Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-10
OUR WAR WIT q FILIPINOS.

W
Once more blood has been shed at
Manila and once more this nation is
at war. We had hardly concluded a
war with a tyrannical foe which had
sought to oppress helpless people.
The world had given Us credit for
conducting a war for humanity. We
are about to begin war with a help,
less people, fighting for their own
freedom IF, when the American
colonies had revolted against English
tyranny, a strange nation had van.
quished the armies of King George
aud then dem anded the submission of
George Washington to another foreign
master, who promised more liberal
form of government, but still gov
ernment of alien blood and foreign
power, the American rebels of 1776
would have been confronted by the
same conditions that confront the
Filipino rebels of 1899. Would
Washington have submitted?
We are strong enough to crush the
Filipinos. We can MAIN, kill and
slaughter if we please 100000 in-
habitants of islands 10000 miles re.
moved from us. We have the power.
1t may be that the administration
has the inclination. But it will be an
unneccessary, a wicked and an unholy
war. Volunteer soldiers from Kansas,
Nebraska, Colorado, California and
other western states are the first to go
to the front. They enlisted to fight
the Spaniards VINO were persecuting
the Cubans. They are called upon to
kill the Filipinos, who, like the
Cubans, had rebelled against the
tyranny of Spain.
1t is to be hoped that later news
will show the attack, if one was made,
was by irresponsible insurgents, and
without the knowledge or consent of
Aguinaldo. Still it is easy enough to
understand why the insurgent chief
would want to precipitate what he
seems to consider the inevitable. He
knows that 1000 American soldiers
are en- route to Manila to reinforcs
General Otis and it would be good
gsneralship to do his best to destroy
the American army before it was
made stronger by additional troops.
Aguinaldo>s record justifes the belief
that he is far from being a weakfing
in war, or an idle boaster in peace.
If We are to fight him we should enter
the conflict with the understanding
that we can not do in few weeks or
months what Spain failed to do in loo
years. 1t will be serious business
from start to finish and 1t Wiil be
costly 10 human lives and treasure.
But why should we be at war With
the Filipinos? What have they done
to us that we should want to kill
them?
If it is war, we are entering upon a
conflict which Spain sold to us after
vainly trying for century to make
the inhabitants accept her sovereignty.
We have taken Spain's unsuccessful
crussde against the Filipinos off her
hands to do exactly what she failed to
do. Undoubtedly the insurgents will
yield sooner or later. They will have
to. They are not dealing with weak
Spain, but with powerful America and
they will only beat against the wind
if they resist. Nor will the plea that
they are, by right, and ought to be, a
free and independent people avail
them anything. They are wanted for
subjects of the new American colonial
empire and those of them who per-
sist in claiming that they have rights
that the Unitsd States and the other
nations are in honor bound to respect
will be taught q wholesome lesson in