I could not believe this, but a few days later an assessor
in another of the cases called at my house, bringing a draft of the
opinion of himself and his associate which he sought to submit to
me for criticism or modification, saying that I knew much more about
the case than they did! He was nonplussed at my refusal to read the
document, and left saying "_acqui tiene V. nuevo servidor_." [498]
Had I redrafted the opinion, as I might have done, my "new servant"
would have called later for a _quid pro quo_.
Some of the Filipino judges of first instance have proved weak in
matters affecting the integrity of public domain and the protection
of the public forests, but on the whole these officers have done
rather surprisingly well. It must be remembered that the best men
in the islands have now been appointed, and that another generation
must come on before there will be available any considerable number
of new candidates who are up to the standard of the present appointees.
CHAPTER XVI
Health Conditions
I had abundant opportunity to observe health conditions in the
Philippines during the Spanish regime and they were shocking in the
extreme. There were no provisions for the sanitary disposal of human
waste even in Manila.
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