Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1900-06-20
SOLDIERS FAVOR EXPANSION. A FOrcible Letter From all Officer Who Believes the American PeO-
 pie will Never Vote to
 Lower the Flag

A fOrclDle Letter From all Ofncer
 Who Believes the American Peo-
 pie will Never Vote to
 Lower the Flag
 A special to the St. Louis Globe-Dem- ocrat from Benton Illinois. gives a let ter received from Sergeant O. C. Smith formerly of that place. who is con nected with the Thirtieth infantry reg iment. United States volunteers, now ill the Philippine islands. The letter is written to the editor of the Benton Republican, and reads as follows:
 As many persons have written me asking what 1 now thing of the re publican party's expansion policy. l beg space in your most excellent paper to reply to them 1 have been on Lu- zOn island now nearly six months. During that time 1 have marched be tween 900 and 1000 miles. and this over the steepest mountain trails, through many miry swampS under a ScOrching tropical sun. in pouring rains or in the darkest of night. so you see I do not write simply from enthusiasm for d policy viewed from d distant view point. IL iS the pre- rOgative of a nation at war with any power to weaken them where and whenever it can do SO So it was al natural sequence of war that Dewey should engage in combat with Mon tejO'S squadron After this immortal victory we found Manila and Cavite in our possession. Dewey had to pro tect the foreign residents of those two cities and no soldiers at his com mand This k why the EilipinoS were armed. AguinaldO gave the graveSr as Sulances that he represented the in fiuentiaI class of the island This man. who is devoid of personal honor sold his country before for a few paltry pesos. so thinking that by be coming a traitor To the country which had placed him at the head of the Eli pinOS he might agGrandiZe himself The natives were easily led 10 re- beIlion The insurgents were only one of the many tribes that inhabit the ls- land. If the United States had with drawn their troops and left the is lands under the tyrannical rule o1 Spain they would have but consigned the natives to an endless and barhar- ous warfare It was plainly our duty tn take the islands in charge
 N key to the great volume of Asiatic com merce They give Us foothold in the eastern hemisphere. they place uS sec ond to no other nation The produc- tions of I.uzon alone will in short rin,e net us enough revenue to disburse all the debts contracted in securing these eastern dependencies. The most valuable of the productions is the CO., ! coanut. not simbly for eXpOrtation. as vnu see them in the states. but for the oil scan. combs. pastries. fuel. build in.r material and clothing which II prodr1eeS. Could you but take trip through Batangas and Tayabas prov ffreS and view the rice farms. orange orchards. cocoa groves. the hemp fields, ,-oru fields. and the many fisheries. rau could not help but be glad that this island k ours
 --Rrf we must not look at this ques- tfcn altogether from this selfish stand point. Is it the best thing for the Flil- D-nnS. They have been downtrodden bv SI,anish officials. treated as an ll- ferior race for so long that they are ignorant. SuperStitiOuS and treacher- ous. Naturally. they are quick tol learn the manners and methods of tbaSe who have them in their power The government k now opening ...-i ....,s in each and every town on the i.str.I. In the course of a few years . when liberty. education and civillZa- ! ffan which hOverS under the folds or fbe. stars and stripes spread through 1 our this island. then these people will fhank their God for the day that the Americans broke their chains of bon dage. The time will come when they viii erect a monument To William Me Kinlrv in the city of Manila
 Further. ! want to say that l firmly believe that the so-called antics are responsible for many of the deaths among our soldiers here The rebellion vorld have been ended months ago had not the hope been held out to the natives that if they continued to light ! and run that the American voters wouId not indOrse The republican pol icv. that Bryan would be elected and AeuinaIdO would be made president of the islands. and they would be al- lowed tO rule the other tribes there hv force of arms In each town We entered there were publications con rainins articles setting forth the above ideas
 --I have too much faith in the pa triotisn. national pride and intelli- ! sence of the American voters To think that they will indOrse man whose policy iS to drag down our flag from the turretS where it has been placed by the sacrifice of American lives and by the ar1uOus task of campaien- ing under a tropical sun 10000 miles From home. 1T the voters know the rue state of affairs there iS no doubt .,a r, rlc r-.assrsIr