The Portland daily press., 1900-09-06

[ am Informed that George Fred Williams
and other Democratic exhorters in the
extremity Of their position, have resort
ed to the undetermined tactics of question
ing the authority of this letter which is
an Indirect way Of indulging in PERSONAL
tiles Only the 9th 9r day this same Mr..
Williams was complaining because Con-
gresham LittletieId employed PERSONAL
ties against him, saying that this was
not mis- method of campaigning; and yet,
IN an effort to destroy the effect of a
letter as truthful ana authoritative as
any Mr.. Williams ever wrote or received
himself, he uses most questionable Ian
guage Mr.. Williams l fear is living "a a
glass house, and should be cautious as
to how he throws stones for fear of the de-
mol1tiOn OF his own fragile arguments.
OPPOSITION OF THE MASSES.
If you ask what is the reason why ap-
parently, the masses of the Filipino peO-
pie have been opposed to us, it can be ex-
planned in a word. Their attitude is not
due TO an Unborn spirit Of liberty nor to a
natural opposition to America. 1t is to
be attributed largely TO a wicked educa-
tion of the people against America, Amer
leans and american institutions by the
enemies OF our country. From the time
AgulnaldO first developed any consider
able strength until the day of the out
break, while our forces, land and naval,
were busy with the occupation and pro-
lection of Manila, there was carried on
through the entire interior of the islands
a persistent effort to rouse the people
against the United States by the most
contemplate OF circulars and by lying
articles IN the Filipino press.
10 make long story short, and to give
a convincing illustration, L can tell you
how small party of we Americans, in
GLIDING several newspaper cOrTesp0n
dents, in the end of October. 1885, or
ma IN frzTN he ffo fol Of 10
Mia, came in contact with these circulars
up at san IsidrO in the foothills of the
mountains While resting in front of the
GObernOcilIO house, an old woman came
up to US and handed me a circular which
she said had that morning been placed In
the hands OF every woman in the own,
and asked If It's contents were true
Opening it, we saw first cartoon in
tended to portray Americans, so vile and
contemplate that no brute even could
describe it. Then followed in parallel
columns, one IN Spanish and the other in
Tagalog, a series of vicious falsehOods
about the American government, and
people. It said in plain language that it
was the aYOWed intention OF the AneFi-
can government to take the daughters of
the Filipino mothers back to America and
make them the mlstr9sse5 OF the A1ner1-
can men And then it went on to say
that 1t was further the avowed intention
OF the American government to take
the able bodied sons of the Filipino
mothers back to America and make them
slaves, In the place of the negroes whom
we were sorry we had freed
We ascertained that thousands OF such
circulars had been distributed eyeryw here,
Those who could read, read them; those
who could not read, had them read to
them. aAnd this IS only one illustration
OF score OF such pamph let's which were
sent broadcast.
After the first outbreak On the 4th of
February, 1892 the Filipino papers, the
La Repu bl1ca and the Independencia,a an
nounced in bold headlines, IN up to date
yellow journal style, that thousands Of
cOwardIy Americans had been slain in
battle by the brave F1ltpinOs, thOusa nds
more taken prisoners, and all the rest
driven into the walled city OF Manila
where they were only protected by Dew
ey fleet. The people through the interi-
or believed that these reports were true,
and so tlocked TO the standard Of Agu1n-
aldo.
RESULTS OF ARBITRARY COURSE.
Moreover, am willing to go on record
as stating 1T to be my belief that If the
FllipinOs had not pursued their arbitrary,
Irritating and insulting course towards US
during the last two months before the
outbreak, when the American army was
patiently awaiting the action OF Con-
gress, and had not therefore, gradually
led I'D to the conflict which was logical
contamination of their attitude, the.
United States after the ratification Of the
treaty would nave offered the FL 1pinOs
just as large d9gree OF -gOv9I nment
as they should prove themselves fapabIe
Of carrying on, and that today there
would be peace prosperity and c1nten6
ment throughout the islands as the nat
uraI outcome of the policy which the
United States would have pursued.
The opposition has attacked me vigOr-
Ously for supporting the administration
and at the same time giving credit to the
FiI1D1nOs for what they accomplished be-
fore they lost their heads and would listen
to no reason or right IN adjusting their
differences with the Americans. just be-
cause [ have attempted TO be fair and
give Aguinaldo and his followers credit
where they deserved it. and at the same
time describe their shortcomings, ] am
attacked far more viruIently than If had
condemned the FilipinOs without any
praise, or praised them without any criti-
cism.
While standing by everything that I
have said about the Fil1pin0S, / cam OF
hold the sixpenc9 OF political prejudice SO
near my eye that will noG see and des-
crib9 the Influences that were gradually
at work and were winked at by Aguinal
do and his followers, and which deYel-
Oped the general feeling OF insurrecti on
throughout the Filipino army and among
the people.
Let us therefore be fair, and not be lei
away by the false cry of imperialism,
which Is only misnomer and cam
pa1gn DOGGY. Let 1t, however, be dis
cussed, and let the work Of education &C
on until all the American people shall
learn the truth upon this Issue as four
years ago they learned the truth on
the question of the debaseInent of the c.
rency. With such education, the resu t