The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-09-10


labor. q short day is better than a short
dollar. one will tighten the burdens. the
other lessons the rewards OF toll. The
one will promote contentment and inde-
pendence: the other penury and want The
wages OF labor should be adequate TO
Keen the home I'm comfort. educate the
children. and with thrift and economy,
Law something by for the day of infirmity
and old age
,rhe president defends his reduction OF
the civil service list. asserting that the
merit system. as far az practicable, is
made the basis for appointments 10 Of
ace I'm our new territory: mentions the
pensions: says long step has been taken
I'm fulnIlment OF the guarantees TO Cuba,
and asserts that "a more representative
government is already I'm operation i'm
porto Rico than Louisiana had under
Jefferson.
THE PHILIPPINES.
The treatment OF the Philippine ques-
ton is I'm the presidents famiiiar style OF
copious quotation from his own state
papers and the reports OF MS commas
sions Then he says:
Nobody who will avail himself or the
facts will longer hold that there was
any alliance between our soldiers ana
the Insurgents. or that any promise OF
independence was made To them. Long
before their leader had reached Manila
they had resolved IL the commander OF
the American navy would give tnem
arms with which To fight the Spanish
army they would later turn upon us.
which they did murderously and with
out the shadow of cause or justification.
There NAV be those without the me2ns
of full Information who believe that we
were in alliance with the insurgents and
that we assured them that they should
have Independence To such let me re-
neat the facts. On the 18th day OF May
1895. Admiral Dewey was instructed by
me TO make no alliance with any party or
faction I'm the Philippines that would In
chr liability to maintain their cause in
the future, and he replied under date or
June G. 1895: Have acted according TO
snirit OF departments instructions from
the beginning and I have entered into no
alliance with the insurgents or
with any faction. This SQUADRON
can reduce the defences OF Ma
Mia az anv moment. but IL Is considered
useless until the arrival of sufficient
United States forces TO retain possess
sion" In the report OF the first Philip
pine commission. submitted on Nov. :,
1899. Admiral Dewey. one OF It's members,
said:
mo alliance Of any kind was entered
into with Aguinaldo. nor was any prom
ise of independence made TO him at any
time"
Gen. Merritt arrived i'm the Philippines
on July %. 1898. and a dispatch from Ad-
miral Dewey to the government at WASH
ington said: Merritt arrived yes crday.
situation is most critical al Manila. The
Spanish may surrender at any moment.
Merritt's most difficult problem Will be
how TO deal with the insurgents under
Agunaldo. who have become aggressive
and even threatening toward our army
Here Is revealed the spirit of the insur-
gents as early as July, 1898. before the
protocol was signed, while we were stii
engaged I'm active war with Spain. Even
then the insurgents were threatening our
army.
on. Aug. IL Manila was captured and
OF this and subsequent events the PHI
lippine commission says: When the city
of Manila was taken, Aug. 10, the Fill
pinos took no part I'm the attack but
came following in with view TO loot
ing the clty. and were only prevented
from doing so by our forces preventing
them from entering. Aguinaldo claimed
that he had the right to occupy the city;
he demanded of Gen. Merritt the palace
of Malacauan for himself. and the cession
OF all the churches of Manila, also that
a 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 Anderson,
who were in command ut the beginning
OF our occupation. and until the surren-
der of Manila, state that there was no
alliance with the insurgents, and no
promise to them OF Independence. on
Aug. II. 1898. Gen. Merritt was instructed
that there must be no joint occupation
OF Manila with the insurgents Gen. An
derson. under date of Feb. 10. 1900 SAYS
that he was present at the interview be-
tween Admiral Dewey and the insurgent
leader. and that I'm this interview Ad-
miral Dewey made no promises whatever
lie adds: "IIe (Aguinaldo) asked me II
my government was going 20 recognize
his government. | answered that | was
there simply I'm a military capacity; that
l could not acknowledge his government,
because | had no authority TO do so"
Would not our adversaries have sent
Dewey's fleet TO Manila To capture and
destroy the Spanish sea power there or
dispatching II there. would they have
withdrawn 10 after the destruction OF the
Spanish fleet: and II the latter whittier
would they have directed IL TO saii2
where could II have gomez What part in
the orient was opened 90 it7 DO YOU adj
versaries condemn the expedition under
the command of Gen. Merritt To strength
en- Dewey In the distant ocean and as
sist in our triumph over Spain. with
which nation We were at war? Was "a
not our highest duty TO strike Spain az
every vulnerable point. that the war
might be successfully concluded at the
earliest practicable moment2
There has been no time since the de-
structlon OF the enemy's fleet 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 n
foot OF the territory thus acquired. The
Congress has not seen ht TO do the one
or the other, and the president had no
authority 10 do either. n ne had been
so inclined. which no was not So long
as the sovereignty remains In us, IL is