The record-union., 1899-06-09
1T WOULD BE CoWARDLY.


1T WOULD BE COWARDLY.
The San Francisco "Chronicle" asks
for a special session of Congress to deal
with the Philippine question, declaring
that by the Schurrnan Commission the
insurgents were offered a gold brick,
and not even assured that it would not
be rejected at the mint as bogus. Agudn-
aldo, it says, was asked to give UP
everything without any assurance on
our part of compromising return.
.'It was absurd to think that he would
deal on such basis" It is absurd to
think that any terms whatever should
be offered to him. We. recall that when
the nation was engaged in a mighty
struggle to maintain the integrity of an
indissolubIe union Of sovereign States,
there were feeble timid souls even then,
who criedtou for concession and change
of policy, every time the dispatches an
nounced a temporary reversal Of the
arms OF the Union army. The "Chron-
icle'' reminds us Of such people in those
trying days. It would have Congress
called in extra session now to formulate
and propose to the rebels Of Luzon,
form Of government in the vain hope
that 1t would be acceptable to them,
e-nd that they would thereupon lay
down their arms; and this because our
contemporary fancies that Aguinaldo
was justified in believing that he has
been dealing with gang Of confidence
men who took him for a greenhorn"
It is added that if Congress would
only assemble, frame system of gov
eminent for the Philippines, and tender
it to the Filipinos-on gold platter
perhap4'3the way to a settlement
might be easy Our contemporary has
not the assurance to say it would be ac
ceptable, it merely suggests that Aguin-
aldo in the superb bundanee of his gem
crosby mi ght' accept 1t. The "chron-
dcle'' thinks that Aguinaldo might give
over the hopeless fight, for complete in
dependence, for the affiliated independ-
ence of an American territory, while
there would be no sanity at all in his
surrender on a promise which the max
ers reserve the right to break. This
estimate Of ones own country and the
honor of the Administration at its head
is refreshingly cool in it's breeziness and
ill-concealed contempt.
We are told that the chance" to
compose the Philippine affair by organ
izing the permanent government Of that
otherwise, we are advised by the
''Chnonicle," we will have six months
useless, fruitless campaigning in
deadly climate, at vast cost and with
the loss of many valuable lives. If the
Aguinaldoites had engaged our eontem-
porary to plead their cause, it could
scarcely have done better than this The
idea that this nation in this stage of
the Philippine game should confess its
inability and fearfulness by converting
of suppression of the insurrection, is
one falling very little short Of the cow
ardly. We have but one duty to per-
form in the Philippines and that is to
make the authority Of our arms re-
spected and to compel the insurgents
to bow.in submission to them, content
to accept such terms as may thereafter
be resolved upon by the civil author
ity for the right government of the
archipelago.
~ H.{r do
bush; the history of the American peo-
pie Is not such as to make guarantees
of it's promises necessary to insure their
integrity. Unconditional surrender Of
those arrayad against it in arms is
the first, the only possible step to be
taken by the insurgents, outside Of
continued resista nce. This nation never
has and never should treat with rebels
IN advance Of their complete submission.
The integrity of our system, the
assumed in ldispossessdng the Spanish
in the Philippines, and the obligation
We have assumed to the other Powers
Of earth, demand that We shall by mil
itary force suppress the insurrection,
compel obedience to our authority, and
then proceed to- establish such forms of
government and system of conduct in
our new possessions, as justice demands.
and the history of this republic justify.
Anything short of that will be dishon-
ogable, cowardly and mean. To say at
this juneture to.the insurgents I'VE will
cease fighting and call upon Congress
to propose terms of concession for your
consideration and acceptance" will be
to confess that the insurgents are in
the right, that we have no faith in our
selves, and that after a year Of battles
with defiant rebels, we are prepared to
take them into counsl as to the best
method to be adopted for our retreat
from the task we have undertaken.
According to the Paris correspondent
of the Chicago Tribune" there is like
lihood of serious trouble at the race
course near Paris on Sunday, the 18th,
The correspondent asserts that he has
posttfve evidence that the attack upon
President Loubet last Sunday was the
result OF a plot to start a revolution in
the interests OF royalists; that an auto
mobile club was the nucleus Of the or
eaaaaxed plot, and that not only Loubet,
hut other men were marked to be