Arizona republican., 1899-04-20
WE CANNOT BE cowARDLY.

It would be an act of national cow ardice fer the United States to throw upyits hands in despair and desert the Philippine islands. Such course would bring down upon us as a people the disgust, contempt and condemna- tion of the world. One year ago we were on trial before the world, when, practically unprepared for war even with such a nation as Spain, we set about to drive the Epaniards out Of Cuba We accom- plished that painful duty with credit to the national administration and to the army and navy. AS a result of that war the Philippine islands came into our hands by virtue of the destruction of the Spanish fleet and the capture of Manila. The reo1 is known to the world In this connection it is perti- nent to quote from the New York Trib u1le:
 @t.rsis possible for men of intelligence and high character to contend that the war with Spain might have been avoid cd ty this country with honor and ad- Eaftage, and we cannot deny that there Are men of that kind who are able to peieuade themselves that the terri tories in which the defeat of Spain ex- t1ngufShed heE' power and could have left her nothing more than a worth le s claim to sovereignty ought to have been abandoned by us to their fate. But 1t is still harder to discern a trace Of reaScn and morality in tho latter proposition than in the former. If ever an memorable duty was clearly presented to the mind and conscience of a people. such a duly is now inn pceetl upon the people of the United States with respect to the possessions which Spain has lost. They are nc. put at our disposal by the progress of events in order that we might shu:tie of our responsibilities and leave them t9 become first a prey tcl anarchy and then the cause and prize of desolnt- llig European war. This nation, and tiitS n 5IGne was In a position to Cnake the end of S1artsh rule the be- ginning of order, tranquility, content t1ent and progress. Evil eounsels here retarded the transformation, and we must bear the blame and the burden of that default. But there is only one conceivable way to atone for the error, anu that is the way which has been adopted. The first task, a more pain f1t and difficult one than it might have been, is the establishments of the su- psemacy of the United Stats. That must be the initial process of the civi- llzation which we gre bound to pro- mote in the interest of mankind.
 1here is ample evidence tha- these present and continuing duties are com prehended and acknowledged by 9 great majority of the American people ana that the recognition of them is ai- ready purifying the national conscience and developing those higher qualities or the national character upon whose exercise the success Of the work m Which we are engaged depends. This eject we gladly believe, is seen in the selection of men to execute the pur- poses of the government in the regions latelS' subjected to it's authority, in the Skill and fidelity with which they have applied themselves to their Administra- tive tasks, and in the universal satis- factien with which their pure and ben efctnt rule is regarded by the Ameri. can people,
 Whfie the loss of fife and suffering aanong our troops in the Philippines IS to be deplored, and while the shooting of tho natives is to be regretted, the duty of the United States is clear in the 1I 4o SI1Ap4J Qu6ol1Ou HOW whether we are to sacrifice some of cur
 nsn and to spsnd millions of dollars or whether we are to desert the Phil ippInes and turn Manila and other towns there over to the lawless and nun derous natives. We had 70 decide Between fighting the Filipinos or to leave the inhabitants helpless to pre- vent arson, robbery and murder at the hands Of Aguinaldo's rabble We ac- cepted the responsibility and decided to protect ourselves and the peaceful inhabitants. It will not do to charac- terize the fight with the Filipinos as merciless slaughter and all that sort of thing. The few must suffer for the benefit of the many The forces of AguiGaldo have been told by the. Amer ican cQmmissioners-al of them edII-