The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-10-03

| full reasons which should keep the
president at the white house. These
reasons relate to his public duties. He
has just returned from a prolonged
outing, whic right-minded people do
not begrudge him. He has returned, as
the public has been informed, with
linVigorated health and in fine condition
for work. And he has seriuNs work
to perform. He is responsible for the
wellbeing of our soldiers and for the
treatment of them both by general
officers and by staff subordinates. 1t
is but few days since one of our trans
port ships, homeward bound from
Manila, stopping at Hong Kong, was
detained by the British authorities for
carrying an excess of passengers. Our
government had chartered the vessel
from a British subject, and the British
authorities considered it their duty to
enforce the British regulations upon her
because she carried the British
flag. She was entitled to cary eight
hundred passengers, and she was car
rying over twelve hundred. The State
Department appealed to the home
government of Great Britain, and, as
matter of courtesy, the ship was
allowed to sail for this country. Gen
Otis, being asked by this government
for information upon the subject, re-
piled that the complaints came from
soldiers whose terms of service had
just expired and who were, therefore,
discharged, and he brutally added that
they generally made complaints The
nations gratitude to the oountry's de-
tenders was not thus expressed when
Mr., Lincoln was in the White House
and General Grant was in the field.
Whether the soldiers who complained
or their general who sneered at them
told the truth will best be known by
the condition in which the former ar
rive at the end of their long voyage. 1t
is certainly reasonable that the presi-
dent should be at his post to deal with
such questions as they arise.
Another duty which the president
should not neglect for a stumping tour
for his own, benefit is the question of
the command in the Philippines. We
are assured by all the administration
organs and office holders that only a
portion of a single tribe of the Fillpinos
is opposed to United States sovereignty
in those islands. These are the Tagalos,
residing on the island of tuzon. The
problem for the president to deal with
Is how to SUPPRESS this so-called insur-
rection of a fragment only OF a single
sub division of the Filipinos. 1t is now
nearly eight month since the present
war against them was commenced under
the presidents authority and with his
subsequent approval. Our entire volun-
teer force whose .erm of enlistment ex-
pired at about the same time by the
ratification of the treaty of peace and
the consequent end of the Spanish war,
were refused their discharge and trans
portation to the United States, and their
pay withheld as q means of coercing
them into the service in President Nc
Kinley's new war on the islanders,
whom we had liberated from Spanish
tyranny. These volunteers, now on the
way home, have been selected for all
the hardest fighting and the worst en-
posure to tropical heat and its diseases.
The regulars have, as a rule, been
saved up, because thev could be used
at any time. The general of the armies
has not been allowed to have anything
to do with this new war, and of the
generals in the Philippines the weakest
and most incompetent has been placed
in chief command, where he has made
himself the laughing stock Of the world.
He remains in Manila performing
labors that would not tax the
capacities of an average regimental
adjutant, and seems to be chiefly en-
gagged in preventing military operations.
1t ought to give the president enough
to do to decide whether so small an
Iinsurrection as his henchmen describe
has been thus far successful because of
poor fighting by our soldiers or poor
commanding by General Otis
Then the president might well em-
ploy himself in going outside of his
fatterers and trying to ascertain what
the great body of the people think OF
a policy which delayed sending rein
forcements to the Philippines during
the recent dry season, and now proposes
to send $4,000 troops which will not bt
available until next spring. A little
differentiation might benefit the
president, for it might inform hin
whether Otis is kept in command fol
the country's good or only because It II
certain that he will not become popular
enough to be in the Philippinesetao
enough to be In the presidents way.
Then, again, If the president is starv
ing his cause in the Philippines boil
for the want of soldiers and a genera
to command them, so that the war ma.
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