The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-07-08

nation called America, which had gone
TO- wat with SpainH aud would give them
ieedofp and Independence AZ once. Th~ss
Influences had tremendous effect. u u
fore Aguinaldo bad been In cavite =
month he not only had more soldiers
than he could arm, but contributions OF
large sums. Of money, with unlimited
amounts Of rice and other raw food sup
piles brought In BY the people of the 81.
burbs for the support OF his army.
Here Is the strongest kind Of testimony
from an observer. Of strong imperiaIistic
ten ieneiss, that the Fiiipinos had strong
desire for liberty and Independence, and
that they rallied around Aguinaldo be.
cause they thought he could give 10 to
them with the aid of the American army.
The rush TO enlist under his banner and
the contributions OF money and supplies,
indicate that at that time at least the peo-
plsswanted liberty, sndithat they thought
that was what they were fighting for.
Now 1t may be that three or four months
of desolating war has crushed the spirit
OF good many Of the people, and that To-.
day they would rather 60 without liberty
and Independence than to continue to
struggle for 1t. Gen. Otis says now that
he thinks that large number OF the PEG.
rle are in favor of submission. Perhaps
that Is SO, though In regard.to Gen. otis's
dispatches we fesl very much as the Port
land Advertiser expressed ITSELF that she
appears to have gone astray In his judg-
ment." thst "by come means he has I'M
derestimated the strength OF the rebellion
| and has been led 10 take too optimistic
views" But whatever may be the truth
as regard this point the fact remains
that we are undertaking today to impose
oar authority upon millions of people,
who when we found them we're st,ug-
Cling for independence. and were ready to
give freely OF their lives and property to
secure it.
Heretofore from the day this govern
ment was founded our inyariable practice
had been to give moral aid at least to
people struggling for independence, and
we had never been held back by any fear
that tue people SO struggling might not
be able to govern themselves. We extsnd-
ed our sympathy and good wishes to
Hungary in her revolt. though we knew
little or nothing about the capacity of
her people for self government. We saw
revolution follow revolution after the
French were driven out of Mexico and
the empire of Macmillan fell without
being very much disturbed though
in sense we were responsible for 1t, in
asmuch as we had practically torn down
the existing government. We welcomed
the revolt in Brazil against Dom redro,
though that monarch had given the peo-
pie liberal government; and we declared
that the people of Cuba ought to be free
and independent, though there was a
wide difference of opinion as to their
capacity for self government. The first
time the American nation has faltered
in its support of a people struggling to
be free comes at the Gloss of war begun
avowedly for the purpose of promoting
freedom and Independence We COM
PEELED Spain to transfer to us whatever
title che had to the island of Luzon, and
then we issued proclsml son telling its
Inhabitants, in terms ~ asA not ha
misunderstood, that they we're our subjects
and that they should have just the
amount Of liberty and participation in
the government Of their country we saw
l
people of Cuba were of right free and In
dependent, as we declared. by what pro-
cess Of reasoning did we arrive at the
conclusion that the people of Luzon were
not of right free and Independent, for to
that conclusion we must have come, II the
title 90 their sovereignty we acquired
from Spain is valid one. The inhabi.
tants of Luzon had suffered from Spain's
mis-goyernmene as well as the people of
Cuba. They had frequently rebelisd and
with out aid they had practically thrown
of the Spanish yoke just as the Cubans
had also done with similar aid. Why then
did We not acknowledge their right 10
freedom as freely as that of the Cubanss
Why did we take the sovereignty Of the
one into our own hands, and leave that
of the other in the hands Of its peoples
The Cubans had never demonstrated any
greater capacity for self government than
the Filipinos. Indeed. judged by known
facts, they had not demonstrated SO much.
No government that the Cuban rebels
ever got together was better, II as good,
as that which Aguinaldo assembled at
Malolos in October, 1898 Mr.. Barrett
| thus describes it:
By the middle of October, 1898, A euinal-
do had assembled at Malolos "a Con gress
of 100 men. who would compare in be-
havior, manner, dress and education,
| with the average men of the better class
of the Asiatic nations, possibly inciud-
ing the Japanese. these men, whose SEES
sions l repeatedly attended, conducted
themselves with great deoorum and
showed knowledge of debate and parlia-
mentary law that would not compare un-
fayorably with the Japanese parliament.
The executive portion of the government
was made up of q ministry OF bright men
who seemed TO understand their respec.
tive positions.
This is the testimony. be it remem bered,
no syInpathizer with Aguinaldo.
but of an imperiaiist, who has recent
iy been making iInperislistic speeches
throughout the country. Why then did
we treau this people, struggling for in
dependence, different from what we had