Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-05-17
A POLICY IS NEEDED.
Human Lives Are Sacrificed While
the Administration Halls
and Hesitates.

It is reported that Gen. Otis is very
much discouraged to find desire on the
part of the volunteer soldiers to be mus
tered out and sent home. The war with
Spain, for which the volunteers enlisted,
being over, they know that the further
retention of them in service to fight in a
different war is a violation of their
rights. It is reported that not five per
cent. of the volunteers are now in the
Philippines, and they are to be sent
home in transports. Gen. Otis asks that
$1,000 volunteers be replaced by 10000
regulars, thus indicating the increasing
burden. We shall be constantly need
ing more and more men, and the more
we spread out and slaughter, the great
e.: the quantity of troops will be neces-
sary to hold the country we have SUBJ
dued. If we do not hold it with strong
force the natives will swarm back over
it, and the subjugation will have been
in vain.
The unhappy story that comes to us
each day of the details of the fight,
which result in fatalities, wounded men
and victims of sunstroke, centers at
tention upon the question, what is it all
for? With great loss we accomplish the
result of driving the natives from N ell
trenchment about rice field, and force
them to retreat one mile to another en-
trenchment. If we have any definite
purpose in doing this work it is time to
state it. If the administration had any
policy to announce that would appeal to
| the patriotism of the volunteers, there
come home. Nor would there be any
difficulty in securing plenty of other
volunteers to help them if there was a
general sentiment that the honor of the
| flag was in any danger. The work in
| hand does not seem so much like fight
| ing for ones country as slaughterng
| savages without purpose.
! If the president hesitates to intrude
ON the prerogatives of congress in deal
| ing with the Philippine situation, why
not force congress to take up at once
| the task and take some measures to end
the sickening slaughter in the deadly
| tropics? Our men are sweltering in u
deadly climate, fighting wild and ig-
norant foe, producing peace and order
only by producing desolation. Our
| losses have been severe, and still the
cry is for more men to go on with the
work of devastation and desolation.
| The administration hesitates to make
the call for regulars to take the place OF
volunteers who must be returned. The
/ lack of enthusiasm in the operations
there makes the president hesitate to
call even for $4,000 men. Is his own
faith in the righteousness and glory Of
this war wavering? If so, why not let
congress confront the problem at once
and settle it?
There are 100000 natives and thou
sands of square miles of territory in the
Philippines. We have only succeeded in
killing about 5000 or 5000 thus far, and
subduing a strip about Is miles from
Manila. Are we to keep on with the
task in this way, or shall it be done in
another way. Are we to impress the.
wild and ignorant of the benevolence OF
American freedom in this bloody man.
ner, Or is there some other way that the.
white mans burden can be performed: ,
! Utica Observer