The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-27
NEARING THE END.


1t is glorious news, indeed, if it be
true that the end of the Philippine in
surrection is in sight. Since President
Mckinley would not recognize his Ia
gal allies on a basis with the Cuban
allies after contracting for and accept
ing their services; since he would not
treat with their civil authorities, not
withstanding his treaties with the Sulu,
yisaya and Negrito island govern
ments: since ne refused to say the word
or give the assurance that would have
prevented the war or would have ended
it any day after il begun; since he con-
sidered that bloodless night attack of
the Tagals as infinitely more reprehen-
sible than the cowardly midnight assas-
sination of the men OF the Maine; the
only way out OF the difficulty into which
vaciIlation. avarice and partisanship
had involved us. was TO fight it out.
If the matter had been left to Law
ton Macarthur or Wheaton. the Fill
pinos would have been conquered long
ago. But Mckinley has chung to Otis
all through the present trouble as he
chung to Alger through the war with
Spain and for nine months thereafter,
indifferent apparently to the unsatis-
factory results and the appalling loss
of life which army mismana cement al
ways means.
When President Mckinley assured
the people of Cuba in his message to
congress one year ago that they were
entitled to their independence and
got ifcfarad in,
vain for similar assurance. AS il was
not forthcoming they inquired as to
their status. They wanted to know the
intentions of this government towards
themselves as ex-subjects of SPAIN
This inquiry met with rebuff. Their
claims to independence, which Amer
lean consuls appointed by President.
Mckinley had assured them were as
good as those of the Cubans, were ig-
nored. in spite of the fact that Admiral
Dewey declared them to be better fit
ted for government than the Gu
bans are. and in spite of the fact that
prominent administration newspapers
had convinced them that they were pa
triots fighting for a cause infinitely
higher than Washington, or Marion. or
Hamilton. or Greene fought for in the
American revolution.
General Merritt went to the islands
direct from President Mckinley, direct
from Alger his model secretary of war,
and studiously ignored and avoided
these people This was a fatal mistake
1t carried with it an appearance of in
gratitude and provoked resentment
from people reared in a tropical cline
and trained in the school OF revenge by
European masters. 1t was this deliber-
ate proVocation and in view of the ma
tural results that our morning con-
temporary uttered protest and gave
the warning that it was extremely
perilous to startie or aggravate the ma
tives of that unfortunate and oppressed
land: they have been abused, robbed
and slain so long by white men that
they take alarm at once on the slight
est appearance of danger to them
selves or their liberties"
We are glad, however. that the end is
in sight. AS it had to be war, the
shorter the conflict the more humane.
But does any one imagine that peace
will come with victory, or that the
same shifting, drifting course on the
part of the administration will not pro-
woke other and equally disagreeable
wars? Can our solemn pledge in rela-
ton to Cuba be carried out and no
assurances given the Filipinos? They
have never had an inkling as 10 what
their future is to be. They ought to
be Interested: they are interested. They
deserve some consideration. II isn't
right to expect more of them than We
exacted of Spain, and it will be remem-
bered that the first time Spain sued for
peace we heard her appeals: it is re-
corded that the Luzon insurgents have
sued for peace a half dozen times now
without Avail. The next time they call
for quarter let us hope some attention
viii be paid to their proposals.