The Advocate and news., 1899-02-01

necks to a gubernatorlal yoke which
at present most unwelcome? II does NJ
matter whether your rule Is best for Il
or not, we don't want 1t; and IL fight "
must to oppose It, fight we will, much a
we would lament such calamity.
I'VE are not deluding ourselves wit
hope that we can whip the combine
armies which the United States may Sc
fit to send against us; but my knoWledg
Of the temper OF the people and OF tn
topography Of the country In which yo
would be compelled to fight us, justifie
me In saying that, no matter what It ma
be for us, 1t will be for the United State
the most calamitous and expensive VIA
in which she has ever engaged. If
cost you $450,000000 to whip Spain,
will cost you ten times that amount Il
crush us. II 1t cost you 450 lives to TAX
Santiago de Cuba, 1t will cost you As, ,0O
lives or more to take the Philippines.
you offer Spain 100000 for he
sovereignty In our islands. / think sh
will get the better of the bargain. He
sovereignty was alone sovereignty O.
the seas. Admiral Dewey secured tina
when he destroyed the Spanish fleet
That once gone, we, the Filiplnos, coult
have disposed Of Spain's sovereignty OF
land for a good deal less than $4,000, 900
You did not see fit to permit this, anG
now claim that, with the promised $780,.
900 900 to Spain, you have bought us and
our country that which was not Spain'a
to sell, and which she cannot deliver
You have established military sover-
eighty In Manila, and in your proclama-
tion to us you do not even hint that the
one thing which we want more than
anything else the great and sacred priv
ilege for which we have so long suffered
fought and sacrificed d-independe
may ever be accorded to us. It does not
matter whether independence Is good for
us or not-we want it; under the pro-
lection of the United States, II possible;
without it, If we must,
up to the present time, you have de-
MED to us the privilege Of founding a
republic Of the Philippines, nor have you
consented to even debate with us the
question Of the future of the islands
uAOuE bhOOC llhlGos ~ OCOAu6 W DG a. CdSG
OF: We, the United States, are the great
and only; and you, the FilipinOs, are not
to be in 1t at all. We think that we hold
the key to the situation, which lies in
the climate and topography of the coun-
try. 1t Is true you can, from the sea,
lombard Manila or IloilO, and drive us
from the coast cities; but hardly think
that they would prove desirable sites for
American colonization while the insur-
gents remained near the suburbs. You
could, Of course, drive us back into the
country, into the woods and the noun
tains; but 1t would be q costly invasion
into section where we could fight and
thrive, but where your soldiers could not
stay and live; and the retreat of your
to the coast would leave long
line Of lonely American graves
1--WE have over 10000 native soldiers,
armed with the best Mauser rifles, and
many million rounds of ammunition.
The climate Is always our great ally.
The soldiers Of the United States would
be fighting in strange country for con-
quest; we would be battling at home for
independence. Yet In spite Of 1t all,
you can In time, perhaps, crush or an
nihilate u.s. But Is 1t worth the cost?
You would be making war upon the COM
paratively weak; you would be trying
by force to subdue would-be friendly
people to your unwelcome rule. You
have aided us against common foe
but you have never owned or before
claimed sovereignty over us. You came
to our assistance, not because you pitied
our condition, but because you wanted
TO get at the enemy's feet. Had you not
been at war with Spain over matter
foreign to us, we might have perlshed
before you would have sent feet across
the ocean to help us throw OFF the yoke
1f oppression.
Incidentally, you have rendered us a
service which we do not underestimate,
Ind, in return, we are willing to surren-