Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-07-20


| 1t had an immediate and very obvious
effect upon the attitude of the American
peopie, per Ias,a toward the future of the islands II
materially affected, moreover, the position
OF the lnsurgent Tagalos.
| IL emphasized and increased our moral
responsibility for the preservation of or
| der. III, under the terms of the peace proto-
col. the Spaniards had quietly marched out
| OF Manila and We had quietly marched in,
ana the two forces, each in it's full strength,
peacefully awaited the conclusion of the
negotiations at Paris, We might perhaps
nave Withdrawn from the Philippine ISL
ands with dignity and without the impair
| tnent or international obligations But, hav-
| ing destroyed their authority over the Phil
lppine people, and having forcibly placed
ourselves in their stead as a government,
the status quo became impossible of resto-
ration, ana from that moment the with
craWal OF the American army and navy
would have meant the abandonment of
the island to utter anarchy, misery and
| misrule.
was taken by our commissioners at Paris,
having assembled so considerable a force
at a Manila: anil His power to add to the force
OF tne Philippines-whether they should
pelons to Spain or to the United States
had passed into the hands of the peace
commission, and, of course, neither coun-
| try was at liberty to change the conditions
until the peace commission had acted, and
pedions on m aaa been aRIproysdI Further eX
| of the protocol
been wanting, there was another, and this
other involved the most trying and trouble
some condition with which the government
mas mad to contend. The men then under
arms and available for use, whether in the
Iphllippines or in the West Indies. had all
oeen enlisted for the period of the war.
by the terms of their enlistment they
We're free of every obligation to the gov
Thn sTrhntnent upon It's proclamation of peace.
Inc Inc president knew better than anyone
his soldeIps sIdt peace e. was assured and that all
ready to go to the Philippines, but the TO-
wv men then there as well, were by law
instant when he made official announce
ment that the Spanish war was over.
On April 20. 1898, the joint resolution
of Cuba. 1t directed the president 'Islne to en-
ploy the land and naval forces of the Unit
ed States to accomplish the expulsion of
AMERICAN army consisted of 27,OOO regu-
lars. Two days later the volunteers act
was passed, and four days after that the
law was passed enabling the president to
increase the regular army. But both these
measures We're distinctly declared to be
war measures. Both required that the en-
mate with the return of peace. In these
provisions the acts We're peremptory and
specific. No discretion whatever was per-
mitted to the government.
Under the terms of the regular army
bill, 5000 regulars were added to the 27,-
geo who composed the army in times of
the government had a much larger force
than turned out to be necessary for the
purposes of war with Spain, but after the
peace protocol had been signed not a man
of them could be used in the Philippines
more than the force then there.
And who could then foresee that this
IN the Filipinos was not then anticipated.
Their army, it is true, had been assembled
on the outskirts of Manila. But with re-
supposed to be a friendly rather than a
hostile army. Its leaders had been ardent
with the assurances of their friendship and
They had proclaimed a republic, to
be sure. and had asserted government,
put there was nothing in the attitude they
then assumed that could justify the belief
the nag that had set them free. Even had
the president been at liberty, under the
terms of the peace procotol. to increase the
Phiiippine army. and even had the men
available for service there been ready for
transportation there, no wise counselor
would have advised sending them there.
conflict with Aguinaldo was the dispatch of
small force intended to take the places
OF those whose terms OF enlistment had
home.
From the hour when congress as
sembled in December the president en-
a
ton in which the government would be left
upon the proclamation of peace In one
message he delivered to the senate the
peace treaty. In another he warned con-
gress that as soon as the treaty was rati-
fed and the ratification exchanged he
would would be compelled to muster out the
conformity, with the governments S views
was already prepared and was urgently
pressed upon congress The country will
remember the bitter opposition it encount-
cratic members who did not dare to assume
the responsibility of defeating the peace
treaty, who would not even consent to
acquisition of the Philippines, arrayed
anemseives aaVainst tS with the rest of the party
and senate had the bewildering hardihood
to declare that the increased forces asked
for were going to be employed, not in Ma
not needed in Manila, these leaders said,
and they actually argued that the admin
istration was using the unlikely menace of
war in the Philippines as means of ex-
acting from congress an enormous regular
army for the suppression of liberty at
home. 1t may surprise intelligent persons
to knaw that this sort of talk could be in
auiged IN upon the floors OF congress, but
there were weeks and weeks of it, and
meanwhile the insurgents were gathering
an army of 10000 men, were growing more
and more belligerent in their attitude, and
peace would be proclaimed with Spain and
the government be- left without legal
claim to the service of single soldier in
Manila.
1T was the I'd of March before congress
passed the army bill, and the war in the
Philippines had been going on for four
weeks. When the country considers this
fact and realizes that the 10000 American
troops then in Manila had been assem-
bled there, not at all In anticipation of
campaign against the Filipinos. but wholly
and solely for the purpose of defeating the
Spantards, and that the president had been
told by no less an authority than Admiral
ReT,G Rewey I'll that; for the PURPOSE 5000 men
and good Judgment will be everywhere ap-
and every battle won. And now, when
at last the authority he had sought from
he sought it, but in the fashion of a COM
promise, here was the unexampled task
that was set before him.
He had at once to reduce an army of
ing out 5000 men; he had to enlist an
equal number Of regulars to take the places
OF those mustered out; he had to organize
the new regulars, to provide transporta-
the army then there and at the same time
and all the while to prosecute the war. This
is what he has been doing the last four
months. The new army bill was not what
the president wanted, but it gave him per-
mission to, raise a regular army of 5000
men and also to raise volunteer army Of
5000 men and to keep them until July l.
1901. Under the terms of this act 5000
have taken the places of an equal number
CT men who have been formally mustered
now organizing
General Otis, has, been supplied already
with ZOO regulars having two years serv-
ice before them And all the whila the