The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-10-13
AMERICAN SUBJECTS.

E0RlduuS partner III ucI UAOONJ ptAIn
Of conquest and crime.
AMERICAN SUBJECTS.
Long before Dewey entered Manila
bay in search of the Spanish feet the
natives of the Philippines had been
fighting for independence. This fact
is not denied by the most rampant i'm
perialist. That Aguinaldo was then a
brigand and the insurgents an ig-
norant lot of savages like the Apache
Indians of North America nobody can
truthfully assert. That they were and
still are a civilized people has been
testified to by many Americans who
have been among them. Leonard R.
Sargent, who Travelled in the interior
Of Luzon before the Americans and
Filipinos began hostilities, declares
that everywhere he found class that
gave evidence of considerable culture
and certain amount of education.
Dewey said in telegram to the state
department, dated June %, 1898, that
"these people are far superior in their
intelligence and more capable of self
government than the natives of Cuba"
and in a communication to the secretary
of the navy on Aug. 20, of the same
year he said that further intercourse
with them has confirmed him in this
opinion
An Englishman named John Fore
man, who lived eleven years in the
islands and appeared before the Paris
peace commissioners, says that sfrom
the outset it was a mistake to treat
the Christian Philippine population
like savages, ignorant of western civ
ilization, considering that there are
thousands of Filipinos mentally equal
to the invading forces and comparable
in intellectual training with the aver
age middle-class European" In view
Of these facts, why has the admins
tration refused them the rights Of self
government instead of "benevolently
assimilating'' them with shot and
shell?
The treachery exercised toward
Aguinaldo by the Mckinley admins
tration is enough to damn it in the
eyes of the civilized world. By Dew
ey's invitation he came from Singapore
to Hongkong to make arrangements to
cooperate with the Americans at Ma
Mia. After reaching Manila on Uni
ted States warship he was furnished
with arms by Dewey's directions. He
rallied the Filipinos and helped the
Americans to capture the city with the
loss of only one man. He was treated
with Difference by the American army
and naval officers.
General Anderson. first commander
Of our army in the Orient, in reply to
a question by Aguinaldo, said that the
United States had established no colo
MES in one hundred years. 1T may
seem," he says, "that my answer was
evasivc, but l was at the time trying
to contract with the F'ilipinos for
horses, carts, fuel and forage" Com
mander Bradford of our navy said of
him: "He is our ally and we are
bound to protect him." How he has
been protected is known to the entire
world.
The readers of the Irish Standard
know how Wolfe Tone and Robert
Emmett sought aid from France at the
beginning of this century. At his trial
Emmett was charged with being an
emissary of France, but he indignant
ly denied the accusation and said: 81
would not have submitted to foreign
oppressor; in the dignity of freedom
would have fought upon the thresh-
old Of my country, and it's enemy
should enter only by passing over my
lifeless corpse. Let no man attaint
my memory by believing that could
have engaged in any cause but that of
my country's liberty and independ-
ence."
Emmett would accept aid from a for
eign power to get rid Of oppression,
but he was not willing that his ally
would rule his native land. Had
France come to the aid of ireland and
driven the British out, and then as
sumed the government of the country
against the will of the people. does any
one believe that Emmett and his COM
patriots would be satisfied with an ex-
change of masters? Would the Amer
leans at the end Of the Revolutionary
war allow the French to rule this
country? The French and Americans
fought together against the English.
but Washington would not allow