The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-29

where did this wonderful TRANSITIONAL
ton and change in principle or policy
take place, and for what purpose? A
war begun in the holy cause of liberty
has degenerated into war for the SUBJ
1ugation Of a weak. ignorant and de-
fenceless people. The war has actually
begun and the soil of the Philippines is
saturated with the life blood Of thou
sands of inhabitants. We read the far
ing headlines in our morning papers
that there has been another encounter
with the insurgents. The enemy armed
with bows and arrows and clubs was
utterly routed and put to flight through
morasses and jungles with loss OF
killed two hundred, and six hundred
wounded; our loss one killed and three
wounded. All praise and honor to the
valor of our army and navy" The
honor and ValOr Of an engagement like
this appears somewhat he the valo1
that is frequently displayed by a pot
hunter who goes out with dog and fer
ret to eXterminate the rabbits in a GER
tain locality. In fact this comparison
is not entirely original with me. A SOL
der writing home to his father stated
that shooting the Fillpinos running
away through the grass and shrubs was
very like shooting rabbits" But what
right have we over there fighting the
Fflipinos ag people, anyway? The
answer is made, to teach them to re-
spect our authority to preserve order
and to protect them from destroying
each other, and to prevent some other
foreign power from securing control and
sovereignty over them. In reDIv to the
first answer 1t may be said that without
the loss Of a single life or drop of blood
we could have taught them to respect
our auphOrity by simply assuring them
that we had no purpose or disposition
now or hereafter to deprive them of
their freedom or to exercise SOVEREIGN
ty over them az a colony or territory OF
ours. AS to the second. it can be sa d
that there has never been indications
that these people who had fought for
years against Spanish tyrannical CON
troll over them and have finally secured
their liberty would fight each other. 1t
Is at most but q gratuitous suspicion
not founded on facts As to the third
proposition, Spain in her cripDled CON
ditior could not repossess herself of
these Islands If she wished to and we
nave yet to learn that she cares to if
she could. 1t is generally conceded that
| IL was fortunate thing for Spain when
size severed her relations and connect
IONS with the Philippines AND we have
yet to learn of any other nation who
wants these islands or would take
them If offered. And lastly. even if
another nation should attempt to get
control OF them, say England, for ex-
ample, who will say that the taking
would be accomplished with greater
sacrifice of life and property of the
Philippines than is attending our at
tempt? If we are purely disinterested
and are doing all this for the good of
the Philippines, why not let them elect
who shall be sovereign? They NAV
prefer, under present conditions and in
view Of our vacillating policy and pur-
poses, to be shot by some other nation
II needs be they must be shot, rather
than by US. Undoubtedly we have in
CURED grave responsibilities accruing
as the natural results from our war
with Spain, and we must meet them in
a manly spirit. But these responsible
tiles are not unlimited. They are
bounded by our rights and our abil-
tiles. Unquestionably we owe the Fill
1pinos the best we can give them con-
slstently with our actual responsible
tiles, but it is far from being certain
that the best thing we can do is by
subjugation to make them our vassals
ana by force and war compel them m
accept our dominion, Even IL we shall
succeed, which Is not altogether GER
tain when we take into consideration
their crude style of warfare, so like
the insurgents in Cuba, where the
guerilla tactics were resorted to and
kept up continually, what becomes Of
our word OF honor, tacitly pledged to
the world when we disclaimed "anv
disposition or intention to exercise anv
sovereignty jurisdiction or control
over these islands Gin common with
Cuba) except for the paci1cation