Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-09-28
NO. 46.
OUR BOY LETTER.
WHY OUR SOLDIERS ARE IN
THE PHILIPPINES.
Not TO Make War but to Protect the
People from Outrage and
Murder.

SO your employer, Mr.. Skinner,
says that 1.-THE Filipinos ought TO
have their liberty and United States
soldiers ought to be in better busi-
ness than making war on innocent
people and strangling the life out of
a new republic.
Since Mr.. Skinner has put in a
nutshell the substance of Mr.. Bryans
speech l shall dispose of Mr.. Bryan
and the whole anti-imperialism crew
in answering Mr. Skinner. 1 know
that you have but little time to read
and shall use the fewest possible,
words L shall endeavor to give you
clear, intelligent view of the situa-
ton over in our new possessions.
Our soldiers are not strangling the
life out of new republic, for the
very good reason that there never
was any,republic in the Philippines.
A republic is a government by the
people through their chosen repre-
sentatives. The people of tie Phil
lppines never were consulted about
the o-called Filipino Republic Its
head was tricky young Tagalo
named Aguinaldo, who proclaimed
himself Dictator and endeavored to
make himself so by force of arms.
Republics are not governed by a
dictator. The form of government
which took the place of a constitu-
tion in the so-called republic was a
lengthy personal decree of Au gum
aldo himself. 1t was not a repub-
lie but despotism which he sought
to establish. The people of the
Philippine Islands are made up of
many different tribes, Negritos, Tag
alos, Moros, Visayans, and more
than fifty others. These tribes are
separate in bloods, sympathies, and
to large extent in language. In
addition to them there are thousands
of Spaniards, Germans, Americans,
and people of other nations who are
resident there, and whose persons
and property are to be protected.
In addition to all these are large
numbers of Mestizos, people whose
mothers were native Filipinos, but
whose fathers were Japanese, Chi
nese, or Spaniards.
There is no probability that one
half or one-third of all these vast
numbers of people would consent to
be governed by Aguinaldo and the
Tagalo tribe which he represents.
Many of them would certainly fight
against it. The abandonment of
the islands by the United States
army would mean not liberty to the
people, but war among themselves,
resulting in either despotism or
. anarchy.
3. The United States has never
9 made war upon the Filipinos. We
have not even been engaged in war,
offensive or defensive, against the
Filipinos as a people. The Filipinos
number probably ten millions of
people and two millions of men cap
able of bearing arms. If they were
united in war against us, the little
army which we have there would
2 scarcely be circumstance in their
way. But the majority of the Fill
nos are quiet, docile people, not dis
posed to fight and not engaged in
the insurrection now practically
: quelled. Aguinaldo had compara-
!, lively few supporters outside his
own tribe, the Tagalos, who COM
prise probably one tenth of the
whole mass of Filipinos. He, in his
mad effort for absolute rule, attack
- Ell the forces of the United States,
and we were compelled to quell the
insurrection.
n g. The United States troops are
L. in the Philippines for the protection
of the people from murder, rapine
" and misrule, and for the preserva-
st tion of law, order and property
rights. For many years there
'. have been robber bands in the
ri mountains who would from time to
time light down upon the villages
in and rob and murder the people
as The Spaniards paid no attention to
the interior, but protected only the
coast. Last spring one of these
bands attacked a Filipino village and
h. in addition to the robbery and kill.
a ing, carried away thirty Filipino
Ii women to the hills. Two compan
~ les of U. s. soldiers pursued them
~ attacked and dispersed the band
a. and restored the women to theii
IN friends. We are bringing to thes'
islands true liberty, Liberty pro
!, tected by law"
4. The possession and control o
these islands came to us providen
re italy, unexpectedly and unsought
r. They are ours by treaty, and trea
CONTINUED ON FOURTH PAGE.