Washington sentinel., 1899-06-03
The American Mistake.

the Filipinos to lay down then
arms and quietly await the de:ision
OF the Americans as to the form oil
government which was 20 be adop-
ted, came unfortunately too late in
the day to be of much service in
smoothing down the animositY OF
the Filipinos towards the Ameri-
cans. AS Kipling would put It,
the Filipinos "have seen their
dead" mourning has been brought
to hundreds of Filipino homes by
the bullets of the American troops,
thousands have been rendered
homeless and hopeless and have,
unfortunately, learnt to look upon
the Americans not as their liberia
tors but as their opPressors, and,
this being the case, it is but too
probable that it will require more
thanA mere proclamation, however
noble in sentiment or smoothly
worded it may be, to right matters.
The Americans waited too long,
truly says A. H. Meyers. in the
Hong Kong TekEgyaPh,before they
decided as to what was to be done
with the Philippines. Opinion was
divided to such an extent that the
ratification of the treaty of peace
with Spain, by which the Philip
pines we're handed over to the
United States, hung in the balance
and there was little hope enter
tanned OF its passing the Senate.
Then, on the eve of the introduc.
tioD of the bill, came the news OF
the outbreak of nostilities between
the Filipinos and the American
tro ops and it is a matter of history
that the treaty went through the
Senate by majority OF one only,
There are many who say that but
for the outbreak OF hostilities at
such an opportune moment for the
Expansionists the treaty would
never have received ratification in
its present form. From the date
of the destruction of the Spanish
feet at Cavite by DeweV's ships
until the ratification Of the treaty
Of peace, the United States cannot
be said to have indicated any def.
mite line Of policy in regard to the
Philippines and the Filipinos.
The Filipinos were allowed TO as
sist the Americans in boxing up
the Spaniards in Manila--in fact
they efectually cleared the way so
that the American troops had
merely to march in and take the
place while the Filipinos were
allowed to look on and take no
part in the occupation. Then the
Filipinos were lett severely alone.
In fact, one might say that they
did not exist officially. They were
allowed to form their government
and do practically as they liked
everywhere except in Manila itself,
until they imagined that they were
masters OF the situation.
Is it to be wondered at that at-
fairs drifted into their present state1
The Filipinos were left utterly in
the dark as to the intentions Of the
Americans regarding them, while
they were ted up with the re-
ports which found their way into
the newspapers as to what they
were to expect. America vas
about to grant them independence,
would retire from Manila, and
leave them to their own resources;
America would force government
upon them; America would enrol
them in the brotherhood of States
and America would do this and
that, until the Filipinos knew not
what to think, nor to whom 70 go
for ADVICE or guidance. We be.
lieve that at the time Of Dewey's
victory and even at the time Of the
capitulatiOn of Manila the FiIipinos
would have been perfectly ready
to have met the Americans in an
amicabls spirit and have discussed
the question OF the future Of the
islands sensibly and calmly. They
would not perhaps have agreed to
all that was put forward by the
Americans, but tact and diplomacy
would doubtless have overcome
many OF the differences and very
different state OF affairs might have
existed in the Philippines than the
warfare which is being waged to