The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-02-17
The President Compliments Otis
on His Management Of
Affairs at Manila.
NEW PUBLIC BUILDINGS
Seventy Eight Are Provided FOr--The
Hull Army Bill Not Abandoned
by Any Means.
Correspondence of The Gazette.

mccartney SPEAKS III JIG ulRu6SG t0rIuS
Of the management Of affairs at Manila
by General Otis, not only of his prac-
teal humiliation Of Aguinaldo's army.
but of his shrewdness is refusing to rec.
ognize Aguinaldo to the extent Of agree.
ing to hold a conference with him. It
is the purpose Of the president to make
the Filipinos understand that as soon
as Spain ratifes the treaty, already rat
flied by our senate, the Philippines will
be American territory. After that he
intends that they shall have as liberal
a government as they show themselves
to deserve, even to the extent of abso-
Lutte independence, but he is opposed to
any action by this congress that will
bind this government to any particular
policy in advance, and congress, with
few exceptions, is with him. as he be-
lieves the countryeto be.
The report Of the war investigating
commission is about what it was ex-
pected to BE- by those who followed the
testimony given before the commission.
The report issunanimous, and is as a
whole highly commendatory of the
management Of the war, taking due ac-
count of the disadvantages under which
the administration labored at the be-
ginning. No unprejudiced man could
read the printed testimony which ac-
companies the report without endorsing
the report. The commission acted upon
the testimony heard, not upon the SEN
sational charges made by yellow jour-
nails and sore-heads, who failed to back
their charges up with testimony.
Although hope has not been aband-
oned of getting the Hull army bill
through the senate. the hostile attitude
of most of the democratic senators
makes it feared that the bill cannot be
forced to a vote at this session without
endangering some of the regular ap-
preparation bills and making an extra
session of congress necessary. If it is
found that the bill cannot get through,
an amendment will probably be at
tacbed to the regular army a%ppropria-
tion bill, authorizing the continuance
of the present strength of the regular
army-62, 900 men-one year from
July | next.
Americans in congress are not the
only ones who have been giving aid to
the Filipinos. The men in congress
who have been lauding Aguinaldo as a
Philippine George Washington and the
savages who make up the greater part
of his forces, and who not only violat-
ed the laws of nations by attacking our
soldiers, but who kill and mutilate
prisoners, fire upon Red Cross ambu-
lances and the bearers Of a flag of truce,
as patriots, gave them moral aid. but
the American owner of the schooner
loaded with arms and ammunition,
which was seized by Dewey. was doing
his level best to give them material aid.
Which of the two classes deserves the
most condemnation is a question that
each man may determine for himself.
Senator Lodge, in a few words. dis
posed Of the absurd claim that the
Filipinos had been oppressed and that
they We're in constant dread Of being
attacked by our troops, which several
senators advanced after the news of the
of about one-fourth Of Agu-
inaldo's army by our forces reached
Washington. Mr.. Lodge said: "Their
oppression exists solely in speeches in
the United States senate. They have
been treated with the utmost kindness
and consideration, and after the fashion
Of o~rientals, they have mistaken kind
ness for timidity. Stringent orders
had gone from the president of the
United States to General Otis and Ad.
miral Dewey that no attack should be
made on the Filipinos. Over a fort
ago Aguinaldo was officially in
by General Otis that the presi-
dent of the United States had ordered
him not to attack the Filipinos. so that
be knew we had no intention of attack
ing him. The idea that he had no.
notion of u intentions is a totally
mistaken one. He knew absolutely
and officially what the intentions of
The United States were. Yet. knowing
Ill this, the Filipinos deliberately pre-.
,ipitated this attack upon the Ameri.
ian force in Manila, where our army
had a right to be. The attack was
made, and it was met as American SOL
Tiers and American sailors always meet
Iuch attacks"
President McKinley's action in modi.
lying the sentence in the court.martial
General Eagan to suspension from
rank and duty for six years is generally
This modification was In
he line Of justice and was not aotuated
y any desire to favor Eagan. The hu.
initiation Of suspension from rank and
luty 10 regarded BY army officers ~
Iecond only to absolute dismissal from
he army.
The house made up for lost time In
Ihs business Of providing for the ereo.
ion Of public buildings by passing
seventy .eight public building bills last
weak. The buildings provided Cor are
gathered around In ~thisty.sight states.
A nrOpoaltiou "a attach the Hepbuyn