Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-16
RETENTION OF PHILIPPINES
Dean Worcester Expresses His Views in an
Address at Chicago.
OTIS CONDUCTING HUMANE WARFARE
LARGE Army only Necessary Because
Americans Are Not Carrying On
a War of determination, But
Protect Friendly Natives.

| CHICAGO, Nov. 15.-Dean C. Worcester,
member OF the Philippine commission. spoke
at Central Music hall tonight upon the
philippine Question"
The address, which was delivered under
the auspices of the Hamilton club, local
republican organization, was received with
every manifestation of approval. Mr.. Wor-
cester followed in the main, the line
of argument regarding the retention of the
Philippines which has been published in
the report OF the Philippine commission
There was a large audience.
Prof. Worcester said at the outset that
the issues raised by the Philippine ques-
tion, directly and indirectly, were more i'm
| portant, more far-reaching in their conse-
| quences than any other nation has been
called upon TO meet since its birth. He
deprecated the idea Of those willing to make
| party policies of questions which involve
the well being and the future destiny OF
so many millions OF fellow beings. Continu-
| ing, he said:
"If all the accusations brought by those
| who declaim against our so-caled crime
| in the Philippines are true, we have in
deed committed great transgression against
| the people of those islands. l propose to
| take up some of the alleged facts so often
quoted in support of these serious charges
and scrutinlze them somewhat closely.
| shall try to make my examination wholly
dspassionate."
| Prof. Worcester then took up various ar
guments presented against the American
policy in the Philippines and quoting from
senate documents, from the proclamations
Of Aguinaldo and from mass of official
evidence, most of which has been made pub
| 1in hnr md nrnd hn ntIp inn
His answers were directed specially to the
arguments of gentleman who recently ad-
dressed an audience from the rostrum on
| which 1 stand"
| No American Promised Independence.
| He also stated that members of Agui-
naldos own cabinet testified before the COM
| mission to the fact that even after his proc
lamation of June IS he freely admitted that
no American had ever promised him in
| dependence for his people. The speaker
| added:
| at has been often stated that our consul
at Singapore, Mr. Spencer Pratt, exceeded
| his authority and made the promise In
| question, II not directly, at least indirectly.
1 am indebted to Admiral Dewey for the
statement that Mr.. Pratt is ready to take
oath to never having made such promise
| and I may add that legal proceedings,
brought by Mr.. Pratt against a publication
| for this and other charges, resulted sue
| cessfully."
Prof. Worcester said after citing much
| evidence: t..-
81 believe l have shown that there was
| no true cooperation between our land forces
and the Filipinos, except in the fact that
we fought a common foe, each in his own
way. I may add that we required no help
in taking the city 1t lay completely at the
mercy of Dewey's guns and soldiers were
| only needed to occupy it, not to take it.
The fighting of August 16 was perfunctory
| and designed only to save the honor of the
Spanish troops. After the fall of the city
Aguinaldo modestly demanded of General
Merritt the royal palace for himself and
in addition the principal churches, a share in
the public funds, and most important Of
all, the arms and ammunition surrendered
by the Spanish troops, of which he had
| long planned to possess himself. 1t is need
| less to add that his requests were refused"
Speaking of the efforts to avoid conflict,
| Prof. Worcester said:
| Il am often asked the question:: Might
not all this have been avoided If, even after
| the fall of Manila, attempts had been made
| to come to an understanding with the in
surgents? l am glad to be able to say to
you that such attempts were made. General
Otis, who did not believe that the insurgent
| leaders were plotting trouble, had repeated
interviews with one and another of them"
Efforts to Avoid Conflict.
| In detailing the fruitless negotiations and
citing from General Otis letters, Prof. Wor-
| cester said:
"The prime cause of the failure of these
| final negotiations lay in the fact that tho
Filipino leaders were unable to formulate
any definite statement Of their own demands.
| They say that they desired independence
under United States protection, but, in dis
cussion, made it evident first that they did
not themselves know what they meant by
these words. and second that they were
not agreed among themselves even as to the
general demand"
| At another point, the speaker said:
81 have no hesitation in saying that the
United States did infinitely more than Agui-
naldos army toward driving out and de-
| stroying Spanish power in the Philippine
| islands. If our claim to sovereignty were
shadowy what shall we say as to the claim
of a tribe representing less than one-sxth
OF the population of the islands; and exercis-
| ing jurisdiction over but small part OF the
Philippine territory?"
surgents, Prof. Worcester said:
"At the time left Manila the province OF
Batabagas was overrun with thieves and
murderers. No attempt was being made to
enforce law and order The public schools
were abandoned. Forced contributions had
been wrung from the people at the bayonet
point until many of them were ruined. I'm
willing contributors had been punished by
| having their hands hacked off and even
being buried alive. The individual houses
| in such important towns as Taal were in
trenched in order that the inhabitants might
defend themselves against their neighbors.
! The military governor of the province al
! though a Tagalog and an insurgent, had
characterized the condition existing as com
| plete anarchy and had repeatedly sent in
messengers to Manila, asking for aid to re-
store order and promising to surrender with
his troops II we would only dispatch a small
! force to his aid"
WaGing Humane War.
The speaker denounced as false state
n,ents that the Americans had no friends
among the Filipinos and declared that we
| bad many good true friends among the lead