Washington sentinel., 1900-01-13
Otis against McKIniey-The Presi-
dent CenaOred

OTIS against McKIniey-The Presi-
dent CensOFed
It has often been charged by
Anti Imperiallsts that the Presi-
dents Filipino proclamation
a little more than a year ago was
distinctly responsible for the war.
The origin OF the outbreak was the
wanton firing upon the FIlipinos
and the staying of two OF them by
our soldiers on February 4th, 1899,
but il the Presidents proclamation
had not been issued FIVE weeks
earlier the probabilities are that
the FIlipinos would not have been
so alarmed as to marshal an army
for the defense OF their rights.
This proclamation, it will be re-
membered, promised, or rather
threatened, benevolent assimIla-
tion," and it claimed sovereignty
over the whole Philippine archi-
pelago and directed General O;is
to extend with all possible des-
patch to the whole OF the ceded
territory" the military govern
ment heretofore maintained by the
United States over the city, harbor,
and bay Of Manila" AS this was
more than a month before the
treaty was ratified, of course the
United Sta es did not have even a
technical right to claim that any
thing whatever had been "ceded,'
and this was asserte d by the Presi-
dent him self in his speech last sum-
mer in Pittsburg. He had appar-
emily forgotten at the moment OF
making that speech that during
the last week oi the previous De-
cember he had issued this illegal
and wautonly aggressive and inn
pudent proclamation.
Three days after its issue this
proclaim alton was in the hands Of
General Otis. He had a copy Of
1T instantly made and sent 70 GEN
eral Miller who, equally in VIOLA
ton OF all pretense Of right, had
been sent to make war on the city
ofIloilo. Miller Immediately pub
lished the warlike proclamation
for such a proclamation under the
circumstances was a definite dec
laration Of war upon a peaceful
people. General Otis in his Off
cial report of August 8. 1899, saws
that he looked over he proclama-
ton moro carefully and found that
"there were certain words and ex-
pressions therein, such as 'sov-
ereignty,' right Of cession,' and
those which directed immediate
occupation which might be advan-
tageously used by the war party to
incite widespread hosrilIties." Otis
blandly goes on to say that he was
afraid the threat to seize their ter
ritorY and subvert their govern.
ment might possibly be taken to
mean that they were going to lose
their national independence And
so. he adds, "it was my opinion
that l would be justified in so
amending the paper that the bene-
ficent object of the United States
Government would be brought
clearly within the comprehension
OF the people," In other words,
he thought it was prudent to strike
out the threats Of subjugation ard
tyranny and conceal tor the time
being the purpose ofthe President.
Therefore he did so and pu blished
the proclamation in its mutilated
form, and he quotes Tor US the form
in which he finally allowed it to
appear. But the indIscreet Miller
had got in his work as the Presi-
dents minIon. and the mischief
was done. The natives read the
threats OF subjugating them and
sagaciouslY guessed that such
threats meant them no good. Ex-
citement followed IN Manila. In
dignatIon meetings were held.
Men rushed to arms. Or this Otis
says: "All avenues OF exit were
filed with vehicles transporting
families and household effects to
surrounding villages. The railway
properties were taxed to their ut
most capacity in carrying the fee
ing inhabitants to the north within
the protection oil the established
insuTRent lines. A carefully pre-
pared estimate showed that 40, ,oee
OF the Inhabitants oi the city de.
parted witIiR the esriod Of Gitssu