervietved, and in what | X follotws are the answers. Each soldier was asked {\ % to give his impressions of the size of the popula- : tageou tion of the Philippines and to indicate if possi- | 5 : * ble whether or not the people are profitably em- i soldier declue it x ployed. A particular effort woas made to discover R w whether or not the islands possess wmuch agricul- ! tural land and if this land is accessible to Amer- | icans and susceptible to American agriculture. [ « These are questions which are of wital import- ,L B A TA A ESESESESYETSE SRS R AT best of it, is in the possession of the church au- thorities. It is probable, therefore, since agricul- turists must buy the land, they would prefer to buy in a locality a little nearer home than the The soldiers of Oregon are almost to a man in emphatic opposition even to the suggestion of the United States, although the opinion seems to prevail that American labor laws could advan- v be put in operation on the islands. As for Americans <working in the Philippines, the The heat is too intense and the climate generally too encrvating. The Philippines are the last lands on the earth for poor men to scek with a purpose of improving their condition. The discussion of these interesting questions will be found tn detarl in the followving intervietvs. of the Philippines citizens of is utterly out of the ques- S B N T e TNE BN S TS oy 0 B s S Tae B R e S SN S ] Soldiers Give Free and Emphatic Expression to Their Opinions on Questions That Are of Vital Moment in Connection With the New Possessions of the United States—Unfriendly Conditions and Almost Insurmountable Physical Obstacles Will Face the Seeker After Wealth Who Follows in the Wake of the American Armies. W. C. STUART, Company A you might call the Philippines ; there are plenty of “nig- There is plenty of land, too, no reason why it should not easily obtained for agricultural pur- es, although I do not know ‘what the pportunities are in this respect. Of urse most of the land is owned by the | hurch. So far as crops are concerned, | i can raise anything there from tur-| ps to ecattle. The land is rich and al- | thing will grow there. Ameri- >t do heavy labor in the isl- | is out of the question. The | is all done by the Chi- | tiv I think the islands made of great benefit to this if our labor laws were enforced e contract labor system abol- | ot say that I am in favor | the natives to equal privi citizens of the United ; that ork in the fields ROMMEL, Company A— s of people on the island y are congregated in | 3 The land is the church or by nd the natives work mall patches. There are now for obtaining land purposes, and of course | what the chances will be ire. The land is rich and good; and other cereals, as weil as o and hemp are raised there. I do wheat could be suc- grown or not. Americans can- ard labor there; that is pos- nese coolies practically all | Chi the labor, and although some is done by | the Filipinos, the natives generally are in lighter employment, such as | -ngaged ho 0ld servants, coachmen, etc. 1 1k the islands will be profitable to | is country if our labor laws are en- here and the contract labor ow in vogue is-abolished. I think could make excellent citi- clean, intelligent and iperior to either the Chinese T J. H. BLAC em to be pretty , Company I— well popu- e opportuni- 1 for agricultural ..d not inquire into the deal of corn is raised wuzon, but I do not know cereals, such as barley, , could be raised. Of i Chinese stand the t of the hard work Chinese. It is pretty er the islands could be as 1 f profit If the present c tem were abolished and our lab. enforced there. The cli- ating, and a white man and retain his energy m emphatically of the natives should be made d States, with equal unimpaired opinfon that ¢ s of the 1 NGEN, Com- nion that the Phil- ippines t T saw in the of + well popu- lated plenty of land T | cannot opportunities are for getting possession of it for agricul- tural purposes, as that is a matter 1 am | entirely unfamiliar with. A great variety of crops can be raised there undoubtedly. n is produced in large quantities, as are other cereals. Up in the foothills is | a4 great grazing country, and big herds of | cattle and hogs are raised. Americans not work there—that is, out of doors. | the hard work is done by the Chlnese" coolies and the natives. I think our labor aws might be enforced there to advan- Of course the Americans cannot e with the Chinese under the pres- | ract-labor system. The climate is | rvating to Buropeans and Ameri- cans, who cannot live there unless they exercise cate in tholr manner of living | and refrain from undue exertion. There s-' no doubt, in my opinion, that the Filipinos would make excellent citizens. They are an intelligent race, and will soon prove themselves governing themselves. capable of PRIVATE D. W. HOLGATE, Company A—The Philippines are well populated or church and is rented or leased in small tracts to the Chinese and poorer natives, who plant and raise the crops. What the opportunities now are for obtaining land for agricultural purposes by Americans I do not know, but I do not think it would far as hard work is concerned, Americans could not stand it for a moment. All the work in the fields is done by the Chinese and the natives. If the present contract f given a chance | | be possible to obtain any at this time. So | labor system could be abolished and our | own labor laws enforced ‘T think the isl- ands could be made a source of profit to | the United States. The climate is ener- vating and impairs the energies of peo- ple of our race. I am in favor of admits ting the Filipinos to the privileges of Am- erican citizenship. They are intelligent and observing and far superior to other Oriental races. PRIVATE J. N. MITCHELL, Company A—There is no lack of population in the Philippities €0 far as my observation went. The country districts do not appear to be thickly settled, but there are a great number of cities ranging from 15,000 to 40,- 000 population scattered throughout the island of Luzon, and the fact that the Jand is largely in the hands of the church is one of the principal reasons why oppor- tunities. are poor for obtaining it for ag- ricultural purpos Good crops can un- doubtedly be ralsed there, especially corn, hemp, tobacco, rice and sugar. doubt that wheat and other cereals can also be successfully raised, although I do not think these crops are raised in quantities at present. Americans cannot labor there at any kind work. The cultivation of the flelds is en- tirely in the hands of the Chinese and the I have no | of out-of-door | instruction—much more so, in my opinion, than the Japanese. CORPORAL OLIVER E. LIPES, Com- pany A—There are plenty of people in the Philippines, but most of them lve towhs and small cities. They are huddled in small frame houses, and those who fol- at'least the island of Luzon is. There Is Jow agricultural pursuits cultivate small a lot of land there which is owned by | patches of land near the town. Very few | wealthy Filipinos, Spaniards and the | farmhouses are to be seen. - There is plenty of land, but the church appears to own it all, and I do not know what the opportunities for obtaining it for the pur- poses of cultivation are. I think, how- ever, that the land could be made to pro- duce cereals, such as corn. wheat, barley, oats, rye, ete., without any difficulty. Tt is a good stock country and a great deal | of corn is produced now. Americans can- not labor there. All the hard work is done by the Chinese coolies and the na- tives. I think the islands will be made profitable if our labor laws are enforced there and the present system of servile contract labor abolished. The climate is very bad for a white man. It weakens his energies and he gets lazy. It would perhaps be all right if a man could take life easy and live as the Spaniards do, but they do not pretend to do any work. I say emphatically that T am not in favor of the Filipinos being made citizens of the United States. We might as well gather together a band of Apaches and make them citizens. PRIVATE GEORGE C. SNYDER, Com- | pany A—I do not think the Philippines are suffering from lack of population. There appear to be plenty of people there, espectally in the fsland of Luzon. I do not know what the opportunities for ob- taining-land for agricultural purposes are, as T had no chance to familiarize myself with the subject. Theré is a great deal of land apparently unoccupied, but it is all owned by the church. There is no question of . the fertility of the soll. All kinds of cereals, in addition to tobacco, hemp, sugar, etc., should be raised there without any trouble. Corn is already raised In large quantities, and up in the foothills large herds of cattle and hogs re raised for the market. Americans natives, chiefly the former. The islan could probably be made profitable to this | Cannot labor there and nobody else but country if our. labor laws were substi- | the Chinese and natives. Even the latter tuted for the present contract system. but the climate is not suited to people of our race. It is too enervating, and a-short residence in the islands impairs the en- ergy of the most robust. The Filipinos are a much superior people to the Japa- nese, with whom they are often com- pared. They are more intelligent and far more moral. They are extremely anxious to familiarize themselves with the Amer- jcan language and everything else Amer- jcan. 1 think they would make go00d citizens and am in favor of their being accorded equal privileges With the rest of us. PRIVATE W. A. MELLINGER, Com- pany A—They do not need any more peo- ple in the Philippines, as the country is pretty well populated as it is. 1 do not think the opportunities for obtaining land for agricultural purposes at the present time are very good. Most of the land is | | ber I saw on the island of Luzon. do not try to do much hard work, leaving. that for the coolies. I think the islands could be made profitable to this country if the contract labor system should be abolished and our own labor laws en- forced there. The climate is very ener- vating. and an American or European soon develops a desire to avold all labor or exertion of any kind as much as pos- sible. I am decidedly opposed to the ad- mission of the native Filipinos to the rights and privileges of American citizen- ship. They are worse than our Indians. PRIVATE WELLS C. COOPER, Com- pany A—They don't need any more people in the Philippines, judging from the num- What | the opportunities are for obtaining land owned by the church and hard to get hold | American of for ihat reason. 1 think agriculture can be introduced t as ralsing wheat, corn, barley, oats, rye, etc., and raising cattle and hogs. I fact, a great deal of corn is already raised and big herds of cattle and hogs. Ameri- cans cannot labor there in any capacity of agricultural employment, as they can- not stand the climate. The Chinese ap- pear to endure the climate best, and they do most of the hard work, although some is also done by the natives. could be made profitable undoubtedly if our labor laws could be enforced there to the exclusion of the present contract labor system. The climate is entirely unsuited to our people, and a.short residence im- pairs their energy to a perceptible de- gree. 1 am heartlly in favor of making the natives of the islands citizens of the United States. They are intelligent and capable of self-government with a little The islands | | to grow fat on it. for agricultural purposes T do not know; but T do know that the churches appear to own all the land In the islands. I think almost all cefeals could be made to grow there, with the possible exception of wheat. T think the climate is too damp for wheat. The corn, which is raised in large quantities, is-rather tough, but it is raised principally for feeding to stock, and sweet corn could be raised just as well. There are lots of cattle raised in the foothills. Americans cannot work in that climate, but the Chinese can. They do nearly all the heavy work and seem I think it our labor laws could be enforced there and the present_contract labor system abolished the islands might bé made profitable to | this country; but of course there might be some difficulty in enforcing these laws, because of the great number of coolies in the islands. A white man cannot live in the islands and retain his energy unim- paired. It is impossible in that climate. 1 am unalterably opposed to the native Filipinos being made citizens of the United States with full and equal privi- A TN T R A, M RO N, T M O R R R D D R in | | a great variety of crops. | cause | and hogs are leges with us. They are altogether too treacherous. The American Indian can- not be compared with them. PRIVATE D. A. ELKINS, Company A— There are plenty of people in the Phil- ippines and the country appears to be pretty well occupied. I cannot say what the opportunities are for obtaining land for agricultural purposes for the reason that 1 have no means of knowing. The country is fertile and capable of raising In addition to hemp, rice and tobacco, the three staples, considerable corn is raised. Wheat, how- ever, I do not think will thrive there, be- the climate is too damp. Cattle raised in great number: | Americans and Europeans cannot stand | lies or by the native Filipinos. The | enforced there. lose his natural energy in the Philippines | manual labor in that climate and all that | kind of work is done by the Chinese could very likely be made profitable to this courtry if the present contract labor system were abolished and our labor laws A white man_will soon and gradually lose all desire to work. I am opposed to making the Filipinos citizens of the United States, with ‘equal | privileges to ourselves—emphatically so. | They are a treacherous race and natural born thieves and not fit to be citizens of this republic. PRIVATE H. R. JACOBSON, Company A—The isiand of Luzon appears to be pretty well populated, although as the majority of the people live in citles and towns you will find many farm houses 1 do not know what the opportunities are for obtaining land for agricultural pur- | poses, as 1 did not investigate the sub- ! ject during my stay on the island. Amer- | jcan- agriculture can be introduced there I am quite sure, although owing to the damp climate 1 do not think wheat would thrive there. Corn is already grown in great quantities and cattle and hogs flourish in the foothills. Americans cannot | work in the fields at any form of labor. | All that work must be done by the Chi- | nese, who appear to be perfectly suited to the climate, and by the Filipinos, al- | though the latter are by no means par- tial to hard work of any kind. The islands might be made profitable to the United States if the present contract labor S- tem were abolished and our labor laws extended to them and enforced. People of our race soon begin to feel the enervat- ing effect of the climate and lose all de- sire 1o work. I do not think the natives should be made citizens of the United States by any means. They lack all the qualifications that go to maKe up a good citizen and they are altogether too treach- erous to suit me. | PRIVATE HERBERT G. GRAVES, Company A—The Philippines, I should say, are pretty well populated, although, as I was not off of the Island of Luzon, I canriot speak in regard to the others. I | do not know what the opportunities are for obtaining land for the purpose of agri- culture, as I had no facilities for learning when we were there, and I did not give the matter much thought. The land, which is mostly owned by the church, is very fertile, and all kinds of cereals ought to grow there, with the pos- sible exception of wheat, which might be affected by the dampness. Corn in large quantities is alread raised, and the cattle-raising industry is flourishing, as is hog raising. It is out of the question for Americans to think of doing out-of-door | labor in that climate, as they cannot stand it. The Chinese. stand the climate better even than the natives, and they do most of the hard work. If our labor la: could be enforced there and the present system of contract labor abolished I think very likely the Philippines could be made | profitable to us. The Caucasian race is not adapted to the climate of the islands, and white men soon lose their energy. The Filipinos are the last people on earth I want to see made citizens of the United States with equal privileges to ours. They dre treacherous, deceitful and thieves by nature. PRIVATE B. F. SMITH, Company A—1 do not think the Philippines are lacking in population by any means. In Luzon there are a great number of people, and I understand the rest of the islands are equally well supplied with population. I do not know anything about the opportu- nities for obtaining land for agricultural purposes. The land is extremely fertile and capable of raising all kinds of cereals, with the possible exception of wheat. Cat- tle and hogs are raised in great numbers in the foothills, where fine pasturage abounds. Americans are not adapted to the climate, and cannot perform laborious work there. All hard work of all descrip- tion is done by either the Chinese coolies or by the native Filipinos. I think the islands could be made profitable for the United States if the contract-labor system were abolished and our labor laws en- forced there. The idea of a white man living in that climate without his energy becoming impaired is absurd, and it is equally absurd to think of making the Fil- ipinos citizens of this country with equal priviliges to ourselves. They are not civ- ilized, and are altogether too treacherous to suit my ideas of what a citizen of this country ought to be. CORPORAL W. K. SMITH JR., Com- pany H—Of course I cannot undertake to speak - for the Philippines as a whole, as we were stationed on the island of Lu- zon and saw nothing of any of the other islunds, but Luzon appears to be pretiy well populated. In regard to what the opportunities now are for obtainimg land for agricultural purposes, that is a ques- tion that cannot be answered at this time. All land titles are badly tangled, but they will probably be straightened out after the fighting is over. A great deal, of corn is raised there and other cereals can also be raised, I should judge, although I am doubtful about wheat, which I am afraid would sprout before it could ripen on ac- count of the heat. Cattle and hogs are ralsed in great numbers, as there is con- siderable fine grazing land in the foot- hills. White men could never work there successfully in the agricultural districts. They could not stand the climate, and even if they could they would starve to death, as they .could nat compete with the Chinese coolies and the natives, who do all the hard work in the islands. I do not think the islands could be made profitable to the United States it the contract system was abolished and our labor laws enforced there, for the reason that wages are altogether too low and must necessarily continue so whete there is so much Chinese and cheap native la- bor. The climate quickly impairs the en- ergy of a white man. The Filipinos might make good citizens, as they are bright { and take great Interest In everything | American. PRIVATE L. PICKERING, Company H—There are plenty+of people on the isl- and of Luzon, but of course I do not know | anything about the other islands of the group. I cannot say what are the Jppor- | tunities for obtaining land for agricultural | | purposes. The church claims most of | the land, but the titles are in such bad | shape that nothing definite can be told at this time. American agricultural products could probably be raised there, with the exception of wheat, of which I have my doubts. It is not a wheat coun- | flourish owlng to the extreme heat. Americans cannot work out of doo in that climate, and all the hard work i= done by the Chinese and Filipinos. I do not think the American labor laws could be successfully enforced in the Philin- | pines, or if they could I do not think the islands could be made profitable to this country. A white man soon becomes enervated in that climate and totally in- capable of out of door employment. ~The | Filipinos are an intelligent race, but I do not think they would make very accept- able citizens. PRIVATE G. B. MILLER. Company H—There is no dearth of population on the island of Luzon, and I am of the opin- fon that the other islands of the group are equally well supplied with inhabi- tants. I do not know what the opportu- nities are for obtaining land for the pur- | poses of agriculture, as titles are i such | a tanglea condition over there that it is | | almost impossible to tell who owns the land. American agriculture can be in- troduced there with some success, but I | think that the climate is too hot for wheat. Corn grows well and cattle and hogs thrive in the uplands. Americans cannot labor there either in our form of agriculture or In raising hemp, sugar, rice cr tobacco. anybody but a native or a Chinese, who do most of the hard work. I do not think the islands could be made profitable by substituting our labor laws for the con- tract labor system now in force in the slands. No white man can live in the islands without his energy becoming im- paired. 1 would be in favor of making the Filipinos citizens. They gent and moral and apparently deeply interested in everything -American. PRIVATE E. A. KIRTS, Company H— I do not think the Philippines are lacking in population by any means. As for the opportunities for obtaining possession of land for agriculture I hardly know whether that can be done to any consid- erable extent or not. The country appears to be fertile, but aside from some corn I did not see any cereals growing. 1 don’t think wheat can be raised there, nor Americans cannot do hard work in oats. | that climate. All that is done by the ‘('hlnsse coolies and the natives. I think | the islands could be made profitable if the United States labor laws were substi- | tuted for the present contract labor sys: tem. The climate is very enervating for white men and no Caucasian can live there and retain his energy unimpaired. I am not in favor of making the Filipinos citizens of the United States with privi- ! leges equal to ours. PRIVATE P. C. KURDER, Company A—The islands are pretty well populated, especially Luzon, where we were sta- | tioned. I do not know much about the opportunities for obtaining possesson of land for agriculture and I do not think | American agriculture can be successfully introduced there; it rains too much. They grow scme corn and raise cattle ind hogs in great numbers, but wheat, oats and barley 1 do not think would thrive. Amer- jcans cannot work there—that is out of the question. The natives and the Chinese coolies do all the hard work and they work so cheaply that a white man | could - not compete with them even it he could stand the climate. Our labor laws could not be enforced there, as the Chinasse and natives would not pay anyat- tention to them, and I do not think the United States if they could be substi- tuted for the contract labor system. A white man can get along very well in that climate if he has no work of a laborious character to do and takes reasonably good care of himself. But he will soon find his energy is impaired. T think the na- tives would make good cltizens, as they are intelligent and easily civilized. PRIVATE DAN RICHARDSON, Com- pany H—There are plenty of people in the Philippines, or. at least, in the island of Luzon, where we were. I do not know what the opportunities for obtaining 'and for agriculture are—that is a question that cannot very well be answered at this time, owing to the unsettled condition of | affairs and the difficulty of telling who owns the land. They raise big crops of corn there and I think very likely other cereals could also be raised. Wheat, how- ever, 1 do not think could be grown suc- cessfully owing to the great heat. Ameri- cans cannot work at tilling the sofl nor do any laborious work, as they cannot stand the climate. The Chinese appear to stand the climate even better than the nati- 2s and they do most of the hard work. I do net think the islands can be made | enforcement of our labor laws and the | abolition of the contract labor system. | The climate is unsuited to our race and Europeans and Americans soon find their energies impaired. I think the Filipinos training and I would be in favor of con- ferring citizenship upon them. PRIVATE ALLEN, Company D — The Philippines are very much populated. The land is principally owned by the priests and moneyed men. It is beyond my knowl- | edge whether it would be possible for Americans to secure land there. I do not think .American agricultural products cun be introdueed in the islands. The country cannot be adapted to any such growth be- cause it is too hot. facilities for raising cattle on the islands, put I do know that the feed there was of such inferior quality that we had to ship a lot of hay there for our horses. There is no earthly chance for a white man to get employment there. would be to get a position as overseer. Labor is so awful cheap that a whits man could not make his salt. People raised there can endure the climate better than those who come from a northern country. Most of us stood the climate first-rate. They should never become citi- zens of our country. They are bright, but pride and decency are lacking in them. Personally I object to their ever becoming try, and 1 do not think that crop would | The climate is too hot lnr‘ are intelli- | country could be made profitable to the | profitable for the United States by the | would make good citizens with a little | 1 know nothing of the | His only chance | citizens. T would just as soon have China- | men flow into the United States and be- come citizens. CORPORAL G. W. CONNER. Company | iD—me what I saw of the Philippines | | they seemed to be sufficlently populated. In fact it contains a pauper population. Apparently there Is no land that could | be had by Americans for agriculture, as it all seems t8 be in the hands of others. | The istands are no place for a white man, | as they cannot stand the climate. Again, | the wages are such that a white man | could not lower his dignity and work | for them and exist. Nothing but rice, to- | bacco and corn could grow there. Wheat | would dry out in the hot season and in | | the wet season drown out. I do not think | the islands would be profitable to this| country because the conditions are so dif- | ferent. It would be hard to get the na- tives to work under our system of labor laws, as they are too independent. The| climate is unsuitable to our race. It is | either too warm or too wet. If youuwere | to ask every man in the regiment whether | the Filipinos should be made citizens you | would get the same answer—No. The peo- ple are tao easily controlled by one power and that power is the church. | PRIVATE J. A. RUDDY, Company D— I do not think the Philippines are lack- ing in population. It is more thickly | populated than I have seen it in the| United States. It would be easy for new | comers to secure land in the mountain | regions, but in the farming country the lands seems to have all been taken up| | and fs under a high state of cultivation. To me it seems a good cattle country. | | The products mentioned in the question would not thrive there. The country is| more suited for sugar-cane, rice and to-| | bacco. I do not think Americans can la- | | bor there. If they have cattle they can| | get labor thére for almost nothing. The | Chinese and .the natives do most of the| hard work. I am unable to answer whether there would be an improvement | |in the Philippines if our labor laws were | | introduced there. I do not think our la-| | bor laws would suit their form of gov-| ernment. The country is unsuited for a | white man to live there except in winter, | | and then it is disagreeable. In my opin-| jon it weakens a white man to live there. | I do not think the natives should ever | have the chance to become citizens, as | they are unfit for the dignity. They are| | not to be trusted in voting or in having | | anything to say about running the Gov- | ernment. % “ | PRIVATE ROY NEWBY, Company | | G—There are no indications of a lack of | population in the Philippines. In fact, | the islands appear to be pretty well set-| | tled. I do not think the opportunities for | | obtaining land for agricultural purposes there are very good. So far as crops are | | | concerned I think that nearly all cereals | can be raised there successfully.” Corn is | grown in great quantities there now, and | there are lots of cattle and hogs in the | foothills and mountains. I think Ameri- | cans can labor there aithough they could | not, of course, compete with the Chinese | coolies, who dd nearly all the hard work. | The islands, in my opinion, can be made | profitable by the introduction of our sys- | tem of agriculture there and the enforce- | ment of our labor laws. I do not, how- ever, think the climate is at all suited to people of our race. As long as they do not try to work in the fields, and take care ‘nf themselves, they are all right. The | | Fillpinos would make good citizens, as | they are intelligent and intensely interest- ed in everything American. PRIVATE H. E. TAFT, Company D— The Philippines are not lacking in popula- tion. Every house contains ten or twelve small-sized tamilies. The islands “shine’” | in population if in nothing else. I think | the chances of getting land are very poor. What the church does not own the En- | glish residents do. Wheat and barley | would dry out in that climate. You can | raise catile and hogs. It's a fine cattle counzry. There are not many, cattle there, but what we saw of them were fatand con | tented. Americans could never do com- mon labor there and stand the climate. If a man has the work done by the na- tives he will get along. All the heavy rk is done by the Filipinos -nd the | Chinese. I do not think our labor laws can ever be introduced in that country. | If you do not have to undergo hardships | the climate will suit you; if you do it is unfit for you. The Filipinos are too treach | erous to be made citizens. You could buy them off too easily and they are unfit to be the equals of an American. PRIVATE WOODS, Company D—The islands are not lacking in population. There is very little chance for an out- sider getting any land, as it is held by the church and English syndicates. The climate 1s such that American products could be raised there, such as ecorn and rye. Wheat and barley might also be raised, but not to any great extent. I don’t think white men could labor in the fields because of the heat and the price paid for labor. The negroes work too cheaply. The Chinese and the Filipinos are the only kind who can work there. The labor laws of the United States can never be enforced in the Philippines. as the conditions are different. Some of ur race can withstand the climate, but it is | not a climate that suits active people. It | makes them lazy. I don’t think the Fil- | ipinos should be made citizens of the | United States, because they are preju- | diced and every one will fight until they are killed before they are made citizens. | PRIVATE J. L. REILLING, Company | D—_There seems to be plenty of popula- |'tion in- the Philippines. Land would be difficult to purchase, as it belongs to in- | aividuals and is rented out. The whole | country seems to be taken up amd devel- oped by cheap labor. Various products | are rafsed there. Cattle do not seem to | thrive on account of the dry climate. It | is too warm for white people. The least | exertion fatigues them. The coolles do the heavy work in Manila, but the Fil- ipinos do the farm drudgery. The labor | laws of this country would not in my opinion apply to the islands, because of | the changed conditions. The white race | can stand the climate, but the heat im- | pairs their energy. I do not think the in- habitants of those islands are entitled to the rights of citizenship and they should never be allowed in this country, as they will be of no benefit here. SERGEANT BENJAMIN DUPUIS, Company D—From what I saw of the islands they seemed fully occupied. The chances for a poor man to galn possession of land in the Philippines are very slim. The land is in the hands of the church, ! | country. k. the natives and powerful syndicates. It is too wet to grow the' products men- tioned. Barley might grow there, but rot with that degree of success as in our own Cattle and hogs seem to do well. I really hardly think the Americans could labor in the flelds and stand the climate. The Chinese do all the 2 work and seem to endure the climate better than the Fillpinos. I doubt whether the en- forcement of our labor laws in the islands would do this country anv gond, as they are bad enough right at home. The cli- mate of the Philippines is peculiar. One man will go down there =nd got fat whila ten men will die. It is g20d enough for a Spaniard but not for a white man. It might be all right for a white man if he could lie around and have the natives do his work. But of course he will have to have money to enjoy that luxury. The people of that country are a set of curs, and I would not want to e think of the possibility of their becoming citizens of this country; no, not in a thousand years. PRIVATE EDWARD DENNY. Com- pany M—The islands are not lacking in population. The opportunities for getting possession of. the country for agricultural purposes and for business in every branch are extremely good. Had the revolt cf the Filipinos not occurred, to my mind there could be no better place for new- comers than the islands. The soil is adapt- ed to the raising of all kinds of products. In the districts where tobacco is raised white men can work without danger of sickness. The Tagalic race s:ands the heat much better than the other races in the islands, and do the hardest work. Under our laws the islands can be made proflt- able to this country. I believe in abolish- ing the system of contract labor there and in oug own country. Although it is pretty severe there in winter I thiak the whites can stand it. I believe the Philippines should be ruled by civil not military power. As to granting the natives ths right to become citizens I am not prepared to answer at this time, but I do not think they should be allowed to become citizens. PRIVATE SAVAGE, Company M—Pop- ulation is the least thing that troubles the Philippines. There seems to be a sur- feit of it. The land is almost entirely in the hands of the church, and it will be difficult to gain possession of it. The country is excellent for farming and for the raising of cattle. Nearly all products now raised in our country could be culti- * vated there. The hard work is done by the Filipinos. It will be a difficult matter to introduce our laws into that.country. Once the natives become famillar with them and appreciate their importance they will live up to the rules of procedure now in force in the United States. The climate is not the best in the world. but I think white people can live through it if they take proper care of themselves. The question of citizenship is an import- ant one and I am not ready to say whether the natives should ever have the privilege of becoming equal to Americans in that sphere. PRIVATE T. R. HERRIN, Company I—The Philippine Islands are densely pop- ulated with Chinamen, Filipinos and Ta- galos. All the territory seems to be owned by the church, and it would seem to me it will have to be decided by law whether Americans can gain possession of land. 1 think any product that ts raised in this country can be cultivated there. The land seems adapted to it. People best adapted to tropical countries can endure the cli- mate. The ighabitants of the islands will have to be educated to our labor laws be- fore they can be carried out as in this country. The natives are too independent, fn my opinion, to be governed by such rules. The climate is all right in all sea- sons of the year. I firmly belleve that the United States will never be able to make citizens out of the inhabitants of that country. Then again, we don’t want them to be placed on the same footing as an American citizen. I do not think it would be for the best interests of our country to accept them as such. PRIVATE L. F. CHASE, Company H— There are lots of people in the Philip- pines, but room for more. The opportuni- ties for obtaining land for agricultural purposes will probably be good after the fighting is over, although none can be ob- tained now. I see no reason why Ameri- can agriculture could not be introduced there. It is a fine cattle country. and al- most anything will grow there. The work in the fields, and, in fact, almost all the hard labor is done by the Chinese coolies, and it would be almost impossible for white people to compete with them. The Chinese work too cheap and the whites could not stand the climate. I think that if our labor laws could be introducad there and made effective the islands might be made a source of profit to this country, but it would be a difficult mat- ter to enforce them where there are so many coolies. The climate is not suited to Caucasians. Even if they do not get sick the vitality is sapped and they can- not do anything appreoaching hard work. The Filipinos in my opinion should not be made citizens. -As soon as they obtain a little education they develop a tyrannical disposition and they are natural thieves. PRIVATE O. E. ROBERTS, Company C—There are plenty of people in the Phil- ippines. As for the facilitiés for obtain- ing land for agriculture at the present time 1 am unable to answer. 1 think American agricuiture could be introduced there. They raise a great deal of corn now and the foothills and mountain dis- tricts are a fine cattle country. Ameri- cans, however, cannot labor in the fields: all the work of that character is done by the natives and Chinese coolies. With- out the present system of contract labor I doubt if the islands can ever be made profitable to this country. The climate is enervating and saps the vitality of whites. The Fillpinos will not be suffiz ciently civilized to entitle them to Ameri- can cltizenship for several generatons. PRIVATE J. N. LINDSAY, Company C _The Philippines are pretty well popu- lated, as far as I had opportunities of judging. I don’t know what the oppor- tunities for gettig land for agricultural purposes are. They raise a good number of cattle in the foothills and great quan- tities of corn. I suppose other crops, such as wheat, barley. ete., would alsothrive. It would be impossible for Americans to labor there, as they could not stand the climate. All the work in the fields is done by the Chinese coolies and the na- tive Filipinos. The country never could be made profitable under our system of labor laws, and as to the natives be- ing entitled to citizenship, that is absurd, They are worse than our Indians.