Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-02-28
HOW AMERICA, IS LIKELY TO FARE
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
EXPERIENCE MAY BE COSTLY
SPAIN FEELS AS n CURED OF DAM
GEROUS SICKNESS.
Operation of Surrender Was Painful
to Her Pride, but Healing to Her
Body Politic-Some of the
Numerous Philippine
Troubles.

WASHINGTON, Feb. N.-(Special.) In
view OF the present troubles at Manila the
opinion of Spanish colonel who has been
stationed for many years In the Philip
pines and has done good deal OF active
fighting against the Tagal insurgents will
be Of particular interest just now to Amer
leans. According to a trustworthy corre-
spondent who forwarded the report Of the
interview to Washington. he expressed him
self as follows concerning the task arising
to the United States through Spain having
resigned the Philippines to the Union:
1.-THE Spanish people are feeling as II
delivered from dangerous sickness by
means Of a painful operation. 1t feels,
although still rather weak, considerably
better. The sickness was the revolution Of
the Philippine islands. lasting for years
and devouring millions; the operation is the
loss of the islands, and though 1t is pain
full to our national pride, it is far better
that another takes the burden upon his
shoulders. The expenditure alone while I
was out there amounted to many millions,
which might have been used to better sd
vantage for our own country. But all these
sums would have dwinded down into in
significance compared with the money
which the actual submission Of the Islands
would have cost US after the insurgents had
nearly proved themselves our superiors in
arms. For such tropical wars are ex-
tremely expensive. thirty to forty millions
being spent almost over night. Besides,
we should have wanted a strong fleet of
express steamers for transporting our
troops and a fiotilla Of cruisers. to say
nothing Of an army Of 100000 men.
For years we committed the fault Of
keeping always too few troops in the Phil
ippines. But the home government being
nf ,,iyNrr k,,-y t~I ~t~kt
piled to all our urgent requests. No i'm
porta.' 1T does not matter, try to get
along The Americans will have the same
experience, and believe that Mr.. Otis and
Mr.. Miller will receive from Washington
replies similar to those which were received
In our time from the palario. Well, to-day
1t is our part to say, No importa-' I must
own that I am doing so not without a GER
tain malice. The Americans pretended to
deliver the islands from our rule; now they
are the masters there, but, openly said,
they are not SCAT least not yet The
Union has everything of which we were
in want. Money and money again, ships
Of every kind, crews, and also the inclina-
ton to an adventure of which We had
grown disgusted long ago.
Hitherto the results have been insig-
nificant for the following reasons: They
rigor. quite as whites. This was the first
fault. for the arrogance of these people,
that had been already large, will now in-
crease beyond all endurance. The Amer
leans commenced further to discuss and
argue matters with them, instead OF COM
mandtng them. That was the second fault.
And then hopes and promises were held out
to them that could not and cannot possibly
be kept. But the last and worst fault is
the weakness shown so long by the Amer
leans. These faults have done the greatest
imaginable damage to the reputation of the
whites on the islands. The educated among
the Malays are to be counted, the inhab-
itants consisting for the greater part of
half Chinese. half Europeans and half
Arabs. Pure Tagals with European edu-
very often subject to terrible attacks of
their original savageness.
"One Of our most powerful weapons
against these people was our Roman Cath
olic church. which, however, will not be
at the service of the Americans, and al
ready the opinion is far spreading among
the Filipinos that all Americans are bad
pagans, far worse than the still very saw
age native mountain tribes who, for all
that, consist at least of baptized Chris
tians. Not single monk in the Philip
pines will believe that an American hereto
would have been baptized. The four re-
ligtous orders established on the islands
maintained there, even In the most dis
tant regions, order as far as this was pos
sibie, and there was at least a kind of
organisation always extending throughout
the country. All this will now be lost.
And still more. Our centenarian division
of the islands and their administration
through a skilled staf Of officials possess
ing the most intimate knowledge Of the
Fiiipinos and their ways are altogether
not possess colonies. as. for instance, En-
gland, on which to draw for experienced
officials As for the Malay. he Is of a
one that will give much trouble to the rul-
ing power. In short, We shall see how the
Americans will prove themselves masters
OF OF .ne occasion. In any case they will