Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-08-30

zeal time when the Americans wer,
preparing to assault the city of Ma
nilla. 1t was a mistake II, as alleged
arms we're put into the hands of tht
Filiplnos before they had fully declar
ed their intentions, that is, If 1t Is trul
that arms were actually given them
On this question there seems to be I
conflict of evidence.
Various mistakes can be pointed ou
N connection with the plans adopted
for dispensing the Filipino army, but
after all, it will perhaps become ap
parent in the end that the war into
which we have so strangely been LED
was a necessity. No settlement would
have been permanent which did moi
involve a full and final decision of the
question of ultimate authority. In al
oriental lands this question should be
regarded as supreme. Any number oil
concessions may be made after the
question of final authority has been
fully settled
I'VE have an illustration of this in
Egypt at the present day. The Egyp
tians are administering their govern
ment, and nearly all kinds of public
official duty is in their hands, but
while everything is done in the name
of the khedive, every man, woman and
child in the country knows that the
English authority is supreme. No one
questions it, or will question it. If a
doubt were raised in reference to this
authority, confusion and discord would
burst forth on every hand. No settle
ment of the Philippines can be re-
garded as satisfactory until some SUI
preme authority is recognized every
where.
"The only such authority that is pos
sible will be that of the United States.
Aguinaldo could never maintain such
an authority, if he proclaimed it, nor
could any other native of the islands
The Spaniards can never return. No
European government would achieve
better success than ours, if attempt
ing to hold the islands. We have been
strangely led there and must finish
the task which has fallen to our lot
1T is not my province to pass judg-
ment on the military situation and
certainly think it becomes all thought
full Americans to be very slow in crit
icising the operations of those in au-
thority at a point so distant from our
shores The situation is in many re-
spects unlike any other which has ap.
peared in our history. The circum-
stances are very exceptional, and ii
could not be thought strange if those
in authority sometimes seem to make
mistakes.
When l was in Manila and had op-
portunities for talking freely with in
telligent officers on the spot l found
that there were differences of opinion
on many points, but that all realized
the disadvantages under which they
were compelled to labor, growing out
of the strangeness of the situation
from every point of view. 1t seems to
me that our leaders are learning as
rapidly as could be expected
"One remark which / have felt con
strained to make from the first has
been that our government seemed to
me to be overlooking the absolute ne
cessity Of training native soldiers un~
der American officers, without a single
weeks delay. | am not aware that any
thing has been done in the direction
yet, but it is not probable that the is
lands can be pacified without the aid
of nimble-footed natives of the soil
ut will probably be said that such
soldiers could not be trusted. All his
tory, however, proves the contrary
First in India, and in later years in all
the tropical countries held by England
and France it has been found to &c
train native soldiers who are Injured tc
the peculiarities of the climate and
are familiar with the conditions under
which they must fight, that acting un.
der foreign officers they render mos
effective service. feel absolutely con
lldent that this can be done in the
Philippines and it ought to be at
tempted without any further delay.
"In any and every case there should
be no mention of our retiring from thu
field. We did not seek this great re
sponsibility, but it was thrust upon us
To retire now would be to shrink from
manifest duty, to make a confession
of national timidity, and to call dowr
upon us as nation the rldicule ant
contempt, if not indeed the execratior
of the civilized world.
1--WE have taken up our burden anC
we must carry it patiently and fulfil
the task which the providence of God
as / verify believe, has thrust upon us
A few years hence the whole situation
will wear a different aspect. Peace will
be restored to those disturbed island
and new career set before a peopl
who have been carrying grievous bur
dens and suffering unspeakable wrong
for more than 300 years"