Washington sentinel., 1899-05-13
Our Shooting Privilege in the
Philippines.

A Washington despatch to the
New York World represents Hon.
William L. Wilson, president of
Washington and Lee University,
as giving a new and striking illus
tration of expansion. Mr.. John R..
Proctor of the Civil Service Com
mission was discussing the situa-
ton in the Philippines with Mr.,
Wilson and descanting upon the
beauties Of colonial development.
Mr.. Wilson listened attentively
and then remarked:
Proctor, your views on expansion
remind me OF friend of mine over IN
England. He invited me TO visit him
at his country seat and went. He had
a splendid place OF $50 acres. He
pointed out all the advantages OF loca
ton and scenery, saying that for an
annual rental OF .ksoo he obtained his
residence and in addition was entitled
to shooting privileges on I, 100 acres OF
adjoining land 1t was his right to go
on this adjacent territory and kill what
ever game might be desired. That
seems to be the situation in the Philip.
pines. We bought IRON Spain the city
and the bay OF Manila, and at the same
time acquired shooting privileges in the
entire archipelago.
This describes the situation in
our new possessions in the far East
most admirably. Spain had owned
the shooting privileges" for a
great many years, and had bagged
a great deal of human game. In
time, however, the hunters became
the hunted and the Spanish gov
ernment transferred its shooting
privileges" to the United States in
consideration Of Gao, ,eoo, 900, and
was very lucky to make so profit
able bargain Since the purchase
was consummated our American
hunters in the Philippines have
been making the most OF their
newly acquired rights and have
been slaughtering the natives with
remarkable zest and persistency.
Not long ago a Kansas volunteer,
who seems to be thoroughly en-.
ioying himselfand who is an ardent
deVotee OF the sport, wrote home
to friends that shooting FilipinOs
was much finer sport than bagging
quail in Kansas or rabbits in
Texas. II must be rare fun, in
deed, for people who can view the
killing OF hum n beings from that
standpoint, but such sentiment
will give man OF average sensi
bilities the cold shivers.
1t is remarkable that a man Of
humane instincts. as Mr.. Mckinley
is represented to be, can regard
the exercise of our shooting
privileges" in the Philippines with
complacency. These are not
dumb brutes whom his sporting
legions are killing in the far East,
but men and brethren, human
beings who have souls, whose only
crime, it seems, is that they want
to control their own destinies and
enjoy independence in the land in
which they were born and which
is theirs. Mr.. Mckinley is princi-
pallY responsible for permitting
our soldiers to enjoy the shooting
privileges in the Philippines, for it
is within his power to stop the
slaughte r, and he can order a
"close season" at any time that he
chooses. There are no keener
and manlieT sportsmen in the world
than Americans, and it must go
against their grain to be taking up
Spain's practices and snuffing out
the lives Of human beings with as
little compunction as they would
shoot quail or rabbits. 1t is an
un-American form Of sport against
which the humane people of the
United States have revolted, and
which they would quickly end il
they had the power. 1t does not
require any stretch of the imagi.
nation to assume that il it becomes
fashionable, from the administTa-
ton point OF view, to acquire
shooting privileges" in the Philip
pines, the time will come when
the government will establish pre-
serves at home and indulge in the
sport" whenever the opportunity
Is presented. 1t may be con-
sidered proper some day to bag
Americans just as our men are
now bagging Filipinos.