The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-09-11
IGNORANCE OR - WHAT?
DEwEY's OPINION OF FILIPINos.
Plain Facts Give an Answer to Some
Peculiarly Garbled Statements.

Mr.. Bryan said in his speech at Te-
cumseh. Nebraska, ON Wednesday: 81
urged the ratification of the treaty of
peace. and also urged the passage of n
resolution promising independence to
the people of the Philippines. and If
your Republican administration had
passed the resolution there would not
have been one drop of blood shed in
the Philippines
The Republican administration, as
Mr. Bryan knows. did not have any
thing TO do with the passage of reso-
luton promising independence to the
Fillpinos. The resolution was before
Congress. and was opposed by Repub
Leans and Democrats alike. The state
ment that If the resolution had been
passed not one drop of blood would
have been shed in the Philippines is
tiatly contradicted by the facts.
On November u. 1SoS-three months
before the treaty of peace was ratified
-Apacible. Filipino agent at Hong
Kong, wrote Agunaldo as to the pur-
chase of arms and equipment, and ad-
vised him TO postpone the plan of at
tacking the Americans until the Fill
pinos were better prepared. A letter
from Apollinario Mabini. president of
Aguinaldo's council. written about the
same time. related the discussion in
the council of the plans for attacking
the Americans, and announced the de
cision of the councillors to place the
whole matter in the hands of Aguinal-
do himself. This was weeks before the
resolution promising independence. to
the FilipiDos was Introduced in Con-
grcss and three months before the trea-
~ was ratified.
As early as October -. 1898. Aguin-
aldo wrote the officer commanding the
Spanish troops nj Manila. proposing an
alliance of Spaniards and Filipinos to
drive the Americans out of the Philip
pines. on January Z, 1899. Aguinaldo
wrote to friends in Manila warning
them to leave the city because of the
proposed attack on the Americans.
The treaty of peace WAS ratified on
February 9th. The McEnery resolu-
ton. which Mr.. Bacon sought to amend
so as to pledge the United States to
withdraw from the Philippines and ac-
knowledge the Filipino government.
was presented in the Senate February
Tth Three days before blood had been
shed in the Philippines by general at
tack of the Filipinos on American
troops.
In answer to the question If he be
government Mr.. Bryan said: admiral
Dewey stated in n message to the sec
retary of the navy that the F1lipinos
were better capable of self-government
than the Cubans. and that he formed
his Judgment after study of both
races This is not fiat falsehood. but
comes very near 1t. On his arrival in
New York. September 26, 1899. Admir-
al Dewey gave out an authorized inter
view which was published in all the
leading American newspapers. He was
asked: DO you consider the Filipinos
capable of self-government, at least
enough so to justify the withdrawal of
American forces?'' The admiral an
swcred: NO: they are not. They are
more capable of governing themselves
than the Cubans are. Some OF them l
doubt not are now capable of admin
'istering affairs. but the great majority
of them have the crudest ideas of hon
est and efficient government They
don't know the meaning of the word
honesty"
Neither Mr.. Bryan nor any other
Democrat ever quotes this deliberate
opinion of Admiral Dewey. Neither
Mr.. Bryan nor any other Democrat
ever mentions the fact that the procla-
nation of the President to the F1li-
pinos. issued December %, 1888, and
officially proclaimed in Manila January
>. 1890. four weeks before there was
any shedding of blood, promised more
of liberty and self-government to the
Filipinos than was ever promised by
jefferson to the people of Louisiana. or
by President Polk to the people of Cal
ifornia and New Mexico, or by Presi-
dent Johnson to the people of Alaska.
Chicago Inter-Ocean.