Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-04-20

The War IN the Philippines should End.
There arc many reasons why the war
now being waged by the United States
against the people Of the Philippine
Islands should be brought to speedy
end. There are absolutely none why it
should be continued.
While there is no doubt of final and
complete victory for the United States,
yet such victory is not worth the cost
involved. To use homely old phrase,
"The game is not worth the candle. "
We cannot hope to obtain anything ap-
preaching adequate compensation for
what this foolish war has already cost
US, to say nothing of what it is likely
to cost if continued much longer. There
is no prospect OF securing indemnifica.
ton from the Filipinos, in the impov-
erished state they will be in when
finally beaten into submissions.
Already a large number of our SOL
diers, sturdy, brave and intelligent
Americans, have lost their lives in the
Philippine war. And a dispatch received
from Admiral Dewey, last evening, an
nounced that Lieut.. Gibson of the
Yorktown and IA men under him, while
at Bala, on the east coast of Luzon, for
the purpose of eifecting the release of
the Spanish forces there, were am
pushed by large force of natives and
either killed or captured. How many
times is this sad experience likely to
be duplicated before the war closes? Is
it worth while to encounter such sac
rifices for all that we may gain In tho
end?
And then, the narrowing reports that
the soldiers write to their friends at
home Sylvester Walker of tho Twenty
third Regulars, writing under date of
February Goth, in letter printed in the
Wichita, Kansas, Eagle, says: "There
has not been night for the last ten
days We have not had fighting Our
force is too weak, and we cannot spare
any more men, and will have to wait
for more troops. Then we will have
hard fighting, for there are so many
that, no matter how many we kill or
capture, it doesn't seem to lessen their
number" And in tho same letter he
adds: The soldiers want to come
home to America, where they can be in
civilization once more. The land of the
Filipinos has no charms for them.
They are getting tired of hearing and
seeing so much of these half civilized
| tribes. -
Another soldier, Martin G. Olsen of
the Fourteenth Regulars, writes about
q recent engagement, in letter printed
in the Sioux City, Ia, journal. in tho
course of which he says: "We can lick
them, but it will take US long time,
because there are about 5000 Of the
dagos back in the hills, and as soon as
one of them gets killed or wounded,
there is man to take his place at
once, and we have but few men here
in the first place; but we are expecting
about 5000 more soldiers every day,
and hope they will soon get here, or
We will all be tired out and sick. I"
And he adds: This is an awful bad
climate and there have been from two
to four funerals every day. The boys
have chronic diarrhea and dysentery,
and it just knocks the poor boys out.
You mustn't feel uneasy about me, be-
cause | don't think there is Spanish
bullet made to kill me; it is disease
that | am most afraid OF. A."
This is only glimpse of the situa-
ton; those personal experiences form
but chapter of the narrowing story.
1t is no wonder that our soldiers want
to get away from such surroundings.
They lack, also, the patriotic impulses
that inspire men to brave such dangers,
and mere too, for love of country. They
find that they are not fighting for
patriotism. On tho contrary, they are
lighting against people animated by
the most patriotic impulses, who are
standing up bravely against fearful
odds, in a struggle for liberty and in.
dependence.
Our government, great and strong,
can afford to be magnanimous. Let il
call halt at once. Let it substitute
arbitration for force, and stop this
senseless warfare upon u people who in
their struggles are but initiating the
course of the American colonists, more
than century ago.