Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-09
DEMOCRATIC RESPONSIBILITY.

Elsewhere on this page will be found an
article from the column of the Chicago
Inter Ocean, bearing on the late report of
General Otis, which contains many points
Of interest at this time. In the report re
ferred to the following significant para
graph occurs:
One Of Il chief difficulties arises from
the circulation Of falsehoods among the
natives. Defamatory newspaper articles
Of the United States and Europe are
promptly published in Spanish in san
Francisco, Madrid and by the Hong Kong
ijunta and circulated in the Philippines.
The insurgents have based all hopes on
false runors.
There is absolutely no doubt as to the
correctness Of the foregoing statements.
The facts recited have been verified over
and over again, and the responsibility
for leading Aguinaldo into the belief that
the American people approve his cause
thereby encouraging him to precipitate
the war-must rest upon the democratic
leaders and the democratic newspapers.
Officers and soldiers returning from the
Philippines confirm the fact that the al
legged American sentiment in their behalf
not only had much to do in leading up to
the rebellious action taken by the Fill
pinos. but has been one Of the chief causes
Of its prolongation.
The followers Of Aguinaldo have been
fed upon the idea hat if they could only
hold out until the masses of the Ameri-
can people could be heard from In the
next presidential election, their cause
would he safe. It was shown that Am
erican sympathy for them would install
the democracy in power, and the federal
troops would be Immediately withdrawn.
the country surrendered to them, and
Aguinaldo would be duly installed as
monarch of all he surveyed! 1t was a lur-
ing hope, worthy the effort made by the
Filipinos to realize 1t, even though their
war was conducted on the h~ide-and-go-
seek plan. They nave been playing for
time, rather than for the s%ubjugation of
an enemy whose prowess they have
learned to respect.
49,
1t was not at all unnatural that the
Filipinos should continue their warfare,
when their native prints were full Of quo
tations from the democratic press Of AM
erica, ~upbraiding the administration for
prosecuting the war, ridiculing the at
tempt to subdne A%guinaldo, or bring the
~, -. -. ,-nJa, +1,o ln,,;rinn nf tho
United States government, and moraliz-
ing on the iniquity of the course Of pro
cedure that gave to this republic a title
to a country it could not subdue! SUCH
rot as this, published in the Filipino pa
pers. and circulated among Aguinaldo's
followers in the shape of circulars, to-
gether with dazzling encomiums upon the
character and purposes of the forthcom-
ing president Of the United States, their
great liberator and friend-William Jen-
ings Bryan-had a most stimulating eff
feet upon their waning cause. Those
who were able to read these encouraging
signs of the times retailed the glad It'd
ings to the more ignorant of ~Aguinaldo's
camp-followers until the insurgent army
was ablaze with hope. The fact that
arms. ammunition and money were fur
nished the FIlipinos through the agency
OF their junta by American copperheads,
emphasized the value of American senti-
ment, and the insurgents resolutely de-
termined to hold out to The bitter end.
No doubt the diatribes that appeared
in the democratic press of Montana We're
among those that We're being circulated
among the Filipinos for their encourage
ment, While our volunteers were chasing
them through the swaInps and lagoons of
Luzon. Perhaps, the Filipino sharp
shooter felt his nerves Jingle with the
radiant hope inspired by q Spanish trans
lation of a Montana democratic eulogy
Aguina'do. IS his finger pulled thu trig-
ger of a Mauser that sent a bullet crash
ing through the heart of a fearless Mon
tana soldier boy. The democratic news
papers justified their u%tterances on the
theory of the linitless scope of free
but even a democratic editorial