The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-10-06
treat beyond the range and fire of the


the beginning of the final conflict the
Filipinos We're repeatedly informing
our government, not only by commu-
nications addressed to the command
ers on land and sea but by those adj
dressed to the president of the United
States, that they desired their free
dom, and that they We're never in
formed of any purpose on our part to
subdue thep.'
The president and congress knew
that the Filipinos desired and ex-
pected their independence, and that
they relied upon the United States to
give it; that in this trust they offered
their lives and fortunes to us, and Sc
cured our speedy and complete tri-
umph. Yet never by word or deed did
president or congress undeceive them,
or give them the least idea that our
purpose was conquest. Such silence
was acquiescence. How does the tes-
timony of Gen. Anderson, the first
commander Of our army, read:
IA few days thereafter he (Aguinal-
do) made an official call Oh me and >
asked if we, the North Ameri-
cans, as he called us, intended to hold
the Philippines rs dependencies. said
l could not answer that, but that in
100 years we had established no col
onies. He then made this remarkable
statement: I have studied attentive
~ the constitution of the United States
and l find in it no authority for col
onies, and l have no fear 1t may
seem that my answer was evasive,
but l was at the time trying to con-
tract with the Filipinos for horses,
carts, fuel and forage"
For these considerations Gen. An
derson felt justified in deceiving Ag-
uinaldo, for his excuse is Il confession.
What he was doing on Il small Scale
this great civilized and Christian gov
eminent was doing Oh a large scale.
By false assurances and by silence,
when silence was fraud, it induced
the Filipinos to aid us in getting pos
session OF the islands for ourselves,
under the belief that they were Win
ming their independence. In what
court of law or morals can the presi-
dent and his advisers be heard to deny
the existence Of an alliance thus
sought and thus used? BY the famil-
lar rule OF law Il man is bound not
only by what he says, but by what he
deliberately causes another to under
stand.
Having won the confidence of the
Filipinos and secured Il footing in
their country, we have betrayed them
They sent an ambassador to Washing
ton and ENJOYS to Paris, but they
We're not allowed even a hearing. The
president, who was not afraid to make
n treaty with the emperor of the Su-
lus, recognizing slavery and polygn-
my, would not even listen to the men
whom he had been using. He did not
dare to tell them that the independ-
ence which they had won was to be
taken from them by their ally.
On December 10 Il treaty was made
by which we bought the title which
we had in effect declared forfeited be-
fore the war. Our forces in the is
lands were steadily strengthened after
the protocol, not to fight Spanards,
for these were prisoners, but to fight
FilipinOs.
When the time was ripe, but be-
fore the treaty was ratified, and there
fore before the president had a shad-
ow of authority beyond the city, bay
and harbor of Manila, by a proclama-
ton dated December 81, the president
announced to the Filipinos that the
military government heretofore main
tanned by the United States in the
city, hnrbor and bay of Manila is to
be extended with all possible dis
catch to the whole of the coded ter
ritory."
THUS brutally and suddenly was our
purpose Of conquest announced. Thus
rudely were the Filipinos reused from
their dream of Independence. This
proclamation was of such n character
and so certain "to incite widespread
hostiltics among the natives" that
Gen Otis did not dare to publish it.
but prepared an amended draft in
which he left out the assertion Of SOW
ereignty and assured the -Filipinos of
his governments intention to secure
them "a government rs free and indie
pendent as Is enjoyed by the most ia
vored provinces of the world"
Unhappily Gen. Miller published the
presidents proclamation, and it's ef-
feet was what Gen. Otis anticipated.
The Filipinos, however, did not begin
hostilities, which broke out on Feb.
a, when one of our soldiers fired upon
and killed n Filipino, and the fire was
returned. The battle which ensued
was thus described by Gen. Otis in his
official report:
'The battle of Manila, which COM
menced at $50 o'clock on the evening
of Feb. 4, continued until 5 the next
evening. II 4 The engagement was
nna strictly dafansivn nm tho art IF tho