La Junta tribune., 1900-09-29


thsy renewed their siege against the
city and our forces with Increased VI
sor. They planned to burn. saek and
loot the city. and to strike dovl and
sianghter every living human being In
II. except their own people: and two
brutal. though abortive. attempts we're
made to carry out the barbarous and
demoniac plan.
II We study the records and proceed
ings OF their so-called government. II
is apparent that It Is nothing but
pure dictatorship-a mere military
oligarchy OF AEuinaldo and his chiefs
(all Chinese Aestisos)-with no basis
OF choice or consent among the masses.
It sxists and ID tolerated. such ~ II
Ii. through fear and ignorance. Ig-
norance Of the Americans. their char
acter and system Of government: and
FEAR OF Aguinaldo. his junta and armed
followers. 10 It not plain to any un-
biased mind. after studying the record
OF Aguinaldo and his junta ever since
tho insurrection Of 1896. that It IL A.
much our moral duty to relieve the
Filipino people from the incubus and
tyranny of this military oligarchy ~
OF Spanish rule. 1t would be a greater
misfortune and greater calamity to
hand the Filipino people over to the
mercies OF such government than to
have left them In the hands OF the
Spaniards. Is II not our moral n
well as our legal duty to suppress. hrst
OF all. this insurrection. started under
such false pretenses. with such treach-
cry and under such auspices and lead
ership as this Tagal rebellion in Lu-
zon?
bryan Endorsed Ad.aipistr.tion-
We acquired the islands fairly by
conquest. ratified and confirmed by q
treaty. which had the Endorsement OF
Mr.. Bryan. He was at Washington on
the eve Of Its ratification and urged his
party to join in ratifying the treaty.
have had an inception nor fiourished
but for the fact that our, nag was in
the islands. and permitted Aguinaldo
and his chiefs to land.
Coming into the islands under our
nag. onr protection. and our assist
ance, as they did. Aguinaldo and his
chiefs had no more legal or moral
right to set up a claim or title hostile
to the United States than a tenant.
coming into possession by the permis-
sion Of his landlord. has the right to
question or set up hostile title to the
latter. We acquired. by conquest and
treaty. as complete title to the Phil
ippine islands az to Porto Rico. and We
nave taken no more steps to obtain
the consent Of the Porto Ricans than
OF the Filipinos. The government we
have established for the Porto Ricans
u government we have given them,
and not . government they have given
themselves.
Merely Tassi A6asr
According to the most conservative
data. the Philippine group embrace an
area Of about 10000 square miles and
population Of 1000 900. Luson has .
little more than one-third Of this area
and little.lsss than one-half Of this
population. There are three different
races and over eighty different tribes.
of various degrees Of civilization, In
the group. Most Of the people belong
to the Aalayan race: less than one-half
million belong to the other two races.
The principal tribe u the visayas, oc-
cupying the visaya group Of Islands,
situate between Luxon ON the north
and Mindanao on the south. The WIS.,
ayas occupy an area Of $4,000 square
miles. number about 2.600. 900 and are
~ civilized and intelligent a. the Ia
RRI0 Tho tefh b. L. 1.
the Tagals. who occupy Luson. and
number 1.6S4.000-about one-half Of
the population Of this island.
The insurrection IL q Tagal insur-
rection. and the insurrectionary gov
ernment II . Tagal government Tho
other tribes and the people Of the other
Islands had NO voice and were not rep
resented in the formation or manage
ment Of this government. The Taeal
government Of Aguinaldo In Luxon
originated in and rests wholly upon
military force. and has not. even In
Luxon. to say nothing about the many
other important islands. come into ex-
istsnee or continued by the free choice
or voluntary consent OF the people
sought 70 be governed. Its scope and
authority f. limited to the territory oc-
cuDied By IT. armed bands and detach-
Ments tn Luson. The consent OF the
governed b neither asked. sought nor
expected. The great mass Of the peo-
pie are ~ helpless and where within
reach Of the Tagal government under
~ abJest subjugstion under Aguinal-
dos military oligarchy ~ they ever
were under the spaniards in the years
that are past.
DryAa WesIA Maui Down Oh 0sssv.
It u to such an insurrsction and to
such . government that our adveFsA-
fiss would have NJ lay down our arms