Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-06-29
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
A vermonter's Opinion Relative to Our
Control of tho Philippines.
To tho Editor ~ The Fra PreSS.


Several Vermont newspapers as well as
a good many out OF the State, have ndu!g-
ed in vigorous criticisms of eminent gem
tlemen who have not been in harmony
with the Philippine war, and who did not
feel that the Cuban affair was a necessity.
Their patriotism has been questioned, and
even the old "copperhead" cry has been
haised against them. Suppose we stop
calling names and admit that Edmunds
and Hoar and Boutwell, and a host of 9TH
ers are qualified by age, experience and
ability to Judge for themselves as to these
matters and that Thomas B. Reed is not
a school boy.
We drove the Spaniard out Of Cuha. Per-
haps we had right to- Perhaps we were
more entitled to hold Cuba than Spain
was: but when Congress forced us into this
war was there anything said about our
holding" these islands. Perhaps human
ity" has been agonzng for the last 80
years for the United States to hold"
somebody. We have always placed con-
siderable stress on the consent of the
governed" now is II now; 1t makes a
great difference whether we are to gov
en'' or whether we are to be governed
Great stress Is being laid up the headings
of providence" who is to be the judge as
to who is doing the leading. providence or
the other fellow? The old lady trusted
implicitly in providence till the breeching
broke and then she jumped" Perhaps the
Cubans will take the So CO., o, surrender
their guns and be quiet until the next in
surrection breaks out.
We paid Spain $40 900, 900 for quit claim
deed of the Philippines. We have already
spent millions more and have some 20 0OO
soldiers floundering through their pestilen-
tial swamps and for what? To carry out
some provision of providence" we are told.
1t seems the United States have been pre-
1A,t ,~I - So. n
to degenerate and Christianize" these
islanders some 1900 miles from mission
airy headquarters IN New York. Moham-
med was spiritual evangelism in his
day. His creed was easily learned-believe
as do, or off comes your head. No doubt
we can 'Christianize" these Philippine peo-
pie all right if we can keep our soldiers
alive long enough, and the powder holds
out. We have had some experience in this
line already. We have been "Christianlz-
ing the Indians ever since Miles Standish
courted Priscilla by proxy-and We are
still at It, There was never a time wnen
the entire Indian population exceeded 40 =
700, and we have been over $50 years
Notwithstanding" them, and they were
right in our door yard all the time. We
are now to give 10" a rest and tackle
100000 some 1000 miles away from San
Francisco. This proposition is based on
the assumption that We are doing this as
humanitarian" operation. Some OF our
comm anders claim that the Filipino Is
treacherous-that while we are presen ting
our civlizing arguments with cannon balls
and bayonet charges, ne sneaks out of the
bushes and shoots us in the back-how
shocking.
But then. Spain quit-clamed these
islands to us for 500 1000, 900. We ought to
have stipulated that she take mortgage
back for the purchase moNey-that $
where We dulled. In the meantime We'll
'Christianize" EN- Dewey thinks we
ought to-McKinley thinks. now we are at
1t, We might as we'll pound away; so does
Hanna. They all claim We ought to Be
come "a world power" whatever that
means. no doubt, they know. How would
| 1t do to send over several regiments OF
Sioux and Apaches examples of oul
huma nitarian~ effort. Let the Fill
pno see the kind of a fellow we are bound
to make of him. In any event, We must
never go back on the Notwithstanding
idea. 1t sounds well--its catchy" whether
| 1t catches the Filipino or not. II.
/ Charlotte, June q, 1899