The record-union., 1899-08-26
THE PHILIPPINE WAR.
MANLY LETTER FROM AN IOWA
VOLUNTEER.
The Men Are Disguised by the
Fire in the Rear at
Home.
q'rom the Iowa State Register)

casion to be remembered After digest
/ ing the misSives from friends and loved
/ ones at home, we Immediately post UP
on the current events of the past which
| is at least one month behind your time.
/ We are exceedingly grieved over the
! thought that some of our friends are
aiding the enemy by trying to bellttie
! our President and his administration
] which has so successfully terminated
| the war with Spain, bringing honor to
our flag and life and liberty to mill
! lions of the oppressed in Cuba, Porto
/ Rico and the Philippine Islands.
/ We had watched the deadly struggle
! at our doorstep which had lasted for
| years and seemed to be as far from
! settlement as at the beginning and the
! horrors of butchered and starving men,
women and children appealed to our
! hearts and our nation decided that 1t
must be stopped. Right nobly did the
House and Senate concur in meas
ure to that end When the President
asked for the sinews of war; they
quickly responded, voting $50,000000
| for defense and offense, thus showing
to the world, in a time like this. Re-
publicans, Democrats and Populists
/
earth and resent an insult. When vol
unteers were called for, boys from the
South We'd with those from the North,
| East and West in responding to the
call We are proud of the result which
/ showed to the world the noble quail
ties Of our volunteers and regulars. We
are proud of our navy, made OF the
right stuff, which so signally defeated
the proud Spaniard off Santiago and
Manila.
Who wishes to take Dewey from the
pedestal upon which the world has
placed him? He has shown to the
world that our navy will do and dare
/ in any cline and under any circum-
stance This same Dewey has given US
a new charge to keep 100000 of peo-
| pie who were taxed beyond endurance
a tax from $3.50 to S2o per head on
all natives over 1S years of age was
collected and every one holding re-
ceipt or personal certificate for less
than So 80 must render fifteen days
! labor to the Government or pay an
additional $3.50 in cash. Those hold
ing "cedula personals" or certificates
for over SO. 30 must pay $50 additional
! in lieu of work Did a native wish to
| kill his hog or buffalo for meat he
must get permission and pay for the
/ privilege Had he a horse or CO.
coanut tree, he paid taxes on 1T. Dld
he wish to press out a little cocoanut
| OIL he must have license which cost
money. Taxes were collected on every
| move and turn he took, and no mercy
was shown to a delinquent. His prop
/ erty was confiscated and sold and II
not enough money was realized from
the sale the unfortunate was lmpr1s-
/ oned or deported. Had the native
claim against the Spanish Government
for work in building a bridge or for
services rendered, and pressed payment
he was imprisoned, deported or made
to disappear as that was the best.
| cheapest and quickest way to liquidate
the debt. Had he offended a Spanish
dignitary he must suffer the conse-
quence and the Spaniards were not
slow to inflict tortures similar TO those
of the inquisition. For small offenses
the natives We're imprisoned in the
walled city in old Manila in damp cells
which We're frequently inundated by
the Pasig River, thus drowning the
poor unfortunates like rats in & trap.
1t was much easier to dispose OF them
in this way than to feed and take care
of them. Political prisoners We're taken
to the Passa Luneta and shot. Some
were torn to pieces by dogs after being
chained down hand and foot. l have
seen photographs of this and many
other forms of torture which natives
declare they have seen applied TO
prisoners. Money was the most potent
e. ,11to wi, Yala h ic L
the thraIdom from which the Filipinos
have been released, but thousands ana
thousands of them have not seen their
liberators and do not know what to
expect and under villainous agitation
lists like Aguinaldo the traitor Pho del
Pillar, Luna and others, they have
turned upon their liberators and de-
mand what they call liberty, which
! would be many times more oppressive
under Aguinaldo than that which the
Americans offer. Aguinaldo pursues
the same tactics his masters used to
compel obedience. He compels them TO
pay $50 war tax on poor native hut
called home, and compels them to
join his army or he will amputate an
/ arm or Leg. and if a native succeeds
in escaping Aguinaldo burns his home
and seizes his property. The major
portion of the intelligent class are at
enInity with him, hence the best houses
| of every captured town is burned by
his order.
If the Americans had left the Fill
pinos to themselves after destroy
ing the government existing here, and
other nations had kept hands off, :
this country would have been rent with
incessant internal strife. AS it is, they
are divided into numerous factions
The natives of the interior and noun
| famous provinces of Luzon are hos
/ tile to Aguinaldo and his Tagalos, as
are also the Macabebes, and the Tag
alos can not agree among themselves,
as is shown by the numerous factions.
| A portion of the insurgents were un-
| der Luna and defied Aguinaldo. Agui-
! naldo promptly set a captain at work
TO assassinate General Luna, which was
done, and other leaders are at work
undermining Aguinaldo. The better
class of natives distrust him and call
him a traitor. The hope of Aguinaldo
is that he can hold out until we can
have a Presidential election, which
might change the administration. Is it
right, then, for so-called anti-expan-
sionsts to weaken the policy of our
President and encourage the Filipinos?
Is it treating the volunteers fair, who
are risking their lives, liberty and the
happiness of home comforts for the
maintenance of the honor of our flag.
which is no rag" but the symbol of