Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-09-02

| CAPTAIN GUSTAV SCHAAF, Company
| A, Monongahela City.-I am not criticizing
| General Otis But in the way that war is
| being carried on now, the Filipines will not
| be whipped in five years. The Wnole TSt1alr
! has been a blunder. The Fhtpinos we're
| not told in the beginning what this coun-
! try intended to do with them, aud M ur-
| ally were suspicious. They are jusI dght-
ing for what they. call liberty, Just as our
not think they are worth the soldiers and
! the money needed to conquer them.
LIEUTENANT BLAINE AIKEN, Com
tp them. believe s't The United states should
get out of the islands as soon as 1t hon
LfEuTENANT RICHARD COULTER;
JR., Company l. Greensburg.-lt would
perhaps have been better if we had never
attempted to gain possession Of the 4sRan9Is
cd LEGTENA AZ ShA EN- oic ReH We
get rid of those islands the better.
LIEUTENANT G. l.. GORDON Com
pany K, Waynesburg.-t have always been
opposed to this expansion idea. The Phil
ippine islands will never to my mind, be
of any benefit except to capitalists: LABOR
is much cheaper there than in this coun,
try, and the American laborer will stand
no chance there. And then the white man
cannot live there and do hard work. The
philippines can hardly be anything put a
burden to the common people OF the United
States.
LIEUTENANT JOHN A. EWING. Com
pany A. Monongahela.-Yo couldn't hire
if the United States. can get chance to
drop the islands without dishonor
q. A. ULRlCH, hospital corps. Pittsburg.
My personal opinion is that we have been
all in the wrong that we have no business
in the islands, and that we ought to get
out Those Filipinos are hghting Tor
trial of f-government, just as did our
forefathers. They are bright. receptive
race, and deserve a chance. Why, we boys
didn't even know what we were lighting
for. Just what the United States was after
the field say they felt like throwing down
their muskets because they were going 1t
blind And l want TO say that this is the
sentiment of the entire volunteer army, and
/ gained it in daily conversation with Off
GERS and privates. ! had charge of hos
pltal boat running from Oasig to Santa
Cruz. Every day | carried passengers from
the other volunteer regiments-the Wash
lngtons. South Dakotas WyOmings, Colo
RADIOS, ldahOs, Oregons and others. Their
feeling was unmistakable. There was SYM
pathy for the tilipinos and feeling that we
were invaders and trying to take from
them something we prizeo ourselves. Otis
dilly -dallying is making the war a farce.
One of his orders-character of the
way he doe sthings-is that no discharged
there. l don't think the archipelago worth
the lives which have been sacrificed.
CORPORAL NJ. S. SMITH, Company A.
Monongahela.-Fo the blood and money
they have cost ! do not think the Philip
pines will ever repay the United States.
They are rich, but the islanders are sure TO
garrison is kept there, AS see il, the cost
of holding them will fall heavily on Thea
mass of the people in this country, Who'
SERGEANT G. E. sTICKEL, Company
ID Vanderbilt.-To my mind the attempt to-
gain possession of the islands has been
q costly blunder. and when the United
should. | do not see how the laboring peo-
pie can ever benefit by their possession.
There IS no doubt much larger army Will
JOHN CURRY, Company C, Laurel Hill
You can say for me that | am opposed to
holdlng the Islands in any way, If there is
a way by which the United States can be
rid of them honora bly,
PRIVATE THOMAS REESE, Company
II, CanOnsburg.-I believe from conversa-
ton that most of the men of Company Fl
do also think that America has departed
from principles laid down in the constitu-
5lon IN attempting to annex the islands
SO, too, we felt that the men we were
hghting were struggling for the same in
altenable rights as did the coloniSts While
we somewhat forgot such feelings in the
heat of battle, they were there, neverthe-
less. We were following the flag, and were
ordered to go forward and, of course,
would not think of hating then. l had OPP
portumtles to meet many men in the vol
unteer regiments from other States, and in
tnem the same sentiments prevailed. As
Tor the islands themselves, the game isn't
worth the candle. If enough men are sent
over they may be conquered in another dry
season, but they will have to be held that
way, and the cost of maintaining an army
IN the tropics is enormous.
CORPORAL ERNEST WALTZ, Com
pany II, Washington.-There is no doubt in
my mind that if the United States had
MADE clear and definite promise to them
and TO the world, of independence ultimate
ly, or only protectorate the Fiipinos
would have proved as tractabe as the Gu
bans, and all this slaughter on both sides
would have been avoided. ! sympathize
with the Filipinos fighting for their lih-
erty, and felt that was fighting in war
ha
the islands, | believe. is clear violation of
the spirit of the constitution and as for
their worth it is nothing as compared to
PRIVATE ALIEN. YOUNG-In the war
against the Filipinos the Tenth regiment
was IN the field practically under compul-
SION. e voted for and demanded our re-
lease 60 days after the treaty of peace. ac-
cordlng to the terms of enlistment, and
ne men OF the regiment were angry when
they found that Otis had deliberately mis-
represented and said they were willing 10
stay. l.. like the majority of the boys. SYM
paIhized with the natives, who, though a
FuIerent people, are fighting for the same
principle as that for which our forefathers
fought. Forcible annexation is not Amer
lcan IN spirit. and, | think. unconstitu-
tlonal The islands NAV allow rich mon
with capital to make money, but tbeV
must be burden on the poor man and
1aApayer because of the great armies
Nandi,, must oe put in there at great ex-
pehatlure or life and treasure / believe
this fairly represents the sentiments Of Tho
majority of the Tenth regiment
SERGEANT GEORGE BEITCH. com
pany &, New Brighton certainly am NOT
~ favor of holding or annexing the Phiiin
pines nor Go ! think they are worth he
cost of conquering. We should have LET
Spain keep them ie'
PRIVATE MYRON WEBSTER. Com
pany Is, New Brighton.-If Dewey after
ornamenting Manila bay with the wrecks
OF Monto1o's ships, had turned around and
sailed away, | would consider him . man
VINO never made a mistake. We don t
want the islands. We have negroes enough
IN this country TO look after without hunt
ing trouble. iAUii'
We would like to print more of the
views of these returned soldiers as
given in our Pittsburg contemporary
for there are columns more of the
same, and all very interesting. Nine
tenths of them contain uneouivocal
declarations against the policy of the
administration in the Philippines and
openly express the sympathy of the
American troops for the liberty seek
ing Filipinos. These views will have
infinitely mHae weight Iha~ oil ~