Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1899-09-07

ing preteXt TO cut off debate on the
ground that We we've already AZ war with
the Filipinos? That we had put our
hands to the pillow, and could not honor.
ably hesitate or retreat?
| Clearly, the war had ul.enly been re.
solved upon, and wou' Il have commenced
on the third Of January instead o. the
fourth OF February, Il Gen. Miller had
/ been an unscrupuous tool OF the presi-
dent rs Otis proved hinself to be at Il
later date Hnt this nefarious scheme,
for which Mckinley deserves to he i'm
peached and punished, failed because
Gen. Miller was an honorable man. and
Tor no other reason. Gen. Miller saws !:
AT about tine same time (January -, |
rec ived Il letter from the business people
IF !loi!o, principally foreigners, stating
that good order was being maintained lille
and property being protected, and re-
/ qnesting me not to attack at present"
This Of itself, shows that the conquest of
llollo was not necessary or iustiliable,
"HclleI 0cIl Mile Ilau ORDERS 10 take
the city or not. But he gives another
reason for refusing to obey orders at that
time. He continues: "Consideri 2 the
! fact that the usual notice of folty-eight
hours should be given to foreign consus
and the enemy, to give their people timely
warning to seek places Of safety; AND con
/ u % Ip1y
COMMENCING THE WAR, THERE NOT HAVING
BEEN AS YET ANY HosTILIrIEs BETWEEN
OUR GOVERNMENT AND THE FILIPINos,
concluded to refer to Major General Otis
for further instructions" This prudent
and honorable conduct Of Miller is all
that saved us from plunging into war at
Ilolo on the day before the treaty witt
Spain was laid before the senate.
Commenting on this testimony of Gen.
Miller, the Springfield Republican says !;
"Only by the ratification of the treaty
would the United States have any au
thority at all over ary part of the Philip
pine Archipelago, outside OF Manila bay,
Manila and its suburbs. TO have seized
Iloilo, therefore, before the treaty had
been ratified, would have constituted IL
gross usurpation OF power by the execu
tive. The president would then
have been in the position Of having begun
hostilities in territory over which he
could claim no lawful authority, and even
before he had placed the peace treaty
where the senate could consider its vro
visions. BY his action, Gen. Miller saved
the administration from q position sus-
ceptible OF no possible defense; and, wha;
is more, he saved the American people
from the deep ishominy of having begun
the war without lawful warrant and with
out the slightest moral excuse" But the
Republican overlooks certain acts OF pi
racy committed bv orr forces, and re-
ported by Gen. Miller. who says in Il
subsequent paragraph of his interview Of
June Is: "We could not land on either
side Of the strait we could get no sup
plies, no steam launches, or ba,ges, to
enable us to exist on the water. The
! foreigners visited our ships, but were
afraid to trade with us or to offer any
facilities in the way of supplies. barges or
launches. WE, THEREFORE, HAD TO
SEIZE WHAT WE NEEDED; AND THEY HAD
TO MAKE EXPLANATIONS TO TIFF FuIPINos
TO CLEAR THEMSELVES" Did.not these
confessed seizures without legal authority
national or international, constitute pira-
| CIV? Whose launches were seized? BY
what right were they seized? Above AL,
! for what purpose were they seized? Were
| they not intended for use in landing
! troops upon Philippine territory? And
when was this? Was it not before the
fourth Of February, 1899? Europeans
who. favor imperialism may wink at these
acts OF piracy, because they are consistent
with the imperial Theory; but can the
! American republic afford TO be placed in
| the attitude Of Il self confessed pirate?
Again, Gen. Miller did not save Major
General Otis from the ignominy OF having
designed and commanded the attack on
! Iloilo, and it can not be imagined that
Otis acted in this affair without orders
from Washington. The Rev. Clay Mac
Cauley, writing Of his experience in
Manila about that time, says: "For Il
long time could not believe that the dis
astrous drift of events there going on was
known to the Washington authorities. |
WAS inclined to lay the responsibility for
the Increasing pe,lls upon the military
commander directly in charge. = y 4
Yet now it seems clear to me that General
Otis did his work, in the main, in literal
obedience to his snperiors in America ;
thai there it was assumed that the whole
right and duty concerning the future dis
position and control OF the Philippine
Islands lay in the wishes and will OF the
United States; that what the Filipinos
themselves might wish need not he aiken
into the account in forming plans for