Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-11
WHY THE MIPMOS FIGHT.

The evidence is overwhelming, through
both official and non-official sources.
that the Filipino junta, with branches
at Hong Kong and elsewhere, and
with private correspondents scattered
throughout the United States, has for
months past been gathering up the trea-
sonable u~tterances of American news
papers and democratic orators and trans
lating them into Spanish for effect up
on the natives of Luzon. Everything in
this line tending to show American SYM
pathy with the Filipino cause, or censur-
ing the republic Of the United States for
having resented Aguinaldo's attack upon
our flag, has been used to the fullest ad-
vantage in the way of encouragement for
the wavering insurgents.
Had it not been for such encourage
tment it is altogether probable they would
have laid down their arms long ago, rea-
LIKING the hopelessness of waging war
against a nation as powerful as the Unit
ed States. They would have been glad
to make as favorable terms of peace as
the circumstances allowed, rather than
Invite inevitable defeat in the end. But
the belief that a large proportion of the
!Americans, under the leadership of the
man whom they have learned to look up
ion as their spokesman in this country
mr.. Bryan-were prepared to take charge
,o< the reins Of government next year,
iius- as soon as the forthcoming election
tgaye them the opportunity, n that the
~,ascendancy Of this element would mean
the recognition Of Aguinaldo and the
cause he rspresents-led the Filipinos to
continue their hopeless contest.
-
The enorrnity Of the position taken by
the democratic press Of this coun-
try is apparent when viewed in
the light Of results. Months ago, when
the Inter Mountain protested against
the s~candalous utterances of the bourbon
press, which skirted so closely along the
fringe of moral treason, a howl about the
constitutional rights of free speech was
raised. But there is sometimes a broad
distinction between the light of free
speech and the propriety of free speech.
The criticisms which then appeared in
ply justified by the official reports from
Manila, which conclusively show that not
only were the expressions of bourbon
sympathy and approval largely instr1l-
mental in developing the war feveramonp
the Filipinos, but that they have been
the chief cause of it's continuance.
Notwithstanding this. the democratic
press of Montana, which were second to
none in the ~ferocity of their attacks upon
the government in its defense of the flag
Which Dewey planted upon the ramparts
of Manila, now seek to lessen the effect
of the reaction, by treating the matter
as a Joke. They do not care to look up-
on the serious side of the situation, for
they realize the part they have played in
encouraging the natives to continue the
war. They now that the cunning minds
which direct the affairs of Aguinaldo's
junta have been looking for traitorous
'Ai'i 9lo nun edci section OF the
country which sent troops to the Philip
pines, in order to show that the soldiers
We're not backed up by the home senti-
nent of their people.
-
No body Of soldiers excited the terror
OF the insurgents to such a degree as the
Montana volunteers, and it was quite
natural for the junta to counterfeit this
feeling on the part of the natives nv
showing that public sentiment in Nom
tana was clearly in favor of their i'm.
mediate WithdraW wal from I.uzon. IF is
fair to assume, then. that the editorial
expressions of the leading democratic
newspapers in this state were of peculiar
value to the Filipino junta, and were
doubtless used to the best advantage.
While our contemporaries may feel a
certain kind Of suppressed elation over
the idea of having their opinions circu-
lated on the other side Of the globe.
among a more appreeiative class of
readers thar they can find at home, they
no doubt realize the box into which
the official reports from Manila have