People's voice., 1899-06-22
SCARCELY RELIABLE.
Are We Receiving True Isformatiou from
the Philippines?

the Philippines?
The discharged soldiers and the
boys that went home to their par.
ents tell wonderfully different stories
from those we read in the great
dailies published in the cities and
news gathered from the government
officials, for only such news as is
favorable to our brave soldiers is
given out for publication. All men
know there is a certain amount Of
news suppressed and that We re
ceive only tnat which is selected for
publication BY officials and that is
sometimes very much changed.
General McReeve, just from Ma
Mia, tells Us that on February 5th.
the day after the fighting began, Ag
u'nHldo sent word to Ohs thai the
fighting opened by accident and
without his authority and begged
that j. might cease. Since then W,
have been pursuing these Filiplnos
and not they US, seeking to extermi-
nate them. Only recently one Of
heir bands refused to surrender
until the very last man Of them had
been killed. and every demand Of
them is that they shall surrender
everv hope Of independence, and
Law down their arms.
One of the boys that Joined the
20th regiment after being dis
charged at Leavenworth out of the
9lst Kansas, and whose home is in
Winfield wrote that they had been
ordered to fire on $4,000 Filipinos
and not to stop until the last one
Of them was killed. ave did nit :"
said he "for they gave US the worst
Of it and we had to retreat"
Just few days ago fierce battle
was fought in which it is reported
that the Filipinos made a stubborn
fight. In reading between the lines
one can readily see that We got the
worst OF it and that we are losing
ground all the time by not having
men enough there to hold what we
captured.
What incentive or justification
have we for all this? Did the brit
right of Filipinos give them the
right to exist2 Have they sought to
take any such from US? Does the
Bible or our Declaration of Inde.
pendencs grant US that right for a
great nation like ours to rob, steal
and kill without cause than it is for
band of the James family or the
Youngersp Are we not seeking to
force annexation of the Philippine
islands for the purpose Of plunder?
The only argument the expansion.
ist has, is that we need it for trade
Such demand of trade is what drove
us to war with England for our in
dependence. When that struggle
came France defended us. What il
France had held love-feast with
England and accepted S2O,0O0,O00
to deliver us to Frince2 Would we
not have felt toward France as the
poor liberty loving Filipinos feel
t)ward us?
This is not a war on our part to
maintain national existence or to
repel any attack on our authority.
We are wholly the aggressors with
no excuse that we can urge for that
aggression but plunder; what we
can make by getting the Philippines.
We have many reasons for not want>
ing those islands.
Justice Brewer of the United
States supreme court, gives the
following reasons for his opposition
to exp 'nsion: "We have lived and
prospered ior l23 years with a hand
fol Of regular troops. We have
preserved peace at home and have
been respected abroad. Govern
ment by consent of the governed
has little need of the soldier. So
the world has come to believe and
so it is. Are we ready to forfeit this
high position?