Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-09-07
ARGUMENT And THE FACTS.
New YOrl, Evening Post. ansust sptn.,

N f-----
New York Evening Post, August sotn.'
Mr.. Mckinley has broken his long
silence on the Philippine question. He
has also broken something else, as We
shall proceed to show. What he as
serted in his speech at Pittsburg yes
terday is doubtless what he would like
to believe to be true, but the facts arc
otherwise. We shall set forth as dis
passionately as possible some of MIR.
Mckinley's perversions Of the truth.
He said yesterday
until the treaty was ratified we had
no authority beyond Manila city, bay
and harbor We then had no other
title to defend. no authority beyond
that to maintain. Spain was still in
possession of the remainder of the arohi
pelago. Spain had sued for peace. The
truce and treaty were not concluded. :"
Very good; then by what title or
authority did William Mckinley as
sert on December 2lst, 1888, seven
weeks before the treaty was ratified,
sovereignty over all the Philippine
Islandsy In his proclamation of that
date he declared that with the sigma
ture of the treaty of peace y y =
the future control, disposition, and
government Of the Philippine Islands
are coded to the United States" He
went on to announce that Tin fulfil
ment of the rights Of sovereignty thus
acquired" he proposed Immediately
to occupy and administer the entire
group of the Philippine Islands. /" In
other words, what the President now
says he could not do legally, he did do.
Boosting now that "eyery step taken
was in obedience to the requirements
of the Constitution, he compels at.
tention to the fact that his proclama-
tion of December 21st, 1898, was in
fiat violation of the Constitution. If
he could, as he. then asserted, proceed
to occupy and administer the entire
group, then his excuse for doing moth
ing outside of Manila falls to the
ground. If, as he now says, it would
have been illegal to assert title to the
islands before the treaty was ratified,
then he is a confessed law breaker, for
such title he did assert We prefer
Ito quote his own languagel to . leave
to others the ungracious task of justi-
fication and eulogy."
Mr.. Mckinley declared again yester-
day that his purpose in originally send
ing troops to Manila was to 'emanci-
pate' the natives, and that, therefore,
they should have been our .'firmest
friends. Well, it was not the fault
of the Filipinos that eternal friendship
was not sworn on the spot. They were
for months most ,profuse in their ex-
pressions of gratitude and admiration
and attachment. If ever q statesman
had an easy task, 1t was that of con-
solidating the amity which existed for
months at Manila between Fllipnos
and Americans. But all was turned
to bitterness and hatred. Why? Be-
cause the Filipinos discovered that,
whatever might be the case with Dewey
and the other officers on the scene, the
government at Washington was insin-
cere in its fair words. This is not a
matter Of opinion. There is an official
document on record which shows how
hollow are these later pretenses Of an
intention to 'emaneirate" the Fill
pinos. As early as June 10th, 1893,
the Secretary of State, Judge Day,
wrote letter to Consul Pratt in which
the real purpose of this government
respecting the natives was revealed.
Warning the consul against having any
relations with the Filipino leaders,
Mr.. Day said: This government has
known the Philippine insurgents only
as Disconnected and reoellious subjects
Of SPAIN" and went on The United
States, in entering upon the occupa-
tion of the islands " will ex-
pect from the inhabitants y y Il
that obedience which will be lawfully
due from them. :" There is the an
nounced purpose Of the Mckinley adj
ministration month and half after
Dewey's victory-the islands to be
seized, the natives to be subdued.
The Presidents most unblushing dis
tortion of the truth was his assertion
that it is only 1.-THE will Of one man"
that Keeps the Filipinos from sub
hitting, and that the insurgents lin
no sense represent the sentiment of the
people,. This is antecedently incredi-
BILE, and it also flies in the face of q
mass of evidence to the contrary which
is simply overwhelming. If ever there
was proof that foreign invasion was
dashing itself against strong and
rising national sentiment, we have that
proof in the Philippines Napoleon
did not find it more marked in Spain
or Russia. In the worry newspapers
containing the. Presidents speech are
dispatches from trusted Philippine
friendly natives foupd on my southern
tour were the Moros (Mr. McKinley's
polygamous and slave holding proteges \
Even the non combatants hate us. In
Manila the native feeling against us is
growing stronger every day" And the
same day we get the testimony OF the
Rev. Peter MaoQueen, long in tho
islands MS chaplain of the First Cali
fornia Volunteers, to the following
effect. o5
There is not a Filipino in the
islands that wants the American form
of government. There was time when
the conquest Of tho islands might have
been completed with comparatively
little bloodshed. and that was i'm.
mediately after Dewey's victory. Since
that time the policy has been such as
to encourage resistance
We are content to leave the Presi-
DENTS assertions and the facts to con-
front each other. But we are heartily
glad he has spoken out. He has now
committed himself to the policy of
subiugation. He has staked his politi
cal fortunes on the popularity with
Americans Of meroiless war upon
millions of men of another race, half
way round the globe, who resent and
repudiate our pretensions to rule over
them. Unless the country we have
known and loved has suddenly become
cruel nation of conquerors, the ulti-
mate fate nf sirh n presidapt and .,,ah