Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-28

capture ana mold the city, We were at
war, be st remembered. 1t was our
duty7to do all the harm we could to the
enemy.
We were at war, fact that our hui
name friends seem. to forget. Why
should we not have taken Manila, as
we, took Santiago. as we. took San
Juan? 1t the war had lasted a little
longer. we would probably have taken
Cadiz.
+ Let it be put down. then, that we
We're justified in taking Manila.
The admiral did allow Aguinaldo to
go back TO Cavite. We may put behind
us all the stories as to promises of in
dependence made to Aguinaldo. When
Foreman charged in new edition of
his book on the Philippines that our
consul at Singapore had done this
thing. the consul promptly sued Fore
man for libel, and the publication of
the book was enjoined until several
pages containing the charge We're cut
out of il.
81 No Promises TO AsuinaIdo.
S Oursconsul at Hong Kong denies that
he made Aguinaldo any promises. Now
comes the admiral, who says SNo al
lance of any kind was entered into
with Aguinaldo, nor promise of indie
pendence, made to him, then or at any
other time So Aguinaldo went
ashore, and commenced to fight, and,
it must be said, to vanquish the Span
iards.
This was easy work. The Philippine
soldiers in the Spanish ranks all went
over to the rebels, and the Spaniards
blockaded by the American fleet and
disheartened by losses elsewhere, did
not fight with the pertinacity and dar-
ing for which the infantry of Spain has
been in all ages of the world so emin-
emily distinguished. Bear in mind that
Aguinaldo went to Cayite May 10, 1899,
eighteen days after the great naval
battle. .5fos.s 4, ~ a.
The war was justscommencing. At
did not approach its end until August
! Il, 1899, the date of the protocol What
mortal man could have foreseen the
kcourse of events2 Who could have
foretold the fall of Santiago, the des-
truction of Cervera's3 fleet, the abandon
ment of the war by Spain? Because,
then, admiral Dewey, having no sol
diers of his own allowed Aguinaldo in
May last to land at sCayite, we were so
bouhd,st to Aguinaldo that it is a breach
of faith not to allowable independence
! OF the Philippines.
Z "a We are not 80 bound by any act or
cpnyention. { A military commander al
lbwsssa rebel leader whom Spain. had
Hught Off TO land, and the leader
creates'a diversion which naturally ben.
efits the cause of SPANS enemy, and
thereby we have bound our selves to
turn over TO the rebel leader the Phil.
ippine islands! rs
1t is of no moment, apparently, that
we had never occupied the islands, that
4 we had no title to them to bargain
away. that we We're about to try to
conquer them fora1ourselves. AS we
owned nothing, we had nothing to give
, away, and so all we did was to allow
Aguinaldo to cripple, as far as he could
Jour enemy.
To square the Account
\ ION the circumstance that Aguinaldc
landed with. Dewey's consent is built
!. up the monstrous fiction that our
4 eountrys, has been faithless to homo,
land duty and that we owe the Flip,
mos. independence. IS
Let us square the account by paying
to Aguinaldo whatit cost him to main.
Itain an army up to August 13, 1890
when Manila fell, and be done with the
wretched mass of misconstruction. II
The rendered any assistance, let us pay
! him like men: and be done with him
4 That his victories over the Spaniards
lmade our task easier, is true. We had
fewer men to fight and our enemy was
jdispirited by his diversion. AS mill
tary move the landing of Aguinaldc
was a success, as political move there
SIS nothing in it.
The fame of the great admiral will
mot suffer because he let Aguinaldc
land in Luzon. 1t is absurd to mag.
inc that man of Dewey's experience
and attainments could have crossed the
border line between military duty and
| political action. What remains now
to$be toldsto justify our subsequent ac.
/ ton?
we conquered and bought the Phil
iippines They belong to us as Alaska
does and as Porto Rico does, and
Florida, and other states and territor.
les. We will do with them what jus
tice and humanity and our and Their
putual advantage may dictate.
It has cost us a bloody war to hole
ithem. Theyfare the dearer for that
I'VE did not inaugurate this war, VIZ
did all that men could do to avoid it
Except that our brave troops did no,
run when they were fred on.
Philippine War Had to Come.
1t would seem that the war had tc
come; that the Filipinos would no,
have respected us unless they had trie6
our mettle. They believed that we were
/ towards, because they had SO otter
Fihsulted us without resistance. We
had turned one cheek, possibly they
thought that we would turn the 9th
er.
4 Before the senate had ratified The
treaty, before Spain mad ratified it, be
/ fore notifications We're exchanged, {
general. deadly, vigorous assault wa.
made on our lines. Our sentinel free
first. That was no excuse for gen
eral attack on our lines. He obeyee
| his ordinary orders to allow no mar
9 TO cross his post. 1t was mere routine
He might have been shot himself by
! his own commander if he had not obey
ed orders.
!, The simultaneous attack along man,