The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-16
FilipinOs Were Never Promised Inde-
pendence by Consul Pratt or
Any other American.
ANARCHY WAS THREATENED
AND OUR TROOPS WERE NECESSARY
TO PROTECT PEACEABLE NATIVES.
Hit Hard for En-
cOuraging the TagalOs in PrOlOng-
ing u Hopeless InsurrectiOn.

CHICAGO, Nov. 15.-Dean c. Worcester,
member of the Philippine commission,
spoke at Central Music Hall tonight on
1.-THE Philippine Question" The address,
which was delivered under the auspices of
the Hamilton Club, a local Republican or
ganization, was received with every mani.
festation of approval. Mr.. Worcester fol-
lowed in the main the line of argument re-
garding the retention of the Philippines
which has been published in the report Of
the Philippine commission. There was a
large audience.
Professor Worcester said at the outset
that the issues raised by the Philippine
question directly and indirectly, were more
important, more far-reaching in their con-
sequences than any our Nation has been
called upon to meet since its birth. He
deprecated the idea of those willing to make
party politics of questions which involve the
well-being and the future destiny Of
millions of their fellow-beings. Proceeding,
he said: 'If all the accusations brought by
those who declaim against our so-called
crime in the Philippines are true we have
indeed committed a great transgression
against the people of those islands. / pro-
pose to take up some of the alleged facts
often quoted in support of these serious
charges and scrutinize them somewhat
closely. shall try to make my examina-
tion wholly dispassionate.
Professor Worcester then took up various
arguments presented against the American
policy in the Philippines and, quoting from
Senate documents, from the proclamations
of Aguinaldo and from mass of official
evidence, most Of which has been made
public heretofore. answered the several
directed
specially to the arguments "of a gentleman
who recently addressed an audience from
the rostrum on which / stand" He also
stated that members of Aguinaldos own
cabinet testified before the commission to
the fact that even after his proclamation
of June is he freely admitted that no Amer
lean had ever promised him independence
for his people.
PRATT MADE NO PROMISES.
The speaker added: 1T has been often
stated that our consul at Singapore, Mr..
Spencer Pratt, exceeded his authority and
made the promise in question, If not direct
ly, at least indirectly. 1 am indebted to
Admiral Dewey for the statement that Mr..
Pratt is ready to take oath to never having
made any such promise, and 1 may add
that legal proceedings brought by Mr..
Pratt against a publisher for this and other
charges Resulted successfully.
Professor Worcester said after citing
| much evidences: Il believe 1 have shown
that there was no true cooperation be-
tween our land forces and the F'ilipinos ex-
cept in the fact that We fought a common
foe, each in his own way. 1 may add that
we required no help in taking the city. 1t
lay completely at the mercy of Dewey's
| guns, and soldiers were needed to occupy
it.. not to take it. The fighting of Aug. 13
was perfunctory and designed only to save
the honor of the Spanish troops. After the
| fall of the city Aguinaldo modestly de-
manded Of General Merritt the royal palace
| for himself and in addition the principal
| churches, share in the public funds and,
most important of ALL the arms and am
| munition surrendered by the Spanish troops,
| of which he had long planned to possess
| himself 1t is needless to add that his re-
| quests were refused"
Speaking of the efforts to avoid a conflict
| Prof. Worcester said: II am often asked
| the question: Might not all this have been
| avoided if, after the fail of Manila, attempts
had been made to come to an understanding
| with the insurgents? / am glad to be able
| TO say TO you that such attempts were
made. General Otis, who did not believe
| that the insurgent leaders were plotting
| and another of them"
UNABLE TO AGREE.
After detailing the fruitless negotiations
and citing from General Otis's letters, Prof
Worcester said: THE prime cause of the
| failure Of these final negotiations lay in the
| fact that the Filipino commissioners were
| Unable to formulate any definite statement
of their own desires. They did say that
| they desired independence under United
| States protection, but in discussion made it
| evident, first, that they did not themselves
know what they meant by these words, and
second, that they were not agreed among
themselves as TO the general demand"
AT another point the speaker said: Il have
no hesitation in saying that the United
! States did infinitely more than Aguinaldo's S
army toward driving out and destroying
| Spanish power in the Philippine islands. If
| our claim to sovereignty was shadowy,
what shall We say as to the claim of a
| tribe representing less than one-sixth of the
population of the islands, and exercising
| jurisdiction over but a small part of the
! Philippine territory?"
| AS showing the bloody work of the in
surgents, Prof. Worcester said: "At the
time / left Manila the province of Batan-
| gas was overrun with thieves and murder
ers. No attempt was being made TO enforce
| law and order. The public schools were
1 abandoned. Forced contributions had been
wrung from the people at the bayonet
point until many of them were ruined. In
willing contributors had been punished by
having their hands hacked of. and even by
being buried alive. The individual houses In
such important towns as Taal were in
trenched In order that the inhabitants might
defend themselves against their neighbors.