CHANGES IN THE ISLANDS.
Don Juan Antonio Martinez was governor-general of the Philippines from
1822 to 1825. During his term of office he had much to contend with,
both from the foes of the people and from the foes of Spain. It was
during his rule that the Constitution of 1812 was done away with. The
revolt headed by Captain Novales was no sooner quelled than danger again
threatened from the pirates of Sulu. These came against Manila, and so
daring had they grown that they even captured and carried away the
Padre-Provincial of the Recoletos and a number of other members of that
order of friars. The captives were taken to Joló, where they were held
in ransom for the sum of $10,000. This money was raised in Manila, and
the friars were released.
After this outrage, Martinez sent Captain Alonzo Morgado (ä lon´thō mor
gä´dō), with the sea forces of the Philippines, to carry on warfare
against the southern pirates. Morgado succeeded in driving them back
from Manila, and really punished them very severely. It was not,
however, until the year 1862, when the Spanish brought steam gunboats
into use against them, that these pirates ceased to be a menace to the
people of Luzon and the Visayas.
[Illustration:
THE MAGELLAN MONUMENT, MANILA.
]
Still the desire for greater political freedom grew among the young
Filipino men. New teachers arose among them from time to time, and the
spirit of discontent spread farther and farther. In the year 1828
another revolt took place. It was headed by two brothers,
Spanish-Americans, both officers in the Spanish force in the
Philippines.
This revolt was put down, as all others had been; but it now became
clear that, if peace was to be kept, the Spanish-American soldiers must
go. Most of them had come from Mexico, which country was now independent
of Spain, and they held ideas of liberty that were dangerous to Spanish
rule in the Philippines. A large body of troops was now brought from
Spain, and Spanish soldiers always after, while Spain ruled, made up the
foreign force in the islands.
In this same year, 1828, a royal order was issued commanding the
cultivation and protection of cotton in the islands. The seeds of this
plant had years before been brought over from Mexico, and the friars had
tried to persuade the people to grow cotton; but they had not been very
successful. The people did not yet know how useful cotton could be to
them, or how great an industry cotton-growing in the islands might
become. Now, however, the matter was given careful attention. Machinery
was brought over for making thread and cloth from the cotton fiber, and
every effort was made to protect and encourage the new venture.
Don Mariano Ricafort (mä rē ä´nō rē´kä fort), the governor-general at
that time, made a law forbidding foreigners to go into the provinces to
buy goods or land. As early as 1809 an English firm had been allowed to
do business in Manila, and a number of foreigners were at this time in
the city. The government tried to keep them as much as possible within
the city, and to prevent them from mingling with the people in the
provinces.
Ricafort also tried to make the Filipinos understand that the Spanish
were their friends, and that the government made laws for their help and
protection. But the people had become very distrustful. Even the Church
seemed no longer able to reassure them, or to keep peace as it had done
in the past. There were small revolts, here and there in the islands,
which the government was forced to put down. A rebellion in Bohol was
only quelled after serious trouble, and at last more troops were sent
out from Spain.
It had become necessary for Spain to yield to the demands of other
countries, and open the port of Manila to foreign vessels. These could
now enter the harbor, but they were compelled to pay double the regular
port duties. It was growing harder and harder, in fact, for Spain to
rule the islands in the old despotic fashion.
Moreover, in the mother country itself a party had risen that was
honestly anxious to give the archipelago a good government. The leaders
of this party listened gladly to the reports of educated Filipinos, and
tried to learn the true state of affairs. These leaders, however, were
almost powerless to bring about reforms, because of dissensions arising
among the Filipinos themselves.
Few of the natives could read or speak the Spanish language. This fact
alone made it hard to help them; for still fewer Spanish ever took the
trouble to learn the native tongues. The people, therefore, were for the
most part ignorant even of those laws which gave them rights and
privileges. There were always those in power whose interests were best
served by this ignorance, and they took no pains to teach the people
what the laws were.
[Illustration:
QUEEN CHRISTINA.
]
The country was now sunk in deep poverty, and the condition of the
Filipinos was sad indeed. In 1836 the greed and bad government of Queen
Christina (kristē´na) of Spain had emptied the royal treasury, and she
greatly needed money. She tried to have her officers wring more from the
Philippines and her other colonies, but this they could not do. The
colonies, richly as nature had gifted them, were almost drained of their
wealth.
The queen, therefore, agreed with Louis Philippe (lö´ē fil ēp´) of
France to hand over Cuba to France for the sum of 30,000,000 reals. In
the agreement to this effect there was also a clause offering to sell
Porto Rico and the Philippine Islands to France for 10,000,000 reals
more. If this agreement had gone through, it might have made a great
change in the history of these islands; but it came to naught.
The queen sent her minister, Comparvano (kom pärvä´nō), to France, to
confer with the French king and his advisers, and there the Spaniard
learned for the first time of the clause about the Philippine Islands.
The French king wanted to bargain over this clause. He said that in view
of all the trouble in the archipelago, and for various other reasons,
the price named was too high. In fact, he refused to pay more than
7,000,000 reals, and declared that 10,000,000 reals was an outrageous
price. Rather than pay it he would put the contract in the fire.
The Spanish minister asked to see the contract. After looking at it, he
said quietly, “Your Majesty is right; it is outrageous.” And taking the
king at his word, he laid the paper on the fire. He meant that the price
was outrageously small—not large, as the king had declared. He did a
daring thing, but his courage saved Spain from the disgrace of such a
poor bargain as the queen would have made.
The following year trouble broke out anew in the Philippines. For the
first time in the history of the Church in the islands the people
demanded that the Spanish friars should be replaced by native priests.
They were loyal to the Church; but they were determined to have men of
their own blood to minister its offices to them. This trouble had been
growing for years, and now that it was given open expression it became
serious indeed.
In 1841 a very grave insurrection broke out in Tayabas (tē ä´bäs). It
was headed by a native named Apolinario de la Cruz (ä pöl ē när´ē ō dā
lä kröth), who styled himself “king of the Tagals.” He claimed
supernatural powers, and by false representations succeeded in raising a
following of some 3,000 Filipinos. With these he went to war against the
friars. He murdered the alcalde of Tayabas Province, and made the people
believe that when they attacked the Spanish, the earth would open and
swallow up the foe.
[Illustration:
MANILA BAY FROM THE CITY WALLS.
]
The Spaniards could muster but about 400 soldiers, and as many more
coast guards and irregular forces. They marched out against Apolinario
and his followers, however, and defeated them, although there was great
loss of life on both sides. In Manila at this time was a regiment of
Tagal soldiers from Tayabas. These soldiers mutinied, and would have
joined Apolinario, but were shot down by the Spanish troops before they
could leave the garrison.
Apolinario himself was of unsound mind, and when his followers began to
see this, they fell away from him. If the revolted Tagal regiment had
succeeded in joining him, his defeat might have been delayed; but in the
end he must have been overcome. In all such encounters with the
Filipinos, the Spaniards had the advantage of better organization. The
troops were well drilled and trained to obey, and their leaders were
skilled in warfare. With no army organization and no outside aid the
Filipino people were helpless to maintain their rights. Nevertheless, it
is not in the nature of brave men to submit tamely to injustice or
oppression, and it is no matter for surprise that though each new revolt
was promptly put down, the spirit of liberty constantly urged the people
on to new attempts to gain some measure of freedom. From now on, these
attempts became more frequent and more desperate.
_Summary._—Trouble continued to increase in the islands. There was
great danger from the southern pirates, and it had become clear that
Spanish-American soldiers could no longer be used in the army. These
soldiers sided with the people against the government. Large bodies of
troops were brought from Spain, and the army was put upon a new
footing. In 1828 a royal order was issued, commanding the growing and
protection of cotton. Foreigners were forbidden to go into the
provinces to buy land or to trade with the people. The government now
tried to make the people understand that it was their friend, but the
Filipinos had grown very distrustful. In 1836 Queen Christina offered
to sell the Philippine Islands to France; but her ambassador,
Comparvano, whom she sent to arrange the matter, burned the contract
when he learned its contents. In 1837 the Filipinos demanded that
native priests should replace the Spanish friars. In 1841 an
insurrection headed by Apolinario de la Cruz, who called himself “king
of the Tagals,” broke out. This was put down with great loss of life
on both sides.
_Questions._—Why were Spanish-American soldiers no longer useful in
the army in the Philippines? Whom did the southern pirates capture and
carry away from Manila? In what year was the growing of cotton
commanded? To whom did Queen Christina offer to sell the islands? Who
was the “king of the Tagals”? Give an account of the revolt which he
headed.
[Illustration]