Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-10-26

OF their people the doors were sia mined
in their faces, in Washington as well as
in Paris. And behind those doors the
scheme was Matched to deprive the Phil
ippine islanders of the independence from
foreign rule and to make them the subjects
of another foreign ruler. and that foreign
ruler their late ally, this great repuoiIc,
which had grandly proclaimed 10 the world
that it's war against Spain was not war
of conquest. but a war of liberation ana
humanity.
Behind those doors which were tightly
closed to the people of the Philippines, a
treaty was made with Spain by the direc-
ton of President Mckinley, which pro-
vided for the cession of the Philippine Is
lands by Spain to the United States Tor
the consideration of s21. 100000. 1t has been
said that this sum was not purchase
money, but a compensate for improve
ments made by Spain. or 'solatium' to
sweeten the pill of cession, or what not
But stripped of all cloudy yerbiage. it was
really purchase money. the sale being made
by Spain under duress. Thus Spain sold
and the United States bought what was
called the sovereignty of Spain over the
Philippine Islands and their people.
Now look at the circumstances under
which that 'cession' was made. Spain had
lost the possession of the country, except
a few isolated and helpless little garrisons,
most of which were effectively blockaded
by the FilipinoS. The American forces &C.
cupied Cavite and the harbor and city of
Manila and nothing more. The bulk of the
country was occupied and possessed by the
people thereof, over whom Spain had, in
point of fact. ceased to exercise any SOW
ereignty, the Spanish power having been
driven out or destroyed by the Filipino in
surrection, while the United States Lad not
acquired, beyond Cavite and Manila, any
authority of whatever name by military
occupation nor by recognition on the part
of the people. Aguinaldos army surround
ed Manila on the land side, and his govern
ment claimed organized control over 10
provinces. That government was estab-
liShed at MalOloS, not far from Manila, ana
a very respectable government it was. Ac-
cording 10 Mr.. Barrett, our late minister in
Siam. himself an ardent imperialiSt who
had seen it. il had well-organized eXecu-
tive. divided into several departments. ably
conducted. and a popular assembly, con-
gress. which would favorably compare with
the parliament of Japan-an infinitely bet
ter government than the insurrectionary
government of Cuba ever was.
Mckinley as Dictator.
This is a grim story. Two years ago the
prediction of such possibility would have
been regarded as a hideous nightmare-as
the offspring of a diseased imagina ton.
But to-day ii is a true tale-a plain recital
of facts taken from the official records
These things have actually been done in
these last two years by and under the ad-
ministration of William Mckinley. This
is our Philippine war as 1t stands. 1t is pre-
tended that we had right to the possession
of the Philippines and that self-respect de-
manded US to enforce that right. What
kind of right was it? The right of con-
quest? Had we really acquired that coun-
try by armed conquest, which. as Presi-
dent Mckinley has told US. is. according to
the American code of morals, criminal?
But If We had thrown aside our code of
morals we had then not conquered more
than the bay and city of Manila. The rest
of the country was controlled, if by any
body, by the Filipinos. Or ii the right
of possession by treaty? 1 have already
shown that the president ordered the en-
forcement of our sovereignty over the
archipelago long before the treaty had by
ratification gained legal effect. and also
that in making that treaty. We had bought
something called sovereignty which Spain
had ceased to possess and could therefore
not sell and deliver
1T is also pretended that, whatever our
rights, the Filipinos were the original ag-
gressors in the pending fight and that our
troops found themselves compelled to de-
fend their flag against assault. What are
the facts? One evening early in February
last some Filipino soldiers entered the
American lines without. however, attack
ing anybody. An American sentry fired.
killing one of the Filipinos. Then desul-
tory firing began a the outposts. 1t spread
until it assumed the proportions of an ex-
tensfye engagement. in which a large num-
OCL VI iiAplHOS were hlliSu 1t II a We'll
established fact that this engagement
could not have been a premeditated affair
on the part of the Filipinos, as many of
their officers, including Aguinaldo's pri-
waite secretary, were at the time in the the
alters and cafes of Manila. 1t is further
well known that the next day Agunaldo
sent an officer, Gen. Torres, under a flag
of truce to Gen. Otis to declare that the
fighting had not been authorized by Agui-
naldO, but had begun accidentally: that
AUuinald0 wished have stunned md
rraphsed, to that end, the establishment
of a lieu ~ zone between the two armies
such might be agreeable to Gen. Otis:
whereupon Gen. Otis CURLY answered that
the fighting, having once begun. must go
on to the grim end. Who was 1t thai really
wanted the fight?
But far more important than all this is
the fact that President McKinley's 'benev-
olent assimilation order, which even be-
fore the ratification of the treaty demand
ed that the Philippine islanders should I'M
conditionally surrender to American SOW
ereignty, in default whereof our military
forces would compel them. was really the
presidents declaration of war against the
Filipinos Insisting upon independence. how
ever you may bubble about it. When an
armed man enters my house under some
questionable preteXt and tells me that l
must yield to him unconditional control
of the premises or he will knock me down
who is the aggressor no matter who
strikes the first blow? No case of aggres-
sion can be clearer, shuttle and prevaricate
as you will.
Shot Down ..Without Farley"
Let us capitulate. We go to war with
Spain in behalf of an oppressed colony of
hers. We solemnly proclaim this to be a
war-not of conqueSt-God forbid.-but of
liberation and humanity. We invade the
Spanish colony of the Philippines. destroy
the Spanish fleet and invite the cooperation
of the Filipino insurgents against Spain.
We accept their effective aid as allies, all
the while permitting them to believe that
in case of victory they will be free and in
dependent. BY active fighting they get con-
troll of a large part of the interior country,
from which Spain is virtually ousted.
When we have captured Manila and have
no further use for our Filipino allies our
president directs that behind their backs
a treaty be made with Spain transfer
ring their country to us, and even before
that treaty is ratified he tells them that, in
place of the Spaniards, they must accept us
as their masters. and that if they do not
they will be compelled by force of arms.
They refuse and We shoot them down, and.
as President Mckinley said al Pittsburgh
we shall continue to shoot them down
without useless parley.
II have recfted these things in studiousiv
sober and dry matter-of-fact language,
without oratorical ornament or appeal.
ask you now what epsthet yoL fird
justly to characterize such a course? Hap
PLY. you need not search for one, for Pres
ident Mckinley himself has furnished the
best. when, in virtuous moment. he said
that annexation by force should not be
thought of. for, according to the American
code of morals. il would be criminal ag-
gression.' Yes, criminal is the word
Have you ever heard of any aggression
more clearly criminal than this? And in
this case there is an clement of peculiarly
repulsive meanneSs and treachery. L pity
the American who can behold this spec
tacle without the profoundest shame. con-
wonder. /