Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-09

the anti-expansionists are largely in the
majority in the United States. From
their point of view they can see 1t in no
other light. You see, these people have
always been accustomed to living under
the most despotic form of government,
and for any one to c~riticise or disagree
with the methods of the ~reigning power
meant nothing less than an instant death
and confiscation of all property, and SO
they reason accordingly that if Mr..
Bryan's party vas not stronger than
the reigning poMer in the United States
it would be impossible for the party to
exist. No argument can convince them
or make them understand the freedom
Of speech I'M action under which the
people at home live.
NATIVES ARE BETTER OFF NOW.
1T makes me weary every time l see
in one of the State papers where some
anti is shooting off his head about these
poor, down-trodden people over here,
and how they are being imposed upon
by the Americans, and yet these people
who are doing all the talking do not
know any more about the true condition
of affairs on these stands than I do
about preaching a sermon.
I'm the first place, they are better off
HOW imam tHey ever were IN tlelr ives
before; ave more liberty and more to
eat and are making more money. We
! pay 20 cents a dozen for eggs, and buy
7 every one they can produce. and they
never We're sold for more than three
cents previous to cur coming here. We
pay more for our laundry work to these
natives than we would ever think of
doing in the States. and a soldier is
| por1nallai fn he vo olaan r1ofhac oil fha
time. We pay the men SO cents a day
for work, which is more than they made
in a week before.
When a farmer raises a crop now he
does not nave to give half of it to the
church and the other half to the govern
ment, as he formerly did, and starve him.
self. He can carry his goods to market
and not be robbed before he gets there
by ladrones. AS for being imposed upon
it is. as much as soldiers lire is worth
/ almost to mtstreat one of them. He does
not dare do it. for their slightest griev-
ance is listened to and the offender, if he
be "a soldier, is severely punished I.
what hurts is most is what the pa
pers at home say about us. What can
we do? No soldier can say for himself,
This war is not right, and I will not
fight The majority of US will be glad
when We can return to civil life. We are
all tired of it, but we cannot leave until
there is a big change in the situation. In
the meantime we need encouragement,
instead of being branded as murderers,
robbers and desDeradoes.
MEN WANT TO KEEP ISLANDS.
Il don believe you will find a man in
service here who would be willing to give
UP these islands. 1t keeps "a fellow guess
ing. I don't know what to make of it. !
have been a democrat all my life and
was always a great admirer of Mr.. Bry.
an, but I cannot for the life of me see
how a man can conscientiously be a fol
y lower of Bryan and fight under the stars
and stripes at the same time.
4 There is little or no change In the sit.
uation here. We are making no advance
on the enemy and beyond a few half.
hearted attacks on our towns the arr
not doing much. They succeeded in strik.
ing us a pretty hard blow last night. Cap.
tain Murphy of company I, our battalion
learned through a spy that there wer,
4 some gun secreted in a little barrio (vil
lage), about two miles from here, and las
night he went with twenty men owe,
there to see if he could capture them. H,
passing through it, when he saw two ma
tives standing at a gate. One Of then
spoke to him in Spanish and said Bueno
; noches' good night, sir, and stuck GU
his hand to shake hands with the cap
!, tain. He advanced to take his hand
when the other native, who WA stand
ing a little in the shadow, placed a riff
almost against the captains breast an,
fired. He called out, Come on, boys an
fell dead. The men fired several vol
legs through the rknes and killed tw
natives. but do not know if either of Their
f was the captains slayer. They stage
K where they were until daylight, for the
t were afraid of walking into a trap.
n "We knew nothing of the captain be
s ing killed until they brought in his bod
e this morning. We heard the firing las
e night and a few of the bullets fell aroun
our quarters, bu we just supposed 1t VIZ
some of the natives amusing themselve
by firing into the town, and as it is a
most an every night occurrence we gt
into position to repel an attack, and ate
? the thing got quiet we went back n la
down again.
ALL DUE TO HOME INTERFEH
49, ENCE.
, Captain Murphy was a regular arm
officer and he was a young man an
married. and was one of the handsome
;. men in the regiment. He was a rigid di
c~iplinarian. and consequently was n
popular with the men, but, nevertheless
we all regret his death. and God help II
" natives in that district when they IL
h into the clutches of our men in the futur
1t Looking at it from an ordinary poi
is of view, one man is as good as anothe
n the death of an officer is no more
Of a calamity than that Of an enlisted ma
But the difference here is that it w
vs. greatly encourage the natives. This
be the first commissioned officer we Ma
he had killed out of our battalion and t
ne insurgents are delighted, but his dea
os will be avenged all right, and that quic
r ly. All talk of the insurgents weaken
or OF the war being over is rot. If an
r. thing they are in better shape han ev,