The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-07-21


handed back to the Spaniards his army
would disband lmme diately.
Ny opinion IS that the administers
tion's policy has been influenced by the
business element of America, pre5um-
ing that the acquiring OF these islands
means an enormous foreign trade.
This impression is wrong. We cannot
establish q preferential tariff over
these islands IN favor of Americans
without antagOniZining all other ma
tious. All other things being equal,
American merchants will never be
able to compete in the Philippine ISL
ands with foreign merchants, because
the minds Of the filipinos have become
so thoroughly poisoned against the
Americans that they will not buy any
thing American that Can be obtained
elsewhere.
AS to the act that brought on hos
tillties-the attempt Of two Filipinos
TO cross the American line. being fired
upon and with some companions firing
upon the Americans in turn-it is a
matter Of official record that all the
highest Filipino oilicerS,were in confer
ence in their headquarters at the time.
The two FilipinOs were certainly not
acting under orders.
1t is also matter of record that as
soon as Aguanaldo got news of the con.
iict he sent a messenger begging the
Americans for Gods sake to desisL, de-
claring that whatever a few of his sol.
diers had done was without authority.
Aguinaldo vas told that iii was too
quences.
Thus the facts leak out in spite
of all censorship. The Filipinos
had been II alliesin the campaign
against the Spaniards. When
Spanish supremacy had b e e n
crushed and regiment after regi-
ment of American infantry kept
landing on Philippine soil, is it
unnatural THAT Aguinaldo and his
army became suspicious? They
simply asked for the same assur-
ance that the United States volun-
tarily gave Cuba. 1t was not
forthcoming. Why was it given
to the Cubans and refused the
Filipinos? Let those who up
hold the Spanish policy of McKin-
ley answer the question. Had the
American government assured the
Filipinos of their independence,
there would today be nc need of
an army of SO, 900 men in those ISL
ands. Had the assurance even
been given that they would be al
lowed home rule, with an Ameri
can protectorate, the result would
! have been the same, and every
fact bearing on the situation goes
to prove it.
With the aid of France the Brit
ish were driven from American
soil during the revolution. The
French we're our allies as were the
Filipinos. When the struggle for
, our independence ended, what
would the Americans have thought
had the Freuch government con-
tinued to pour its troops into our
country? Surprising, when we
asked for some assurance and ex-
PLANTATION, the Frence army had
tnrned on us with fixed bayonets
and sought to rule America by
force of arms? Every sturdy con-
tlnental of those days fought for
Observation-Disclosures and with
! out condition. Had the French
army of that day attempted to play
the part which the American army
is attempting in the Philippines to-
day, the people of this country
would have died fighting to defeat
what would have been simply a
change Of masters.
This whole Philippine interna-
i tional crime, with its curse of tax
alton and sacrifices Of blood and
treasure has been concoc;ed and
is beng executed without the con-
sent Of the people or their repre-
sentatlves in congress, consequent-
ly the whole responsibility for the
tragedy lies with the Mckinley
administration. There is no other
way out ofthe proposition. 1t has
resulted from the stupendous blum
ders Of national officials in some