The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-08

in our honor and power. 1t seems to me diff.
hcult TO stigmatze such a proceeding in sui.
hciently hard language. The proposition Is to
give the Filipino bandits who have been fighting
uG the right TO work their wicked will on their
fellow countrymcn who have been friendly to
us. Such an act would be not merely one of
Cupablc fclly and weakness, but one Of the
bssest treaChcry and inhumanity
have. in my possession letters from Mr..
George y. Becker, the gcologist, who was out
in the Philippines for considerably over year,
and during large part of the time acted as a
stan officer to General James franklin Bell In
June, 1890 Mr.. Becker. while visiting a Ignite
deposit in the island OF Negrus, under the escort
OF some California volunteers, was attacked by
the insurgents. savage fight cnsucd, and the
Nincente Ornedo, being killed. Upon his person
was found a list of Fipinos who were to be
killed by the insurgents, II victorious. The list
OF slaughter thus Coolly made up contained the
name OF the wife Of Swiss gentleman at whose
ranch they had Just spent the night. Mr.. Becker
quotes instance after instance OF the assassina.
tion of friendly natives by tho bostiles These
outrages were much more common than outrages
against the Americans, although | need not re.
government issued an order. quoted in General
Otis annual report, for the massacre of all
Americans and Europeans in Manila
| have spoken above Of General Bell. In one
Of his letters the following phrase occurs: The
dismal incompetence Of the Flipinus Tor self.
government is much more apparent tnow than
1t was them. II would probably be impossible
to find any fairly competent white observer in
the islands who regards the natives able to
MAINTAIN order here, or 10 protect TIE persons
and property of foreigners. Their lack of ap
probation of the idea Of freedom understood
by Americans has been illustrated by astound
ingly arbitrary and cruel docrccs wh,', were
put into force so far practicable, and by the
cold blooded assassination Of one Of their ablcst
generals
To give TO such mon the right TO opprcss 9TH
ers in the namn Of liberty, would be the mercSt
travesty the principles Of right.
No men can profess the doctrines our political
| foes profess as regards the Philippines without
| being speedily lured into positions ever more
| destructive OF the national honor The eXtrem.
| lists among them Of every grade have actually
| been attacking the president for what he has
| done in China, and one of their leaders even
| had the wild fCllv to state that the Boxer out
| break in China was due to our possession Of
| the Philippines. This sapient gentleman might
| just exactly as well have stated that our occu.
| patton of the Philippines produced disturbances
| in the rings Of Saturn. 1t is noteworthy that
| the first result Of the mitarism complained of
| in the Philippines has been to enable the prcsi-
| dent TO take the lead in protecting minis.
| ter and missionaries in China. It is difficult
| to know which to admire moSt-the cool-headed
! moderation with which the president through
4 out the Chinese difficulty has refused to allow
| this country to take vindctive attitude or to
| do more than exact Justice, or on the other
| hand, the steadfast and unswervng resolution
with which he is insisting that this justice
| must be obtained