The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-21
WHY DEWEY DIDN'T.
A Reply to Those Who Think He Should
Have Sailed Away.

From The MINI eSpolis Tribune
Whatever may be the disposition Of the
/ President in regard o the ultimate fate
/ Of the Philippines, il is evident that Sena-
! tor Davis, whose efforts more than those
| of any other man resulted in their ceS-
| sion by Spain, does not contemplate a
weak and flabby Philippine policy. In his
speech al Dayton, Ohio, last week, as d
guest of the Republican League, he said
Il would bring them 0he FilipinO9 up
tenderly, but in chastisement if Te
must" and he emphasized the CONNER
cial importance Of the Islands TO US I'VE
want markets." he said. I'VE desire and
must have our share Of the commerce
OF the East" and he held that one move
| in the problem of preserving the great
| Chinese empire intact and opening IL 10
our commerce was the retention by US Of
the Philippines, which command The
| China Sea.
There are some well-meaning men who
taking counsel o. their fears rather than
4 of the energy and enterprise that should
/ inspire genuine Americanism, dread the
/ trouble We are to be put 10 in administer
/ ing the Philippines, and they are inclined
/ to echo the sentiment Of the deprecatOry
poet who said:
Dewey at Manila,
| That fateful first Of May.
! When you sank the Spanish squadron
| In almost bloodless fray,
And gave your Rame 10 deathleSs fame
| glorious Dewey, say,
Why didn't you weigh anchor
| And softly steal away?
This might have appeared TO the unre-
! fiecting an easy solution, but Dewey
/ thought further ahead. He knew that al
though he had destroyed Spain's main
/ fleet in those waters there We're some nine
/ or ten peStiferouS little Spanish gun
/ boats hid in among the islands, and that
/ if he should sail away they could steal
! out and prey upon American commerce.
/ No American merchant ship in Chinese
or Asatic waters would have been safe
/ had Dewey pursued the Duslllanimous
| course of running away from a victory,
/ for a big merchant ship is helpless before
/ the smallest gunboat or other lighting
craft. our whole commerce with China,
Japan, Korea, and India, to say nothing
of that with Honolulu and the coast
wise trade Of eur Pacific coast, would
have been jeopardized lad not Dewey re-
manned ana clinched his victory as he
did.
The only manly. the only business-!ike
course for the United States 10 pursue
is TO stand up, m2n-fashion, and reap tine
| fruits of the victory which the VGlOr Of
! our sailors and soldiers have won fer us.
/ The talk of freedom for the FIlipinos'
/ left To themselves Is all rot. They are not
capable of enjoying freedom, but the mass
! of them would straightway become serfs
| ana victims OF d few characIerleSS ana
! constituencies dictatoTs like AgUinIldO.
| As Senator Davis declared in the speech
above quoted. the United States Is the
I great and c0nsecrated evangelist Of hu-
mainly" While We are protecting and
/ conserving our commercial Interests We
will educate the F1lipinOs To an aDprecid-
/ ton and undeTst anding Of the gift II !ib-
I erty ard tit them for local seif-goVsrI--
ment under strong protection against for
eien foes II Filipino republic were IS
tablishtd ard left 10 itself any naval pow
IT could Al any time impose terms a.
/ conditions upon any % the iS-ands
/ seize them under preteXt THAI their =.
had been violated and indemnity was lut
but with the United States in cOntr0l Al,
the ether powers will Keep hands er an
the DEVELOPMENT OF the islands, material
Is. mentally and morally, will have fu.l
and free scope.