Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-03
TREATMENT or PRISONERS.

ca IHto the american lilies Ny the cAl-
pinos, and thankful beyond measure that
they escaped serious i'll treatment while
in captivity. the rejoicing seems to
spring from different motives. If lead
ing democratic newspapers stand as the
representatives of their party, and cor
rectly interpret the feelings of the anti
pleasure over the event is due wholly to
the opportunity it affords for 'praising
the humanity and greatness Of Agui-
naldo and his associates.
The fact that the men in captivity
were treated as prisoners of war should.
be treated. and escaped mutilation, is
heralded by the democratic press as proof
positive of the George Washington like
qualities of the Filipino leader! It is
held up as unimpeachable testimony to
the greatness and grandeur of the Tagal
character, and to show the. enormity
Of the crimes perpetrated by the cham
pions of the American flag in trying to
wv IN SNAioI III In imp
pines: One of these bourbon organs
the Anaconda Standard-gets so hys-
terical over this idea this morning that
it pictures the depressed feelings of the
poor, crushed scavengers who believe
in suppressing Aguinaldo, if it takes all
winter, as follows:
How delighted these people would
have been if the prisoners had returned
bearing upon their persons every visible
mark of barbaric cruelty! How they
would have gloated over it and cited
the fact a thousand times in proof. of
the soundness of their judgment and
the Wisdom Of Mr.. Mckinley's policy.
OF course. this is an exaggerated pic
turt of the feelings of the expansionists.
1t is not at all likely that they would
have celebrated the return of the pris-
! cners with greater hilarity had Agui-
na!do cut their ears off, as he did those
of wounded men who We're captured in
the early days of the war. On the con-
.rary. there is a feeling of relief over
| their homecoming in good condition,
especially when it is known that the
Filipino chieftain had no hesitancy in
planning the assassination of men,
women and children in Manila.9and was
restrained from visiting his wrath upon
the prisoners in question only because it
was good policy on his part to use them
wei.
-. u A y
1T is ridiculous in the extreme for DEM
~ocratic n~ewsPaperstto assume that the
return of fourteen prisoners OF. war in
good physical condition proves that the
Filipinos are a civilized people, capable
Of self-government, and all that. Agui-
naldo knows that he must go down be-
fore the force Of American arms-that it
is a question of time only when he viii
fall into the hands of our troops, and
his arrogant assumptions of power be
forever broken. No one doubts his cum
ning-no one questions his shrewdness.
Forsceing the end of his self-improvised
dynasty, no better course lay open be-
iIoi1 MIL llttll " I AAiC "a
his soon-to-be conquerors, and lemons
trate his fitness for generous and hu-
name treatment when the fortunes of
war decree his downfall.
With the Spaniards he effected a cash
, deal, and sold out the liberties CD of his
/ people for, a good, fat purse, and took
| h;e x;>y,o nv fnY, China From the
Americans he can get no cash to dis.
! ptrse his banditti, and must play fol
considerations of another type as he fore
sees. his "%republic' going to pieces
Hence. the good policy displayed in thu
treatment of the returned prisoners
policy which would have prevented thu
-. mutilation of wounded American sol
diers had it been introduced earlier il
the war. The return of the prisoners
to say nothing of their treatment, was j,
itself a bid for concessions on the par
e of the American government.
The %subjugation of the North Ameri
C can continent affords many precedent
for the course pursued by Aguinaldo
The red Indians not ~infrequently CAV
prisoners the best their mode of Twin.
u afforded, when their own immediate in
terests were conserved by so doing an,
they could clearly foresee the wisdom O
depressing their cruel instincts. But whel
they deemed themselves independent o
Consequences, they mutilated their pris
lororc and nut them To daath-inSt 40 tn