Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-20
PILLARS CRIME.

Insurgents, surrender the troops under
his command, and deliver Aguinaldo in
to the hands of the Americans, General
Pho Del Pillar has called down upon his
head the censure Of the democratic press
of this country. While from the stand
point of moral ethics all traitors lool1
alike. the democratic newspapers are
hardly doing the fair thing in clubbing
the astute Mr.. Pillar a Judas a Ben
edict Arnold" and all that. In offering
to sell out the cause of liberty and hui
man rights, and turn over George Wash
ington A%guinaldo to the duly constituted
authorities, for the small consideration
of $500, 900. the general has merely follow.
q the precedent established by his chief
in dealing with the Spaniards.
The successful bargain made by Agui-
Of independence for Spanish doubloons,
excited no adverse comment in the DEM
ooratic press, and Freedom was permit
ted to shrek as she fell without a pro-
test. But when General Pillar attempts
to follow his example with the Ameri-
cans. and cash in his chips, as it were,
lha is subjected to the free and unlimited
coinage Of bourbon epithets.
The fact seems to be lost sight of that
Pillar represents the spirit and purpose
OF the insurrection. There never has
1,aa,, n f;,,,a o;~o, +La ;ooo,+;o, 80 ~.
1ebellion that a sufficient expenditure of
1aSh to Aguinaldo and his compatriots
would not have put an end to the war.
The Filipino chieftain has held himself
in a position, through several committees
on arrangements sent to federal head
quarters. to accept propositions of a suffi-
GENTLY seductive type, and has adhered
ID certain lines of action in order to draw
them out.
Pillar has merely tried to lead a trump
In the same direction, and work a little
side issue of his own. He supplements
Aguinaldo with additional evidence that
the insurrection is an attempt to secure
q cash remittance from the United States
Is the price of peace. It is in keeping
with the ransom policies of the italian
0anditti, and is superior to that organi.
zation only in point of numbers.
-
The significant phase Of Pillars offe,
does not rest alone in the fact that i
came from one Of Aguinaldo's mos
prominent and trusted generals, but tina
in the air and peacefully surrender with
out a contest. This shows that the hank
ering after liberty" on the part of tn
swarthy Filipino, so graphically pictur
ed by the democratic press, does no
materialize when brought to the ties,
1t is true. Judas betrayed the Chris,
but he had no following among his as
sociates on the board Of disciples; Bene
dict Arnold betrayed the cause of tn
patriots in the revolutionary war, but h
never could have persuaded an Ameri
can soldier to fire his gun in the air as
party to his crime. With his army a
a tacit confederate-with the flower {
the Filipino republic CD ready to becon
the abject slaves of the savage and ir
human government of the United State
for two-bits a piece-Pilar can scarcel
be classed with the other noted traitor
in the history of the world.
In speaking for his people, it woul
seem that Pillar is something of a final
cier as we'll as an all around betraye
it was not his fault that the federal a,
thorities refused to cultivate the art
buying UP conclusions Of peace in je
lots. Knowing that Aguinaldo a su,
ceeded with the Spanish authorities, ar
having been told by his chief that IL
Americans were worse than the Span
ards, he naturally concluded that h
proposition would be jumped at. +
simply made a mistake in the men he a,
proached-just as some of the democrat
leaders in Montana occasionally do, whe
they attempt to do business by a simp
twist of the wrist.
General Pillar is undoubtedly a bad egg
n would a Jail more than /