The evening times., 1899-03-27
Braxe American Soldiers.

brave american
II has been real war in the Philippines. |
AS far as fighting qualities are concerned,
the Filipinos are superior to the Spaniards
displaying the same reckless courage as
the fanaticai deryishes in the Soudan and
using better judgment. The resistance Of
fered to the American advance explains
why Spain, with her superior force of regu-
lars, was unable to suppress an insurrec-
ton except by the bribery of native lead
ers. After the savage fury of Aguinaldo's
soldiers. who frequently rushed from their
entertainments to meet the oncoming
Americans, it cannot be said that we have
engaged in the cruel slaughter of weak
lings Ii is only because OF the eXcep-
tional powers OF endurance, the relentless
determination and steadiness of the
Americans. that they were able to force
the rebels from their strong positions. AS
the details of the movements of the differ
ents American commands are read it is
impossible to withhold from the rebels
great credit for their magnificent courage
until the inevitable panic followed the ap-
parently resistless nature of the charging
lines Such indifference to volieys that
swept over the open fields across which
the Western volunteers and the regulars
charged with unfaltering fury, would have
demoralized the best trained troops of Eu-
rope. Opposition to men who were so clear
iy in earnest and who meant to capture
the earthworks if any should survive the
hail of bullets, was bound to give way at
last, That the rebels scattered and fed in
disorder AT every charge is proof of their
/ courage in holding their lines until or
derby retreat was impossible and it was
every man for himself
We have every right to glory in the su-
perb, if not matchless, bravery of the
American soldier. as revealed in the bat
Ties of the Civil War and again in the
} Spanish war. and now maintained in the
Philippine rebellion. 1t is the test of
manhood. There is substantial basis for
the exaltation of military heroes. A people
| which is unwilling 10 uphold its rights un-
til ii is. exterminated is without the quail
! Ties OF character that make it fit to enjoy
| its rights. II is history that what we call
human rights were recognized only when
men won them by force.
In the small number of battles in Cuba
the volunteers who shared the glory of the
! field with the regulars were mostly East
ern men. Here they revealed character
! istic which filled the foreign military OBJ
servers with wonder and enthusiasm This
/ was the independent and individual excel
lence of the soldiers-their obvious interest
! in the fighting, not merely as parts of
machine. but persons with distinct mo-
| tives They understood and every man
J rushed al the problem regardless of the
/ rest of the machine. This initiative, the
| highest of all possible soldier qualities, is
| admitted 10 be the peculiar possession Of
the American soldier, volunteer as well as
regular. That it is the product OF our
political institutions, the natural result OF
democracy which promotes the expansion
and sense of responsibility of the individ-
ual is beyond a doubt.
In the battles of the Philippines the
volunteers engaged on the American side
/ are Western men-from Oregon, Washing
ton. Colorado. Montana, California, Utah,
Wyoming the DatSotas-and they reveal
this same rare quality. Without this
American victories would be fewer because
of the nature of the battlefelds, on which
| the movements of a great fighting machine
! like European army would be impracti-
cable 1t is this that has made of the
American a better fighter under Indian
methods than the red man himself.
We need not hesitate to glorify our SOL
diers in the Philippines to the same de-
/ gree as those who did such heroic work
before Santiago. The native foe is not less
worthy, not less formidable, but rather the
! reverse than the Spanish regulars who fed
before the rush of our soldiers and sur
rendered at discretion. 1t is certain that
! in the same circumstances the Filipinos
| would have sacrificed many more lives and
! would have been closer pressed by the
| Americans and by hunger before raising
! white flag.