The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-04

lo the Editor Of the Journal and Courier.
ma in the New York Tribune a
letter written by military officer at
Manila to the Associated Press. to the
effect that ''over 100, 900 men should he
there ready for business by November"
The writer adds:
Inc eight million people of the Phil
lpplnes are as highly civilized as the
twelve millions of Mexico. If the Amer
lean people will imagine the United
States to have acquired Mexico against
her will and to be engaged in an at
tempt to put down universal rebellion
! OF the Mexicans with 10000 troops thew
VIII have duplicate picture at close
range of the situation in the Philippines
| with the exception that the climate Of
| the Philippines is from ten to fifteen
| degrees more tropical than that of Mex
| ico."
"A universal rebellion" How does
this expression comport with the asser-
ton persistently made by the Washing
ton authorities and faithfully echoed by
the New York Tribune and other ex-
pansionist organs that nobody sympa-
thizes with the insurgents outside the
island of Luzon and not one tenth of
the inhabitants even there? Is it not
about time for the eyes of the people to
be opened to the real situation in the
the Philippines and to recognize the
fact which cannot be concealed much
longer that Uncle Sam in those islands
has bitten off more than he can chew?
We are told by our honored congress-
man that expansion In the Philippines
is already fact, and that our flag
having been once raised there must
never come down. As a loyal republi-
can and warm friend Of Congressman
Sperry l must protest against both
these propositions. Expansion is not
already accomplished in country 1000
miles away which is in universal re-
bellion' requiring constant force of
"oVer 100000 men" to reduce and keep
in subsection As for the doctrine that
our flag where once it has been raised
must never come down, 1t is one more
worthy Of the Tartar hordes of the mid
die ages than of a civilized nation of
the Twentieth century. 1t is notice
to other nations that we are committed
to a career Of conquest and rapacity and
a warning to all mankind to watch us
with jealousy and mistrust. No surer
method could be devised to destroy our
influence abroad and to invite the world
against us and our institutions But is
the flag never to come down? Accord
ing to some expansionists we are in the
Philippines merely on mission OF edu-
cation "till they can stand alone" ac-
cording to others we are to hold them
in subsection forever for our own gran
deur and profit. Which is the real pur-
pose mo fellow can flld out" though
the inevitable result of this aimless
drifting can be easily foreseen. Mean
time no alternative is presented to the
Filipinos except confidence" or exter-
mination, and while the dog is both
wagging his tail and showing his teeth
they are left to conjecture which end to
believe.
The solemn truth is that this whole
Philippine business is a stupendous
blunder and crime and the sooner that
truth is faced the better for the Ameri-
can people. When they realize as they
ultimately will that they have under
taken a task which is in its nature inn
possible and which has been fore
doomed to failure from the outset, they
will begin to consider how to get out OF
the bog, instead of the question how to
push into it deeper and deeper When
that problem is seriously taken up there
will be no difficulty in answering 1t.
There are ways enough out If they are
only sought for 1t would be far bet |
ter to find them or some of them while
we can retire with some semb1ance of |
honor, than to go on pouring out blood
and treasure in a vain and senseless |
warfare till we are compelled to retreat /
in disaster and disgrace.
AN OLD REPUBLICAN.