easy was it for him to leave the
Colony clandestinely.

The Spaniard of that day who settled in the Colony usually became
well known during the period of the service which brought him to
the Far East. If, after his retirement from public duty, on the
conclusion of his tenure of office, he decided to remain in the
Colony, it was often due to his being able to count on the pecuniary
support and moral protection of the priests. The idea grew, so that
needy Spaniards in the Philippines, in the course of time, came
to entertain a kind of socialistic notion that those who had means
ought to aid and set up those who had nothing, without guarantee of
any kind: "_Si hubiera quien me proteja!_" was the common sigh--the
outcome of Caesarism nurtured by a Government which discountenanced
individual effort. Later on, too, many natives seemed to think that
the foreign firms, and others employing large capital, might well
become philanthropic institutions, paternally assisting them with
unsecured capital. The natives were bred in this moral bondage:
they had seen trading companies, established under royal sanction,
benefit the few and collapse; they had witnessed extensive works,
undertaken _por via de administracion_ miscarry in their ostensible
objects but prosper in their real intent, namely, the providing of
berths for those who lived by their wits.

The patriarchal system was essayed by a wealthy firm of American
merchants (Russell & Sturgis) with very disastrous results to
themselves. They distributed capital all over the Colony, and the
natives abused their support in a most abominable manner. A native,
alleging that he had opened up a plantation, would call on the firm
and procure advances against future crops after scant inquiry. Having
once advanced, it was necessary to continue doing so to save the
first loans.

Under the auspices of the late Mr. Nicholas Loney, great impulse was
given to the commerce of Yloilo, and, due to his efforts, the Island
of Negros was first opened up. His memory is still revered, and he is
often spoken of as the original benefactor to the trading community
of that district. Russell & Sturgis subsequently extended their
operations to that locality. The result was that they were deceived in
every direction by the natives, who, instead of bringing in produce
to pay off advances, sent their sons to college, built fine houses,
bought pianos, jewellery, etc., and in a hundred ways satisfied their
p