The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-11-24
Prof. Worcester on Philippine War.

Dean G. Worcester, member of the
Philippine commission, recently gave
an address in Chicagop pn the above
question, and his points are of inter-
est. He followed in the main the
arguments regarding the retention of
the Philippines which have been pub
lished in the report of the commission.
Prof. Worcester said at the OUTSET
that the issues raised by the Philippine
question, directly or indirectly. were
more important, more far-reaching in
their consequences than any other ma
ton has been called upon to meet
since its birth. He deprecated the
idea of those willing to make party
politics of questions which involved
the well-being and future destiny of
milliors of their fellow beings. Pro-
ceeding he said:
eff all the accusations brought by
those who declaim against our social
ed 'crime in. the Philippines, are
true we have indeed committed a great
transgression against the people of
those islands. | propose to take up
some of the alleged facts often quoted
in support of these serious charges
and scrutinize them somewhat closely.
| shall try to make my examination
wholly dispassionate." !"
After citing much evidence, taken
from senate documents, proclamations
OF Aguinaldo, and testimony of the
latter's cabinet before the commission,
he said
II believe / have shown that there
was no true cooperation between our
land forces and the Filipinos except in
the fact that we fought 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 the soldiers were ex-
pected to occupy it, not to take it.
After the fall OF the city Aguinaldo
modestly demanded of Gen. Merritt
the royal palace for himself, and in
addition the principal churches,
share in the public funds, and most
important of all, the arms and am
munition surrendered by the Spanish
troops, which he had long planned to
possess. 1t is needless to aGd that his
requests were refused"
Speaking of the efforts to avoid
conflict, Prof. Worcester says
81 am often asked the question:
Might not all this been avoided if,
even after the fall of Manila, the
Americans, had come to an under
standing with the Filipinos?' / am
glad to ne able to say two such at
tempts were made. Gen. Otis, who
did not believe that the insurgent
leaders were plotting trouble, had re-
peated interviews with one aud an
other of them. The prime cause of
the failure of these final negotiations
lay in the fact that Filipino command
ers were unable to formulate any def
mate statement of their own desires
They did say that they desired inde-
pendence under United States protec-
ton, but in discussion made it evi-
dent, first, that they did not know
what they meant by these words, and
second, that they were not agreed
among themselves as to the general
demand"
At another point the speaker said
II have no hesitation i'll saying that
the United States did infinitely more
than Aguinaldo's army toward driving
out and destroying Spanish power IN
the Philippine islands. If our claims
to sovereignty we're shadowy, what
shall we say as to the claim Of tribe
representing less than one-sixth of the
people Of the islands, and exercising
jurisdiction over but small portion
Of the Philippine territory"
The speaker denounced as false.
statements that the Americans had
no friends among the Filipinos, and
declared We had many good, true
friends among the leading Filipinos.
He proceeded