The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-29
NEWS AND OBSERVER SATURDAY MORNING SEPT 49, 1900

NEWS AND OBHERVEh, GA
has done for-or rather with us" He
declares it has involved us In a war
OF conquest, of criminal aggression,
TO subjugate Il people fighting for
their freedom and independence" Oh
flclal dispatches of the President to
Admiral Dewey are quoted to show
that it was not considered of thu
manity and civilization" that con-
cerned the President when he took
possession of the islands, but it was.
to use the language of the Presidents
dispatch, 1.-The desirability of the sew
eral islands; the character of their
populations; the coal and other mineral
deposits; their harbor and commercial
advantages; and in naval and COM
mercial sense"
And even now. Mr.. Schurz points
out, while Mckinley and Hanna are
prating of humanity and civiliza-
tion,' there are other lesser rights in
every nook and corner of the land
appealing to coarsest greed of wealth
and most vainglorious pride of might,
describing in absurdly gorgeous colors
the riches somebody might get on
those islands, and the magnificent po-
sition as great world power their
position will give u.s.
No, From whatever side we may look
at it, this Filipino war was from the be-
ginning, and is, barefaced, cynical war
of conquest IN the words truest sense.
How was this war brought about? Here
again the Presidents presentation of the
case in his letter of acceptance must
be confronted with indisputable historical
facts
BOUGHT PEOPLE LIKE CATTLE.
Then the speaker shows how
Aguinaldo and his followers, lured by
promises of independence, were enlist
ed on the side of the Americans in
the fight against Spain, to find them
selves later treated not as allies but
as enemies.
Now when the time came for deter
mining the future of the Philippines in
the peace treaty with the common enc
my" our President, having nothing but
Justice and humanity and civilization in
his mind, of course promptly invited the
Filipinos. who had rendered such good
service against the common enemy, to
acquaint him with their views and wish
es? Any just and benevolent man would
have been eager to do this. Alas. our
President did not think of it. But when
the Filipinos asked to be heard. he at
least kindly gave them audience? No, not
even that. He coldly turned his back
upon them. And then, behind doors tight
ly shut against our Filipino allies, the
President through his peace commission,
bargained with the defeated common
enemy" from whom the Filipinos had
wrested the interior of their native land,
for the transfer of the Philippine Island
ers ct So q head from Spanish foreign
rule to American foreign rule. And he
did this while he knew that Spain had not
only morally forfeited her sovereignty
over the Philippines by her misrule, as
we had held in the case of Cuba, to the
inhabitants of the country, but that Spain
had actually lost that sovereignty in
the war carried on in great part by the
Filipinos and could not deliver it. No
body can deny this. 1t is history.
What? Such thing was done by the
President of this great American Re-
public the child of the Declaration OF In
dependence, the champion of liberty and
justice IN the world. the guiding star of
liberty-loving mankind? In the name
of this republic he bought people like a
herd OF cattle from a defeated common
enemy" against whom by the side of our
flag those people had VIGOROUSLY fought
for their freedom and independence? Yes,
he did that very thing, without even lis
tening to them. and he now asks the
American people to declare by their sol
emn votes that it was we'll done. and
that they approve it.
BERAYAL OF OUR ALLIES.
American citizens, l appeal to you in
all soberness-what would you have said
three years ago, before the imperialistic
poison had corrupted your blood-what
would you have said if anybody had pre-
dcted such thing as possible? There
is not a man among you who would not
have declared such a prophet fit for the
madhouse.
And how do the Presidents defenders
excuse this atrocity? By saying that we
owe the FiliDinos no moral consideration
that should have kept us from doing it.
This excuse is almost nay, fully as mean
as the original villainy itself. The Filipi-
nos were N ldcL our dlllSS III llIO WcIA
against Spain. They had been called by
Dewey to our assistance to do military
work which at the time, with the forces
we had, we could not have done ourselves.
They were not a mere little band of bar
barrie auxiliaries to hover about the TANKS
of the enemy They had an army OF 20
900 to 10000 men, and we'll organized
civil government effectively ruling large
part of the population, and recognized by
well nigh the whole of it. They render
ed important service in the field. They
correspondent with our commanders on an
independent footing. Nay, they were prac-
tically recognized by our commanders as
allies even to the extent of having thou
sands of Spanish prisoners, partly taken
by our forces. turned over to them. Can
practical recognition as allies go further?
If they were not our allies, what were
they?
The imperialistic answer is, that they
were not our allies because we never Off
ciaIly called them So and that there
fore we owed them no moral obligation as
such. Are those who use such an argu-
ment men of self-respect? Are we ma
ton of gentlemen, and will not every gen.
tIeman he ashamed to repudiate moral