The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-20
THE REASON WHY.

Henry Watterson Explains 70 Some
Misguided Americans the ImPossi.
bIIIty of Leaving the FilipinOs to
Themselves.
Louisville CONFECTIONERY: Quoting
some recent observations Of the cour-
ier-Journal touching the enormous
trade advantages which the completion
OF shortcut to the Pacific will bring
to the Gulf states Of the South. our
very much esteemed Georgia contem-
porary, the Macon Telegraph, ask'
but why could 1t not be so without
the forcible conquest of single island
in the Paciac?" Would that 1t could
be, and, sooth to say. It might be II
revolutions were made out Of rose-wa-
ter. Nay. 1t might be. anyhow. II all
the men and women Of the universe
were Bostonese, and had the true At
kinsonIan style and polish about them.
UnhappIly. AguInaldo is not Harvard
man. II he had been he would have
composed an ode to Liberty to be read
the last Fourth OF July. instead Of
making that midnight descent upon
Manila, precipitating useless war be-
fore the victorious Americans had put
the finishing touches upon the van
uulshed spanlards. In doing this he
raised up a crop Of complications from
which there seems but one exit, the
complete subsection of the entire Rrchi-
pelago.
war is both a dreadful alternative
and a map-maker. In this case We
did not invite It. We came into the
Philippines as friends OF the insur-
gent natives. Before our coming their
cause was hopeless. Agulnaldo had
fed to China. We overcame the Span
ish power, and before we had time to
dispose Of 1t. a murderous foray was
made upon US. and the rebellIous front
which had been Intellectually turned to
the cruel spanlards was turned to Us.
II anything could Illustrate the unfit
ness Of the natives for self-government
or for orderly government Of any kind,
this did 1T.
What could we do? Pick ourselves
up, lock, stock and barrel, and move
away? ASK Aguinaldo for time and
terms whilst we packed our grip and
got in last weeks washing before TAX
ing u Decline for home. That would
hardly have suited even Harvard un-
less Otis had issued an address in
Latin hexameters, reciting the Declar-
alton OF Independence wrong end fore
most; and even then 1t would have
turned party politician America upside
down. Every one OF the men who are
now clamoring for peace-at-any-price
with AgulnaIdo, would be assaIling the
administration for its cowardice. We
should have had great hue and cry
about the Dissertation Of the nations
honor and the lowering OF the nations
nag. The welkln would ring with tales
OF the priceless value OF the territory
yielded without a struggle to the ra-
pacity Of the European powers, which.
liz they did not precIpItAte a general
war among themselves-would be
bound to step in and make short shrift
Of Aguinaldo & Co. in q word. because
General Otis did the only thing that
was left him to do-stood his ground
and met war with war-the foolish poll
IticIans. whose only Idea of party poll
cy is opposition to the policy Of the
party that happens to be in power, get
upon their hind legs and cry:" Down
with the nag! Away with the troops!
Is not Aguinaldo man and brother?
Are we not committed to the consent
Of the governed? Does not the Non
roe Doctrine forbid?"
Thus these short sighted patriots
exrlalm: and so loud do they exclaim
against the shedding OF the innocent
blood of the poor Fillplnos that they
forget our own brave boys who are
fighting the battles Of their country
under tropic suns. And thus they
make themselves the abettors of the
ruthless savages who could not to save
their souls tell what they are fighting
about. This is why the gathering of
the untold commercial benefits OF the
Pacific empire is coupled with the for
chile conquest not only OF single is
land but OF an entire archipelago in
that developing quarter of the globe.