The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-08-23
5..lC|O|WA.RDLY !.
!. ATTACK ON
A SOLDIER
Boy Of Wheeling by a Democratic
Nawepaper That Will Arouse
Indignation.
The DESPERATE DEMOCRACY
In Dire Straits to Uphold "Web',
Davis, Attacks the Boys
in Blue. n

The morning after Webster Davis
speech in Wheeling. the. .1ntelllgencer
u quoted ex-Private Harry ]. Van ieur-
en-, who served eighteen. months in the
Philippines in the Thirteenth Mime
! sofa volunteers. in contradiction OF Mr..
Davis statement that all returned SOL
diers unite In asserting that the Fiji.
/ pinos are capable OF self government.
4 In this Interview. Mr.. Van Keuren com,
Z pletely exposed come OF Mr.. Davis
claims. Evidently the expose hurt, for
the Charleston Gazette has been hav-
Ing periodical fits ever since. going so
far as to speak OF Mr.. Van Keuren as
an alleged soldier" which Is a coward
! ly insinuation which will be resented
!. BY the young mans many friends, all
Of whom know OF his service In the
Philippines through having read letters
from him In the three Wheeling papers.
But this abuse of the soldier boys. is
(, right In line with the policy OF such
sheets as the Democratic Charleston
Gazette. The Gazette goes even fur
y Their In venting Its spleen. and calls
4 young Van Keuren "an ordinary curb
stone politician" This is the manner
in'which the boys In blue are treated
by the Democratic press. How do you
I like 1t, you boys OF the Fourth Immunes.
First West Virginia and Second West
Virginia?
When Mr.. Van Keuren was told of
the attack made upon him by the Char
lesion sheet last night. he was .natur-
ally indignant. and said that he had
told the Intelligencer nothing but the
truth and would stick to it. Z Said he:
while in the island OF Luzon 1 Wis
/. tied some twenty-five or! thirty towns
and villages, and outside of the city
4 OF Manila I didn't see single school
house. In Manila there have been two
or three established since the American
& occupation. Others have bsen conducted
Z by Catholic brothers for some time.
am confident my estimate that not more
10 per cent OF the Filipinos can read or
5 write Is practically correct. As to the
inability OF the Filiplnos to govern
themselves. such an able authority as
the late General Lawton testified to the
same effect.
Many Of the Filipinos who are edu-
Gated are DESTROYS of American sover-
eighty being maintained over the ISL
ands. I was the guest Of native FILE.
Pine of high education. who had been
banished to Spain before our occupancy.
and returned soon after We followed
up Dewpy's victory. He admitted that
his countrymcn were not capable OF self
government, and said the only solution
was the continuance OF American SOW
ereignty, and expressed the belief that
the beneiicencc. OF American rule would
In time elevate the standard OF his peo-
pie. He feared anarchy and ruin, ia
the event that the Americans withdrew
from their occupancy Of the Islands,.
This talk of the Filipinos being ca
Z pable OF self government is all rot. Re-
membering the many instances of mas
sacres OF native mayors and other Of
ncials by the Insurgents, don't see
how anybody can honestly hold tie
opinion that these people can govern
themselves" q .HEz .s go