Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-27
RETREAT or THE cOPPEKHEADS.

in the military history of the world. That
of Napoleon Bonaparte after the burn
ing of Moscow was perhaps up to quite
a recent date the most disastrous on rec
ord. But it cannot be compared with the
magnificent retreat which the Independ-
ent Order of American Copperheads is
making from the Philippine situation.
Before Aguinaldo. their patron saint,
distinguished himself by laying plans to
extirpate the white inhabitants Of Manila
and drive the federal troops into the sea,
these copperheadistical Americans took
up arms against the ratification Of the
treaty Of peace with Spain. They insist
ed upon forcing u soldier to leave the
territory that had fallen into the hands
of u government as one of the results
Of the war, just as Aguinaldo later on at
tempted the same sort of thing.
But the ratification of the treaty COM
PEELED them to execute their first retreat,
and they entrenched themselves behind the
IAAUt anu SOou IIlo :
ais required the Americans to abandon
the work of breaking down the rebellion.
The Filipinos We're pictured as heroes
struggling for their liberties, and Aguin-
aldo was held up before the world as an
other George Washington fighting the
battles of humanity for God and home
-,l 4: yo-l Ty.@ 49, 1877
lie did not take kindly to such an inter-
probation Of the situation, and when their
noble barbarian began to cut off the ears
of his captured prisoners and murder SOL
oilers under a flag of truce. the %Independ-
ent Order of Copperheads began to un-
derstand that its modern George Wash
ington joke ceased to be funny.
Another retreat was ordered, and they
re-entrenched themselves behind the al
ment in permitting the volunteers to fight
after their original terms of enlistment
had expired, in refusing to permit the
anti-imperialists to circulate seditious
literature in the Philippines. and in fail
ing to agree upon terms of peace when
Aguinaldo stood ready to name the con
ditions. This, too. failed to work, and the
copperheads took another hitch in their
s~uspenders and retreated a little farther,
taking their stand behind the neglect of
the national administration to send a few
hundred million soldiers into the Philip
pines at the outbreak Of the war.
80
When it was pointed out that he
Americans had won every battle fought,
and that complete victory was prevented
by climatic and other conditions over
which they had no control, the copper
heads retreated to a commanding situa-
ton in the background and opened fire on
the incompetency of General Otis, who
has shown himself unable to regulate the
rainfall this season and keep the average
down to that of other years. Finally, COM
has made a success of the war in the
Philippines, as far as he has gone. and
that A%guinaldo is pleading for peace with
the fear of the fall campaign in his eyes,
when additional troops will be sent to
garrison the territory and protect prop
erty holders from the famous brigand,
the copperheads again dragged their can
non into safe quarters in the rear and
belched forth the accusation that the Fill
ipino government had been recognized by
the American nation, and the republican
party is guilty Of q crime in forcing the
fight to a conclusion,
Now comes General Thomas NJ. Ander-
Mia during the early military operations
at that place, with the statement that at
no time during the trouble with the
Spaniards was Aguinaldo or his alleged
government recognized either directly or
indirectly. In cooperating with the
Americans when the Spaniards held Ma
Mia, Aguinaldo did so with the under
standing that his. alleged government
would o be recognized by the United
Etates-that belligerent rights had been
accorded his so-called republic by no ma