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
