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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1900)
m 8 The Conservative * f2t THE SALOON IN MANILA. In considering the increase of heavy drinking in Manila since its occupation by our forces and the consequent in crease in the number of saloons to meet the demand created by our soldiers and their officers , it should be remembered that Manila is tha focus point of an army of 60,000 men. The great increase in the sale of liquor since wo occupied this city two years ago is due to our continued presence here ; Americans do the drinking. There is today no appre ciable increase in drinking among the original inhabitants of Manila. If we left the Philippines tomorrow , Manila would return to its three saloons and its many little wine rooms selling Spanish wines and native bino , because these would again satisfy the local demand for liquid refreshments and intoxicants. It is difficult to state accurately whether our soldiers stationed in and about Manila , and those who are con tinually passing through the city , in dulge in more heavy drinking out here than they would in a home station under similar conditions. This must be largely a question of personal opinion. I believe they do , and for these reasons : First , because a warm country causes perspiration , which brings its consequent quent thirst ; second , because a tropical climate is debilitating to men of North ern race and their systems feel the need of stimulants ; third , Manila offers very little in the way of healthy distraction and recreation , and there is little here for men to do in their leisure hours ex cept drink ; and , lastly , because when men are 10,000 miles away from home and living the rough life of a soldier , they become subject to certain feelings of license and a freedom from moral re straint. These above stated reasons in my estimation , tend to make our men in the Philippines drink more than they would at home. Before the arrival of the American soldier in Manila there was very little heavy drinking here , and this because both Spaniards and Filipinos are tem perate people ; they do not drink to ex cess. Any one who has been in Spain or who has seen the Spanish soldiers in Cuba , in Porto Rico and the Philippines will admit they are not addicted to heavy drinking , and I do not think this point needs any further support. And the Filipino is as temperate as the Spaniard. I have been in these islands for one year , and I have yet to see an intoxicated native. I do not maintain that the Filipino never gets drunk , but the occurrence is unquestionably very rare. It is true that before we caine they manufactured and consumed large quantities of this bino that has such a terrible effect upon our own men ; but they drank it in moderation , while our men use it to excess. Hence , given the incontrovertible facts that both Spaniards and Filipinos are not addicted to drink , we can under stand how Manila got on before we came here , with three saloons licensed for the sale of liquors , such as brandy , whiskey , and other strong drink , while today , May 10 , there are 170 licensed saloons in the city and 53 licenses for the wholesale distribution of liquor. Before we came here there were in and about Manila some 4,000 native wine-rooms licensed for the sale of Spanish wines and the native bino. Bino is a fiery drink distilled from grain , generally rice , and flavored with anise - seed. It is very strong , and when taken in excess by our men , renders them temporarily crazy and utterly irrespon sible. I have seen our soldiers , when under its influence , 'attempt to kill their companions in the guard-house , and be come so violent that it was necessary to gag and securely bind them. When we first came to Manila the American soldiers very quickly discovered where bino could be had ; and , owing to their excessive use thereof , the authorities were forced to close many of these wine rooms. Of the 170 saloons in Manila today selling whiskey and liquors 68 are run by Spaniards , 27 by Americans , 26 by Filipinos , 8 by Chinamen , 3 by Japanese and 39 by men whose nationality is not given. As to the patrons of these sa loons I think it a very safe estimate that 90 per cent of them are Americans , in cluding soldiers , officers , and civilians. On February 1st , of this year , we put into effect the license regulations con tained in general orders No. 2 of 1900. These orders divide the city into two districts and provide for saloons of two classes. Saloons of the first class sell beer , whiskey , and other intoxicants , while those of the second class may dis pense beer and light wines only. The first district of Manila includes all the principal streets of the city , where a license would be more valuable than in the suburbs , which are embraced in the second district. For a six mouths' license , saloons of the first class located in the first district pay $600 Mexican , and $250 Mexican if in the second dis trict. A six months' license for a sa loon of the second class costs. $100 in Mexican in the first district , and $50 Mexican in the second district. The application of the high license reduced the number of saloons from 224 at the end of January , 1900 , to the 170 existing today. The authorities refuse to grant license for the sale of intoxicants to discharged American soldiers , and every applicant must pass a careful inspection as to his record and purposes before a license is accorded him. The Escolta , Manila's principal business street , has been writ ten and spoken of as crowded with sa loons , and given over to the disorders of our drunken soldiery. It has been called the disgrace of the American occupation of Manila. Disgraceful scones are un doubtedly witnessed there , but let us not paint the matter blacker than it really is. The Escolta is aa long as four New York blocks , say from Tenth to Fourteenth street , and it is narrower than Fifth avenue. From the geographical graphical position of the city's districts , the river and the bridges , the Escolta is of necessity Manila's main thoroughfare as well as its principal business street. Here are the best stores , restaurants , and business offices. It is always crowded and often blocked with cabs and carriages. From one end to another of this street , on both sides , there are 76 store properties , and 13 of these are occupied by saloons. All day long the Escolta is filled with American soldiers , and at certain times , especially when the troops in and .near Manila have been paid off , the street is very well filled with drunken men. At such times ladies are subject to unpleasant experi ences if on the Escolta , and private cabs and carriages are often forcibly occupied by our drunken and hilariout troops. During the two days following a recent pay-day , twenty-five drunken soldiers were arrested by the Escolta police , and convictions against all were secured , while many more were gathered in , given time to sober up in the guard house , and then discharged. It is un fortunate that the main thoroughfare of the city should also be the main drink- ing-ground , and it has been suggested to the proper authorities that no saloons be allowed on the Escolta. It would be a simple matter to make them go else where , but Gen. Otis never took any action in the matter , and efforts to effect their removal have therefore been futile. It is not my purpose to speak of the effects of alcoholism in the tropics ; they are already well known. It is a fact that a large number of the insane soldiers sent home on our transports can trace their affliction to the excessive use of stimulants , and it is a fact that the drinking of liquors in the tropics weak ens a man's constitution and renders him more liable to disease. Mr. Harold Martin in the Independent. SUCCESSES LATE IN LIFE. "I have been reading the Evening Post's articles and letters on 'why young men fail , ' " remarked one of the young men concerned today ; "and I have been especially interested in the reason which the older and more successful men assign for it that is , lack of industry rather than lack of opportunity. In the first place , permit me to remark that the phrase 'why young men fail' strikes me as rather an anomalous and paradoxical one. How , in the proper sense , can young men be said to have failed ? It is altogether absurd to put down a man twenty-five or thirty-five years of age , who has not succeeded in pushing him
