Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-20
DECAY or THE ACU/NALDOITE.

II cllSCl tHdL AZ . IoiSSo "iS
scattered to the four winds of heaven,
and that the chief himself is in hiding.
Discovering that the tales of American
ferocity were wholly without oundation,
the natives receive the federal troops
with every demonstration of joy and ap-
prevail. A better condition of affairs
could scarcely be looked for, under the
circumstances, and there is every reason
to believe that the end Of the insurrec-
ton is in sight. To the average Ameri-
can the speedy conclusion Of the war Will
be awaited with feelings Of patriotic
pride, for it will mean not only that al
provoked and unwarranted attack upon
our flag has been avenged. after the
manner of we'll ordered nations, but that
our right to the peaceful possession Of
property honorably acquired can not With
impunity be disputed.
True, the bourbon press will continue
to gloat over every fresh escape scored
by Aguinaldo. and pin their faith to his
ability to maintain the war in some form
while at large. but this must be expect
ed. The United States have never been
engaged in a war that was not charac-
terized by the activity of enemies at
home. The revolutionary war had it's
tories, the rebellion it's copperheads. and
the war in the Philippines it's Aguinaldo-
ties. Intermediate conflicts have pro-
duced representatives Of the same brood,
disguised under titles that seemd best
adapted to the occasion, but all children
of the same family of disgruntled. dis
contented and fundamentally disloyal
agitators against the existing order of
things. The student of history has
learned to expect the appearance of this
class of men. under a republican form
of government where the widest range
of personal liberty is guaranteed, when
ever the nation is engaged in wal at
home or abroad.
The attitude Of the democratic press
in the Philippine trouble is but a fresh
symptom of an old disease. With the
tinal conclusion Of the war it will
assume a modified form, finding
expression in glittering ge%neralities
of a vague and indefinite type, but grad
ually conforming to the new order of
things, until after awhile the Aguinal-
doite will follow the example of the cop
perhead years after the southern confed-
eracy was crushed, and swear hat he
was always a true defender of the llag
and loyal to the institutions of his coun-
Try. There are already indications. not
ably in Montana, that the democratic
newspapers are trying to find a convent
ent opportunity to let go the extreme po-
sition they have heretofore maintained
in the defense of the Filipino cause. With
the end of the conflict in sight, the hope
that our government would be compelled
in sheer desperation to abandon the
Philippines, to escape the humiliation
of m defeat. or the interminable
wear and tear of continuous strife, or the
burden of expense which a long-drawn
war implied, has been dispelled.
There is a noticeable change in the att
tude of the democratic press-not in the
underlying sentiment, but in the man
her Oh exploiting IL. Inc SdSaSefy With
which the administration was attacked
a few short months ago, has given way
to a semi-jocular spirit in the treatment
of the case-a sort of soft-solder pre-
paration for a complete backdown from
the ~disloyalty that characterized theil
u~tterances when they doubted the abil.
ity of the United states to break the
back of the insurrection. Blu the Am
erican people have reliable memories
The attitude of the democratic party
during the civil war cost that politica,
organization many long years of humili-
alton and defeat It's position on the
Philippine uuestion-its efforts to ai6
and abet the enemies of the government
in Luzon-will not be soon forgotten.
A party hat will not stand by the gov.
eminent when it is engaged in war, ne
matter what may have led up to the
t5rouble, will not be entrusted with thu
destinies of the nation in times of peace
Professions of loyalty would have come
from the BOURBON press with better grace
when the federal troops We're contendins
h%erpically against the rigors of an un.
tried climate and the tactics of a vile,
Zoe in jungle and swamp, than after the