Mr. Day to Mr. Hay.
American Commissioners examined Foreman yesterday. Went to Philippine Islands in 1880; left finally in 1896, three months after insurrection broke out; lived there eleven years, engaged in business and exploration; been over all principal islands and most of Spanish posts in Mindanao. Inhabitants vary; Tagalos of Luzon and Mindoro the most tractable and impressionable, easy, plastic, and extremely hospitable. The Visayas inhabiting central islands, Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bojol, Leyte, Samar, and Masbate, more uncouth, less hospitable, and more averse to association with outsiders. Peculiar class in Panay of Chinese half-castes who are traders and middlemen. Negros has few persons of importance; not favorite place of residence, but richest island for production of sugar; has no harbor, Iloilo, on Panay, being its entrepôt. The island of Palawan almost worthless. The inhabitants of Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao are Mussulmans; have no distinctive name; have successfully resisted repeated efforts of Spain to subdue them; not hostile to other foreigners. Spaniards hold in the island of Sulu only town of Sulu, which is often raided, and in Mindanao only several posts on the coast. No one controls interior. Manila has 400,000 inhabitants, including 60,000 Chinese, 6,000 Spaniards, 250 English, 250 to 300 Germans, 300 British Indians, a sprinkling of other foreigners, 50,000 Spanish half-castes, and rest native Tagalos. Luzon has about 1,250,000 inhabitants. Whole group has about 5,000,000 natives who have been subjected by Spaniards and are Catholics; about 1,000,000 other natives.
There are four orders of monks, Austins or Augustinos, Dominicans-Recoletos, Franciscan. The Jesuits, whose work is exclusively educational, are moral and popular.
The head of the church is archbishop, but each order has a head called the provincial, who is practically independent. The secular clergy, who are natives, claim orders not entitled to hold the incumbencies through which they control land. It seems orders originally took possession, which was afterwards confirmed by royal decrees, but have no title deeds. There is a system of land registration in islands, very recent and little used. You present proofs and eventually get certificate of title from chief of the treasury. Monks understood not to have attempted registration. They rent land, usually for three years, then raise rent so as to capitalize tenants’ labor. This caused opposition [Page 926] and a demand for production of title deeds. Monks hold about 3 per cent cultivated lands in Luzon. Perhaps not more than six estates in group held by foreigners. Three thousand acres large estate. Friars mostly lead loose lives, get up societies called Cofradia of women whom they make servants and have at beck and call. This notorious and not concealed by monks; examples given. Priests can not appear in court, but words received as truth. Civil and military government merely servant of orders, who dictate appointment, and deposition governors, and control them even in matters of life and death. Had General Blanco removed because not bloodthirsty. Climate Philippine Islands good. No prevalent fevers as in Cuba. Light fevers, but no malaria. Best and most advanced island is Luzon. Most insurrections there because people most advanced. Insurrections caused by oppressions of monks, who have people sent from place to place for personal causes. Generally have them banished by governor-general to Mindanao. Judicial administration Philippine Islands wholly untrustworthy. Judges appointed from Spain. Persecution and corruption rife.
Important cause of native discontent is exaction [of] compulsory labor fifteen days each year. Labor commutable in money. False returns number of laborers, and corresponding exactions of money. Another cause is civil guard, Spanish officers, native men. System good, but abused. Men steal and extort from natives. Officers compel natives [to] furnish supplies, and persecute if refused. Another cause is poll tax for cédula (personal civil certificate) which every individual over 18 years must pay for and carry.
Coal in Cebu merely lignite; requires mixing. Coal in Luzon better quality, but not safe to use alone. Natives unfit for self-government. Ideas too undeveloped. Would submit to just civilized government. Separation Luzon from rest group would now create scarcity labor outside Manila, but natives of other islands, startled by freedom of Luzon, would want [to] come there, and Luzon would be cultivated and make prosperous colony. Half of island not now cultivated, and mostly virgin soil. Sugar shipped to Hongkong and Shanghai; hemp chiefly to America. Luzon has best soil for tobacco, coffee, and all island products except cane sugar.
If Spaniards retain other islands, it should be on the following conditions: Expulsion and exclusion of monastic orders, permission to natives to go and come freely, regulation of commerce by treaty, free trade between islands, and abolition of export duties. Problem of Government not complicated by taking group, but special privileges necessary for the people of Mindanao. Philippine Islands natives not troubled about religion. Native priests would not oppose the United States nor resent coming of Protestant missionaries. Government pays them salaries probably averaging 500 Mexican dollars yearly. Loss of this would not make trouble; mostly have means (of) their own. In Philippine Islands budget 1896 church got nearly $7,600,000 in gold. Pensions and allowances to persons outside Manila, such as to descendants of Columbus. Maintenance consulates far east consumed nearly $600,000. Highways and public works nothing. Priests exact about one million yearly for marriages, sale indulgences, feasts, etc., and indirectly a tax of about 24 cents on every one in parish. The Government levies taxes from $5 to $250 on all businesses; runs lottery; licenses cock fighting; imposes stamp tax. Corrupt exactions in the settlement of estate. Cock fighting should be tolerated. Native life [Page 927] dull, amusement necessary. Spanish promises of reform would not be fulfilled. Would be interpreted broadly. Broke agreement with Aguinaldo. If monks left, natives would claim land; orders would claim it collectively as corporations. Harbor in north of Luzon called Apurri, 323 miles from Hongkong, could be made very good. Subig Bay commercially objectionable, because land about it is hilly and rises abruptly from sea; but this is an advantage for national defense. Mindoro Island thinly populated, its developement always opposed by Spaniards. Fine hard wood there. To take Luzon and leave other islands to Spain unconditionally would tend to produce revolutions. To take Luzon require free ingress and egress, create interisland free trade, and forbid Spain to alienate other islands would be almost same as taking the whole, and confer favor on Europe. To take all would square itself. Expenses would be greater, but income also. Enough soldiers to protect group could be recruited in the islands. Exclusive of Mindanao, thinks alienation other islands by Spain should be prevented—to keep out Germany, the great trade rival of Great Britain, to-day, and of United States in next generation.