into political meetings in favor of the insurrection. So the whole
project is thus far a failure: and the local administration is in
considerable disorder, apart from that caused by the insurgents. In
point of fact self-government and representation are unknown in these
islands. The Archbishop and the four Bishops are appointed by the Pope;
the Governor General, military and naval officers and all officials
with a salary exceeding about $2.000 (silver) are appointed by the
King or the Minister of the Colonies. Yet all the expenses are paid
from the Philippine Treasury; the salaries of all officials, military,
naval, civil and ecclesiastical, the expenses and pensions of the army,
navy and church, the cost of the diplomatic and consular service in
Japan, China and Singapore, even a portion of the expenses of the
Colonial office, Madrid, and of pensions paid to the descendants
of Columbus--all come out of the taxes raised in the islands. The
natives have no place in the government, except clerks in the public
offices at Manila and the petty positions in the villages and the
Ayentamientos of cities, where their powers and responsibilities,
as we have seen, are at all times limited and subject to revocation
whenever disapproved by the Governor.

Though the population of the islands is 40 per cent. of that of Spain,
they have no representation in the Cortes.

There is a widespread report, almost universally believed by native
Filipinos and by foreign merchants, and even acknowledged by many
Spaniards, that pecuniary dishonesty and corruption exist throughout
the whole body of Spanish office-holders, from the highest to the
lowest. Forced contributions are said to be levied on the salaries
of minor officials; the Regimental Paymasters and Commissaries are
said to have sold part of the regimental stores for their own profit,
the Collector of Customs and the Minister of Finance to have imposed
or remitted fines at the Custom House and Internal Revenue Office,
according to payment or non-payment of presents by merchants, the
judges and court officials to have "borrowed" from attorneys large
sums which are never paid, and even the Governor General is reported
to have organized a regular system of smuggling in Mexican dollars,
the importation of which was prohibited by law, on a fixed scale of
payment to himself. The current report is that Weyler carried away
over $1,000,000 as his savings during the three years from 1888 to
18