The times., 1898-09-12
vas persuaded in the opposite direc-

was persuaded in the opposite direc-
tion, and more or less committed to a
policy of surrender by the wiles of in
terests claiming reward for service in
the campaign of 1896 The consequence
is that there is Philippine problem
on his hands, deliberately made to or
der for his annoyance, and that of the
country, by the people who are work.
ing TO save the archipelago to Spain,
and restore throughout its boundaries
the hideous system of monopoly, peon-
age, and murder that have marked the
history of Spanish dominion in the ISL
ands fer three centuries.
At Manila the Spaniards are stirring
up the Filipinos to insurrection against
us by telling them that the United
States intends to desert them at the
first opportunity, and leave them to
their fate. The prime object of this
propaganda, which is more or less di-
rected from America, is to bring on
hostilities between the insurgents and
our army and navy. and thus disgust
the American people with the idea of
holding an insurrectionary race In sub
ordination. in a remote part of the
world Several close friends of the Ad-
ministration are indubitably connected
with this effort, and the fact cannot be
unknown to the President
The circumstances. and, we might
add, the general composition of the
Paris Peace Commission, excuse the
fears and, to some extent the action
of Aguinaldo and his followers. They
may be half-civilized, but they are
neither without sense nor information.
They are quite able to see the political
equation in the course of the Mckinley
Administration at the present time.
They know well enough that major
ity of the American Peace Commission
ers are men noted for their opposition
to the acquisition of colonial posses
sions, and that some of them are di-
rectly under the influence of organiza-
tions intensely bent upon securing a re-
turn of the Philippines to Spain.
Perhaps they may be also aware that
there is a bare chance that they may
be saved from relegation to their old
masters and butchers; but il is not one
worth depending upon. The Peace
Commission will not meet until Octo-
Der, and then is certain to do nothing
until after the American elections in
November. The real outcome of the
conference viii be determined by the
result of those elections. If the Ad-
ministration with the help of a certain
element, one of whose leaders is said
to have promised unanimity in voting
in return for a surrender of the Phil
ippines, should succeed in securing a
large majority in the next House, then
our Peace Commissioners may be
counted on to give up everything that
Dewey won for the American people, a
mere coaling station perhaps excepted
If the voice of the masses at the polls,
on the other hand, should warn the Ad-
ministration that the practically gra
tuitous gift of our great Eastern en-
pire to the Vatican will not be toler-
ated, it is possible that Mr.. Mckinley
may assume once more the garb aJsd
sword Of expansive Amerieanisn. and
instruct his agents at Paris to refuse
to haul down the Stars and Stripes.
Aguinaldo is not such a fool as not
to see all this, and that he does see ii,
his letters to Consul Wildman plainly
show. Naturally, he will be forced to
obey the orders of our provisional au-
thorities, and the country must sup
port the President in compelling him
to do so. All the same, there is some
thing to be said for the Malay chief
tain. In the settlement of the Philip
pine question he is much in the position
of the American people as to the same
matter. He has too much reason to
fear that he is being betrayed.