The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-03-03

"Thus, in the first place, he contrived to
turn the undetermined unselfish war OF liber-
alton into vulgar land grabbing game, and
TO strip the American people of the unique
glory OF most generous act, grand IN its un-
selfshness. Does he think such breach Of
faith can be pleasing to the sight of an all
righteous Providence? Or. does he imagine
he can deceive an ominscient God by the willy
plea that the pledge of an unselfsh generosity
applied only to the Western hemisphere, and
that the liberating Of one people gave us
right to subjugate another2
PHILIPPINE COMMISSIONERS REPORT.
81 have read with care the famous .prelim
mary report made by the Philippine Com
mission at the request of the President just
before the last November elections; and |
confess that some passages of it have filled me
with painful antonishment. That report, fer
instance, in order to Justify what has been
done, asserts that no alliance of any kind
was entered into with Aguinaldo, nor was any
promise of independence made to him then
or at any other time I was sorry TO see
such IA statement signed by gentlemen of high
standing. Was it worthy of such men to for
get that while there was alliance in FORM
signed. sealed and delivered, there was CO.
operation amounting to an alliance III fact,
and that this carried with it moral obligations
of class which no man of honor will disre-
gard2''
He then quoted from the report to show
that the Filipinos had been very effective
allies, virtually recognized as such by our
commanders. He quoted Admiral Dewey's
despatch to the Secretary of the Navy relating
the capture of 1900 Spanish troops, which
were turned over to7Aguinaldo, and the recent
report that claim would he made for dam
ages by Spain, who surrendered them to the
United States forces only by agreement with
our navy officers. From which he argued
that Aguinaldo was practically recognized as
a beligerent ally He added
''But let us hear Admiral Dewey himself.
In a recent letter answering an inquiry from
Senator Lodge as to what pledges were given
to Aguinaldo, the Admiral says: i never
treated him as an ally, except TO make use OF
him and the natives to assist me in my opera
tions against the Spaniards. Precisely so.
We used them practically as allies against
the common enemy, profting from their co,
them, we refused them the recognition morally
due to an ally. Does not the Admiral give
away the whole case?
'.After all this, what fair minded man will
deny to all intents and purposes the Filpinos
were our allies; that they were fairly entitled
at our hands TO every consideration due from
one ally to another; and that when our Ad-
ministration refused them audience at the
peace negotiations which we're TO decide their
fate, and then behind their backs bought them
like a herd of cattle from the defeated com
mon enemy, it did n thing so mean in its dis
loyalty that it is no wonder its sponsors shrink
from looking it in the face, but nervously
strive TO hide lis hideousness from their own
eyes by covering it up with all sorts OF pretexts
aud ophistries ?'
FILIPINO INDEPENDENCE.
Speaking of the contention of the Commis
sioners that ''no promise of independence
was ever made to the Filipinos, he said the
question was whether we had given them any
reason for believing that after defeating the
Spanish their independence would be recog-
nized. He said:
ave permitted them TO entertain that be-
lief when acting as our allies. 1t IS true, III
Washington the scheme was meanwhile hatch
ed TO rob them of their fairly earned indie
pendence Was the Administration at least
honest enough then to inform them that their
expectation of independence might be disap-
pointed? 1t was not. Indeed, the Admnis-
tration did secretly instruct our Consuls and
commanders not to make any promises to the
FiIipinos that might embarrass the execution
of the treacherous scheme: But the Filipinos
themselves we're left in their happy confidence
so long as their service as our allies was OF
anv value to us. | say, therefore, although
there was no written engagement promising
them their Independence, our solemn procla-
nation at the beginning of the war that this
would be war of liberation, and not OF con-
quest and our permitting them to expect their
independence accordingly while we accepted
their aid as our allies, constituted promise
so complete and morally so binding that IT is
difficult to understand how any honest man
can so forget himself as TO question 1t.
Referring to the position taken by our Gov
ernment that Spain had forfeited her sover-
eighty in Cuba, and must, therefore, be driven
out, he asked:
'sHow does this bear upon the case of the
Philippines? 1t is a fact, not questioned by
anybody, that Spanish sovereignty was histor-
ically no better founded in the Philippines
than in Cuba; that Spanish misrule was fully
as grievous in the Philippines as in Cuba; that
the people of the Philippines had risen against
the misrule as the Cubans had; that the case
of the Philippines was, therefore, identical
with that of Cuba-with this difference, that
the Filipinos had achieved much greater mill
tary successes, and organized far better and
stronger native Government than the Cubans
ever had; so that, in the Philippines, the
Spaniards had not only, as they had in Cuba,
forfeited the moral title TO sovereignty, but
had actually lost also the exercise and posses
sion of it. The right of the Filipinos to sover-
eighty over their country was, therefore, ac-
cording to our own professed principles, even
stronger than that of the Cubans. !"
Referring to the purchase from SPAN, he
said
TO take a wrongful advantage of his neighbor
may keep clear of the penitentiary, but he is
not an honest man.
"And now | soberly ask you, does not the
purchase Of that Spanish sovereignty put the
American people plainly into that category
How pitiably the Administration itself has
been at sea as to the origin of our title to SOW
ereignty On December 81, 1898, in his
famous benevolent assimilation order, which,
in fact. was his declaration of war against the
Flipinos, President Mckinley said The
destruction of the Spanish fleet in the harbor
OF Manila by the United States naval squad
ron, followed by the reduction of the city and
the surrender of the Spanish forces, practical
" effected the conquest of the Phiappine Is
lands and the suspension OF Spanish sover-
eighty therein. With the signature of the
treaty of peace between the United States aud
Spain ON the 10th instant, and as the result OF
the victories of American arms, the future
control, disposition and government OF the
Philippine Islands are ceded 10 the United
States. In fulfillment of the right of soyer-
eighty thus acquired, he ordered immediate
military occupation
Mr.. Schurz did not regard that as truthful
statement of the case, and that the President
himself admitted it speech several months
later at Pittsburg, when he said we had no
authority in the island beyond Manila city,
bay and harbor. He continued
s.And finally comes the President, who