The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-08
ENTHUSIASM
AT GRAND RAPIDS
UNSURPASSED

now to a little band Of military usurpers would
he to surrender the islands to bloodshed ana
misery. Our stay in the islands is the condition
precedent Of peace. With us expansion means,
as it always has meant, peace. When we took
New Mexico it meant that we gave to that ter,
ritory peace. and saved Il from the quarter OF
century of bloody fighting which followed Tor
Old Mexico When We expanded west OF the
Mississippi il meant that we put a stop to the
Sioux, and Crow, Cheyenne and Pavnee. 30
now the establishment OF our rule in the Ihil-
ppines means to give the islands peace. and 1t
is the only chance they have OF getting peace
OF Of getting good government 10 contract IN
stead of expand means cruel war, cruel deSpot-
ism for the islands which would abandon.
We have a right to ask the support OF every
lover of peace, of every believer in peace, Tor
the righteous, policy wc have pursued IN tne
Philippines. No statesman worthy of the name
no patriot or philanthropist wlo Is entitled to
moments hearing before the bar OF
manEnd Will MAINTAIN that @ ,I5Snendenec ths S
means that no man throughout the world, no
matter what his crimes or his limitations is to
b, excused from the Observance of law and
| order if he happens to think that lawlessness
and disorder suit him best. As has been shown
again and again, neither Jefferson, the author
Of the declaration of independence, nor Lincoln,
the man who did most to make the facts OF our
national life correspond with shat same doctrine,
ever dreamed for a moment of giving II such IN
terpretauon. Lincoln in one Of ms great
speeches at Springfield, June %, 1857, thus al
luGed to the trainers of the declaration ot lpde'
| pendence: They did not mean TO assert the
| enjoying equality, nor vet that they were about
| TO confer it Immediately upon them. In
fact they had no power to confer such o4%n. 4:
| the enforcement Of it might !ollow fast as
circumstances would Permit. They meant to set
up standard maxim Cor free society which
| should be familiar to all and rcvcrcd by all;
constantly looked to- constantly lahorCd for, and
even though never perfectly attained, constantly
| and deepening its influence and aGigmentnS the
happiness and value of life to all people,
Rescued from Tyranny.
| I received the other day a letter from Captain
| MofTett, of the First Dakota Volunteers, giving
| his experience with the prisoners in Manila
prison, when that city was captured ot .l' lhg
| that they had been tortured and wronged IN
| the most terrible way. anl most OF them had
not even been tried FOR the crimes they we're
alleged to have committed Over half OF them
| were probably entirely innocent. ] cannot even
| enumeratc the tortures hahtualy used by the
| SpaniardS to these Filipino prisoners and whtn
| | read such letters as these OF CAPTAIN Nohett
| and such letters rs that | snail qnote from the
gallant son of a gallant Confederate o:iccr, my
| blood boilS at the foul ISLANDERS Of the men Who
| dshonor the name uf America by attacks on our
policy and our soldiers in the Philippines. The
simple truth is that wc rescued those ISLANDS ,I
| from the hdcous tyranny of the Spaniards and
| the anarchy of the corrupt and lloOdy lnsur'
| gent chiefs. We are nov rdpiily establishing a
| stable government, aud wherever we have sue
| Coodrd in establishing that government, we lave
| already given 10 the natives such justice ard
| liberty as neither they nor their torctatbels
| have ever known throughout the ages. No
hlackcr wrong could be done them than to turn
| them back to their own devices to work out
their own destruction.
| | have spoken of the cruclics committed by
the insurgcnt natives, especially upon those ma
tivcS who refused to join in the insurrection.
Many Of the officers whom ] knew before san
tiago write me about 7ffars in the Philippines.
cannot as a rule make public their names
From series Of letters however, | desire 10
| uuote TO YOU certain extracts They are written
L.. ~ 1.tt md hgD AZ 10 klT
Lrcathed, a Democrat, a soUtharncr. a son OF a
most gallant Confederate officer In them he
writes as follows:
I'VE have worked and planned to get these
pcople who cared to be friendly and accept our
protection to come into town. We succeeded,
| Many of the Filipinos came in and we're given
houses. Those without food were supplied, the
sick were doctorcd, etc. Now IT is the earnest
q dcavor of all the insurgents to burn the town,
kill or carry off the people, men, women and
children They treat their prisoners with great
cruelty. There is terrible suffering among the
Amigos whom We cannot protect. ! near con
tmually and believe they are waiting Tor TIC
November election and will be active until then
Our troops entered a new town not long age
and called in the chief local officer for talk
The matter was laid fairly before him as &c
whether he wished TO Join with rs or 20 witt
the iusuTectiun. Being a thinking man he
lesitated few moments and ihen i2ariy tho1F hi
whether Bryan or Mckinley would be elected
this fall lie Joined Ms only after Icing as
sucrd that there was possibility ot BNan'
being elected would certainly vote tn,
straight Republican tcset if | were home"
Crime Encouraged.
~ cannot understand how our own country
should do So much to encourage IL, inauucctloT
and cause the loss of so muJa lie In TIM
island I know that the army o, insurr'ctoes anc
gucwillas is kcpt alive 10y people at home
| BTyan's campaign Is most closely followed. III,
speeches OF public men who oppose expansion
sTurgIng nu 0 for his liberty are re translated into h
several dialects and issued as circulars. From
an intelligent prisoner the other day | lcarne'
that the people were assured that Bryan WUult
be elected and that oul ships would be with
drawn and the massacre OF Americans would b
the order of the day. II YOU doubt this wis
you would see their hlrbaTOuS mutldtlon q
J the prisoners and wounded that they take.
do believe that ii Bryan and his sympathizer
cannot make their campaign without such act
! and speech as are tlattoIouS TO the government
in time OF war, il would he moro generous an
noble TO hold their opinions in allegiance unit
, We can straighten out this tanglC, Ii Bryan
defeated and the country gives the administra
tion the right support we can finish up thi
| job here without great loss OF American ~
, and without great punishment to the natives
This town, one OF the worst on the islands
, Is now practically on sclt-sustdining basis an
! the municipal affairs managed by the native
I themselves, ! begin 10 believe things Will shaT
! | up here within a lew months We made an e'
! pedition last month 10 the mountains 10 III
' relief OF some AmcriCauista natives held pr
oEers bv the insnreCtos. We found them, al
, their condition and place OF confinement wei
|, horrible, beyond description Their crime W.
LIVING IN a town llolcNltl ny Alltlltfu Albop
I and thc cruelty with which they were treate
y, was equal 10 the sort inflicted by our Indian
in their worst DAYS, Their faroritc punslIneI
], Is 10 break the legs OF their prisoners wit
. stocks, or making them sit down on live Goa
. OF fire. Wouldn't hey make a hne class
govern here? The insurrcctoes governed tn
\ island Oeytel for about year and a half Defo
II we came. Their plan was to sell the offices
III the highest cash bidder and each purchaser So
III the offices under him in like manner, The san
ii plan held good in the municipal offices Natura
III ly, the most intelligent natives are now on o'
/ side and | believe firmly that the best class
ii will become capable OF an intelligent admin
II tration Of their internal affairs"
H Proposition of the Antis.
II Now with these extracts in your mind, | wi
4 you 10 remember that our opponents propo'
! tion IS that we should turn over TO unspeakab
| torture at the hands Of those who have be,
N hghting US, the men, women and children wi
. have been friendly to us and who have trust