New-York tribune., 1899-07-20

IN IL
| number Of cities within the American lines local
| governments have been formed. which are dis
! charging their functions competently and 10 the
| satisfaction of the people, that the mass or the
| people desire peace and American protection; that
they no longer fee on the approach OF our troops,
but heartily welcome them; that the population
| within the American lines is dense and grows
larger all the while. and that land cultivation Is
| going on extensively.
ONLY HOPE OF THE INSURGENTS.
THE President is advised-and on this point ms
information comes unanimously from all the aole
men whose official obligation is to keep the Govern
| ment accurately informed-that the only nope Oh
the insurgents lies in the efforts they are making
| to convince the people that a change OF oo'eI"
| ment is about to occur In the United states Id
vorable to the .nsurgent cause; that there is gem
eral opposition among the American people TO the
prosecution OF the war, and q hxed purpose Oh 'iO
| part OF the political party about TO come INTO
mower to withdraw the American Army ana 10
recognize the government of Aguinaido Ihis iuea
| is being assiduousy cultivated by the lhsurseh'
| leaders. apd It so far serves their purpose as -
enable them to maintain their forces in fairly
| strong array.
| There can be no question Of the substanua'
| truth and accuracy Of this information 1t comes
| from too many different sources and from sources
| too high and honorable in character TO ADMIT oil
| doubt the testimony Oh HeWoPoPO'
| correspondents who resent the interference OF
General Otis's unmaginative blue pencil with their
| sensational stories stand against the sooer
official reports Of the Presidents civil and military
| advisers
| A GREAT WORK YET TO BE DONE.
Nor Is It an especially optimistic view OF the
situation. 1t shows indeed. that great work has
yet to be done. and 1t leads back 10 the question
why more has not been already accomplished, and
xubaf fbpr
going forward will positively insure the creation
of a force sufficiently powerful for the work that
remains.
"It is perfectly easy to explain why the Govern
ment did not have great army at Manila when
tho Fflipnos made their first attack 1t did not
because It could not. 1t was restrained by two
circumstances-good faith with Spain and the laws
OF Congress under whcN the army had been
created 1t must be remembered that the Ameri-
can people were not thinking Of the Philippines
when they went TO war with Spain. They were
concerned wholly with the affairs of Cuba The
period Of actual war; moreover, was short Its
three great events-the destruction Of the Spanish
fleet in Manila Bay the campaign on land and
sea at Santiago and the occupation OF Porto Rico
came swiftly after another and the French
Ambassador had appeared at the White House
with proposal to end the war almost before the
American Army had been equipped to take the
field Nov, at that time, In July 1898, we had sent
to the Philippines nearly twenty thousand men.
Commodore Dewey had advised the Government
that 5000 would be sufficient. 1t was General
Miles's opinion that 1900 were surely enough.
but the President acting upon his own wise judg-
ment had dispatched 20 600 The only work then ex
pected OF them was to fight and defeat the Span
iards at Manila, and at the time when the Presi-
dent dictated the language Of the peace protocol
the American Army stood confronting the Spanish
intrenchments.
TO DEFINE ITS POLICY.
'It became Immediately necessary for our Govern
ment to define its Philippine policy. but the Pres
dent not to be forced into inconsderate action
AS TO Cuba and Porto Rico. he had made up his |
mind, and the French Ambassador informed |
that treaty of peace could be negotiated the |
basis of the surrender of Cuba and to the |
Cuban people. and upon the cession Of Porto Rico
and Guam and for the Philippines the Presi- |
dent said that would take and hold the bay, |
harbor and city of Manila pending the conclu- |
sion Of the treaty and that the treaty should de-
termine the control. disposition and government |
Of the Philippines"
I'm agreeing to this arrangement as the basis OF |
a peace conference, Spain made II her duty to |
withdraw her forces from the city Of Manila and |
give room for ours. But the cable from Hong
Kong not then In working order, and before |
the terms of the protocol could be communicated |
by Spain TO her forces, and by to ours battle |
had occurred and at great expense Of blood and |
obtained by force what the protocol |
had peacefully conceded. This did not alter the |
terms upon which the Peace Commissioners were
instructed to prepare a treaty, but II put n new
face on the situation. both here and at Manila
''It had an immediate and very obvious effect upon
the attitude of the American people toward the
future of the islands. II materially affected.
over. the position of the insurgent Tagalos 1t
phaszed and increased our moral responsibility
for the preservation Of order If under the terms
of the peace protocol the Spaniards had quietly
marched out of Manila and we had quietly marched
in. the two forces each In its full strength peace
fully awaiting the conclusion of the negotiations
at Paris we might perhaps have withdrawn from
the Philippine Islands with dignity and without |
the impairment OF international obligations. But |
having beaten the Spaniards. having scattered their
army, having destroyed their authority over the
Philippine people, and having forciby placed our |
selves in their stead as a government the status
quo became impossible of restoration. and from
that moment the withdrawal OF the American |
Army and Navy would have meant the abandon |
ment OF the islands TO utter anarchy misery and |
misrule.
COMPELLED THE COURSE TAKEN
This view compelled the that was taken
by our Commissioners at Paris. and It loudly JUS
tihed the President in having assembled consid-
erable force at Manila. His power to add to the |
force was gone. The question of the future
of the Phlippines-whether they should belong to |
Spain OF to the United States-had passed into the
hands Of the Peace Commission And. of course.
neither country at liberty to change the con- |
ditions until the Peace Commission had acted and [
its action had been approved. Further expeditions
OF men to the Philippines would have been a plain
violation OF the terms OF the protocol But II that
wholly sufficient reason had been wanting, there
was another and this other involved the most try
ing and troublesome condition with which the
Government has had to contend. The men then
under arms and available for use whether in the
Philippines or in the West Indies. had all been en-
listed for the period of the war. BY the terms of
their enlistment they free Of every obligation
to the Government upon its proclamation Of peace
The President knew, better than any one ese that
peace was assured. and that all his soldiers not |
only those who stood ready to go to the Philip