The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-12
FILIPINos AND FREEDOM.
what Gen. WeyIer Would he Saying
Now If He Were Talking.


The New York Evening Post of Wednes-
day has a pleasant quarter of an hour
with the imperialists by putting a speech
Oh the situation in the Philippines in the
mouth of Gen. Weyler. The Post says:
On the subject of Aguinaldo's appeal
70 the powers to bring influence to bear
a. a., Washington for the purpose of ending
the unjust war which is devastating the
cCGIltry,A we are fortunate in being able
10 lay before Jour readers a speech to be
qellVered, in the Spanish senate today.
III comes to us from Madrid by our pri-
Nate telepathic wire, and is the sub
S!ance or the remarks to be made by that
qQIstlngutshed senator and general, Don
NaIer1an6 Weyler He VIII say:
take the floor (pido la palabra), Mr.
PRESIDENT, .toq call the attention of the
senate and the government to the re-
quest of the Filipino republic for recog-
mtlon by the European powers. Grave
questions of international law and conf
" are Involved in this matter, upon
Which it might be thought that l. a
pfusque soldier, would have no compe-
Ten uence to. speak. But your senorias will
not forget that during my administra-
ton of the island of Cuba these same
questions were fully discussed in the
senate of the United States. 1t was my
outy to take cogniZance of what was said
by the able jurists in the American SEN
ate. The swords of the insurgents l
could well despise, but who would not
tremble before the tongue of a Frye, a
n
in all these niceties of international law,
l sat at the feet Of the Gam7llels in the
senate at Washington, and it is from
tnem L learned the great principles reg
niatIng the attitude of one nation to-
wards the colonies Of another, and deter
mining the recognition of inSurrect1on-
airy forces. Simply using the word Fill
plnos where the learned American sena-
tors said Cubans, 1 will show your Sc
norias that it is our duty, as 1t is that
CT ali the European powers, to interfere
i'll the name of humanity and liberty to
put an end to the cruel war in the Phil
ippines.
Zone of the dicta of the illustrious
Lodge, Mr.. President, was that there was
something unnatural and abhorrent in
the arbitrary control or an island, con-
miles away. What shall We say, then,
OF sending troops to subdue S,000,0OO peo-
pie 1000 miles away? Again, 1t was ar
gued by the enlightened Morgan that
recognition of the Cuban insurgents was
due them because they were supreme
IN a large part of the island. WHAT did
it matter, he demanded, If Spain held
the capital and all the SeaportS? The
Cubans held the mountains and sWamps
in the interior, a larger area, all told
than that controlled by the Spanlards'
and were therefore entitled to be known
as the masters Of the island. This Is
an overwhelming (cOntundente) argu-
ment for the immediate recognition OF
the Filipinos. They rule a lar larger
Cuba. On the hve-foot map of the Phil
ippino, all the territory in the control
of the Americans can be covered by q
child's hand. If we heed the appear OF
the Filipnos.. we shall simply, therefore,
be executing The principles taught US by
distinguished americans.
THE prolonged and bloody nature OF
the war in the Philippines, Mr. Presl-
dent, is another reason for interference
by neutral powers. Gen. Otis predic-
lions of speedy collapse of the insur-
rection have proved as llluS0ry as those
1 used to issue in Havana. The F1l1plnos
are fighting more stubbOrnly than the
Cubans. There is no hope of subduing
them except by eXterminating them.
Many American soldiers say that the ma
tives will have to be killed off. But when
| said the same thing of Cuban rebels.
the Ameficangpublic cried out on 'Weyier
the butcher and senator's clamored Tor
American interference to prevent the eX-
termination of men who could not con-
quer, but would not submit. Is 1t not
time for us, and for all civilized powers,
to say to President Mckinley, as he said
to Spain: In the name OF humanity, this
war must Stop?'
"Point after point in the American
argument for recognizing Cuban bel
Hgerency might be pressed, Mr.. Presl-
dent, as conclusive reasons for our grant
ing belligerent rights to the f1l1plnoS.
The latter have a larger army than the
Cubans ever had. They have fully or
ganiZed congress, composed of 100 men,
would compare in behavior, manner,
dress, and education with the average
men of the better classes of other Asiattc
nations. AS for their fitness to govern
themselves. we have the testimony of the
victorious Dewey and the American Gen.
King, that they are far superior to the
CubanS in that particular. An American
CORRESPONDENT wrote of .AguinaldOS gov
eminent that he has made life and prop
erty safe, made brigandage and
loot impossible = and woman S
honor safer in Luzon than it has been for
thirty years. There is thus a far strong
er and more promising republic in the
Philippines than there ever was in Cuba.
The American pubiciSts who taught US
that it was right to recognize the one Will
be the last to complain if we recognize
the other.
Spain, your senorias, has especial rea-
son for moving in this matter. Several
thousand Spanish prisoners are IN the
hands of the Filipinos-not only soldiers
but civilians. many women and children
Their sufferings wiring our hearts. The
United States undertook, by the treaty OIL
Paris to secure their liberty, but has not
been able to do so. Our country offered
to ransom them for great sum, but the
Americans would not allow it. AguinaIdc
now proposes to release the capt1Yes II we
will recognize his government. How long
would the Americans have heSltated II
the case had been as fragrant in CUBA
They saw: OF she FilipinoS, as we said OF
the Cuban reD-tS, that they are bandlts
and savages But let me read what g
Frenchman M Jean Hess, says OF the
FiliDinos. after being long with THEN
army. He is an impartial witness, and he
writes in the Figaro: 1T is surely 9
marvellous thing, the resistance of these
peasants. led into battle by generals OF
twenty years, only yesterday in college
beardless boys. young lawyers and doc
tors These Filipinos are not the savages
the stupid brutes. that they are said tC
be in America. They are polite and de-
voted and courageous to an extraordinary
degree If the Cubans deserved rescue
from destruction, do not these young
heroes?
but it may be said, Mr.. President. that
for Spain to interfere would give offenSe
to the United States. and might lead tC
war All your SenOriaS, let me tell you
what | have learned from reading the de-
bates in the United States senate. In the
sDeeches in that body it was clearly laid
down. by it's most influential members
that for America to recognize Cuban bel
ligerencv would really be an act of great
friendship towards Spain; that Spaniards
could not possibly resent it. Boldly com
mending their own chalice to their lips,
LET us then take the action IN behalf of
the FilipinOs that the United States, for
less provocation. took in behalf of the
Cubans. and welcome this noble people.
struggling against foreign OppresSors for
their liberty, TO the rights and privileges
of an independent nation. He dicho.
Dancing Mt wildwood.