Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-09-13
Number Il

L
liability to maintain their cause in the
future, and he replied under date of June
| u, 1898: Have acted according to spirit
| of departments instructions from the be-
ginning, and l have entered into no al
lance with the insurgents or with any
faction. This squadron can reduce the
defenses of Manila at any moment. but it
is considered useless until the arrival of
| sufficient United States forces to retain
| possession.
I'm the report of the first Philippine
commission, submitted on Nov. ., 1899,
| Admiral Dewey. one of its members
| said. No alliance ofnny kind was enter
| ed into with Aguinaldo, nor was any
! promise of independence made to him at
any time
General Merritt arrived in the Philip
pines on July %. 1898. and dispatch
from Admiral Dewey to the government
| at Washington said: Merritt arrived yes
| terday. Situation is most critical ut Ma
| Dila. The Spanish may surrender at any
moment. Merritt's most difficult problem
will be how to deal with the insurgents
under Aguinaldo. who have become ag
gressive and even threatening toward oul
| army. Here is revealed the spirit of the
| insurgents early as July. 1898, before
| the protocol was signed, while we were
still engaged i'll active war with Spain.
| Even then the insurgents were threaten
| ing our army.
| ''On Aug. 13 Manila was captured. and
| of this and subsequent events the Philip
| pine commission says: when the city of
| Manila was taken. Aug. 13, the Filipinos
| took no part in the attack. but came fol
lowing in with view to looting the city
| and were only prevented from doing 50
| t,xn fhx.,. fp.
tering. Aguinaldo claimed that he had
the right to occupy the city. He demand
ed of General Merritt the palace of Ma
| lacanan for himself and the cession of all
| the churches of Manila, also that part
| of the money taken from the Spaniards
as spoils of war should be given up and
above all that he should be given the
arms of the Spanish prisoners. All these
| demands were refused.
| ''Generals Merritt. Greene and Ander
son. who We're in command at the begin
ming of our occupation and until the sur
| render of Manila. state that there was no
alliance with the insurgents and no prom
Use to them of independence. On Aug.
II. 1898. General Merritt was instructed
that there must te no joint occupation of
Manila with the insurgents. General
Anderson under date of Feb. 10, 1899.
says that he was present at the interview
! between Admiral Dewey and the insur-
! gent leader and that in this interview
| Admiral Dewey made no promises what
ever. He adds: lie tAguinaldo asked
me if my government was going to recos-
| niZe his government | answered that |
| was there simply i'll Il military capacity,
that | could not acknowledge his govern
ment because | had no authority To do
| So.
| Would not our adversaries have sent
| Dewey's feet To Manila to capture AMI
destroy the Spanish sea power there. or.
| dispatching il there. would they have
withdrawn it after the destruction of the
Spanish fleet, and if the latter, whittier
would they have directed il To sail?
| Where could it have gone! What port
| in the orient was open to il? DO our
| adversaries condemn the expedition I'M
| der the command of General Merritt to
| strengthen Dewey in the distant ocean
and assist in our triumph over Spain,
| with which nation we were at war! Was
| it not our highest duty to strike Spain ut
every vulnerable point. that the war
might he successfully concluded at the
| earliest practicable moment!
| And was il not our duty To protect the
| lives and property of those who came
| within our control by the fortunes of
/
any time between May |. lS.,S. and the
conclusion of peace without "A ain upon
| our good name;
Gould we have come away without
dishonor at any time after the ratitica-
| tion of the peace treaty by the senate
| of the United States!
| There has been no time since the de-
| struction of the enemys feet when we
could or should have left the Philippine
archipelago. After the treaty of peace
was ratified no power but congress could
surrender our sovereignty or ALLEVIATE Il
/ foot OF the territory thus acquired. The
| congress has not seen hi to do the one
OF the other, and the president had M
authority to do either II he had been 81
inclined. which he was not. 80 long as
| the sovereignty remains IN Ms II Il the
duty Of the executive. whoever he may
be. 10 uphold that sovereignty and IL IL
he Attacked to suppress its assailants.
Would our political adversares do less
1t has been asserted that there would
have been no lighting in the Philippines
il congress had declared lis purpose {"
| give Independence To the Tngal insur-
| gents. The insurgents did not wait for
the action of congress. They assumed
the offensive. They opened hire on our
army. Those who assert our responsi-
| hiiity for the beginning "t tue snhhist
have forgotten that before the treat, was
ratified ia the senate and while II Was
being debated In that body and while the
Uacan resolution was under discussion
ON Feb. I. ls.nl. the insurgents attacked
the American army after b.ing presI"tis-
IL advised that the American forces were
| under orders not Ia fiie upon them except
in defense. The papers found ih the re-
Gently captured archives ~ the instr
gents demonstrate that this attack had
been carefully planned for weeks hetore
IL occurred Their unproyoked assault
upan Our soldiers at u time when TIE seii-
ate was delihefating upon the treaty
shows that na actian nn our part except
| surrender aud Abandonment would have
nreyented the lighting aud leaves u"
.laubl Ia any fair mlnd of wher. the re
spansihilliN rests for the shedding of
American blood."