Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-07-04

der in the ranks OF the Republican party,
keeping step always ito the music OF the
Union"
This is not the time or the occasion TO
dwell upon the incidents Of the war, crowd.
ed with successive victories and illumned
with countless exa mples Of individual brav-
cry and gallant conduct. Its living heroes
are honored lay generous country; ito
dead have snnobled the race and will live
forever in the hearts OF grateful people.
Throughout all its anxious days the presi
dent. tommander.in-chief OF our armies
aud nnvies, planned and directed with un-
erriug hand. Ills wise diplomacy saved us
from threatened International compliea-
tions. From the commencement oi hostil-
tiles until their close the conduct Of the
war was unassailubls aud the paltry criti
cisms OF two years are already buried in
the limbo of oblivion.
Had there been no war with Spain this
republic, inclined by principle aud instinct
and tradition to peaceful ways, would
have continued the develop nent OF our
national resources and character within
its existing borders, content in the future,
as throughout the century just ending, with
that path OF national duty. We are not
warlke or n quarrelsoms people.
The future OF nations, however like the
future of man, 10 hid from mortal vision.
aud no more than man may nation
choose it's own duties. When this war
ended and we faced our victory in all its
completeness, we found eight millions OF
people living upon uncounted islands de.
livered into our hands. Abandonment OF
them would be confession that while the
oppression by Spain OF million and n hall
OF Cuhane demanded our armed interier.
ence, greater barbarity and cruelty to mil.
lions Of Filipines, less able to protect them.
selves, wEs subject of no concern to US.
No civilized nation in the world, no Chris.
tian nation, could have turned these peo.
pie back to Spain. Our commissioners.
the Philippines, voiced the sentiments and
wishes OF the American people; and this
nation has assumed with open eyes and
with full realization OF the difficulties which
may be encountered the grave responsible.
ties imposed upon us by the treaty Of
Paris.
Na a t,1 La tu i-la lE ria in
all the products of the tropics, in mineral
wealth, and in the possibilities Of their fu'
ture development. SO much the better.
But il they we're as barren as the Libyan
desert we would have taken them just the
same.
We have not been there long, but long
that the first thing we intend doing is to
supprees the TaRal insurrection and to es
tablsh law and order throughout the
archipelago. That is the frat thirg we
shall do. And the last. the very last thing
we intend doing, is to consider, even Tor a
moment, the question Of giving up or Of
aba ndoning these islands.
We are actually owners Of the Philippines
by an undisputed and indubitable title.
We are there as the necessary and logical
outcome OF our victory over Spain.
There are upwards OF thousand Islands
sprinklsd upon that southern sea, peoplsd
by more than eighty tribes OF differing race
and language, and having absolutely moth
ing in common with each other. Most OF
these tribes welcome our coming and are
grateful Tor our protection. The TaIa'
tribe, hostile not only to us, but to most
OF the native tribes, are in insurrection
against our authority. They have neither
a government nor the capacity to conduct
one, and are wsging n predatory guerilla
warfare which would be turned against the
other native tribes II We let them alone
What would the Democracy have us do?
Give them up to rapine aud bloodshed and
leave the islands as t,i-am and jetsam on
the face OF the water-' There are parallels
in our own history. We purchased Florida
from Spain in 1871, when it had four fthoU.
sand white settlers for five millions oi dol
lars and other valuable considerations.
The Seminoles, nati,ef Of the soil, brays
resolute, having far greater intelligence and
character than the Tagals, disputed our
possession. We sent Andrew Jackson down
to fight them, and It took twenty
years to subiue them and send what was
left OF them west OF the Mississippi. II the
"anti.every things" had lived then they
would, suppose, have urged US t. turn
over Florida to OsceOla, the Aguinaldo OF
the seminoles. Would you, after the war
with Mexico and the Gadsden purchase,
have given the great area south and west
OF the Arkansas to the red Apache? Not
so did our fathers esnstrue their duty, and
as they built 80 shall We, their sons,
The insurrectioa against our legitimate
authority. which for the time impedes our
efforts TO establish a government for the
Filpinos. involves us in a sacrifice Of lives
and treasure. The obstacles we encounter
in the island Of Luzon are many, but the
chiei inspiration and encouragement OF ths
Tsgal insurrectivn comes from the Demo
cratic headquarters in the United States
Partisanship has proved stronger than pa
triotism, even while our soldiers are being
murdered by marauding bandits, and II il
were not Tor the hope held out to Aguin,
aldo by American sympathizerE, the insur
reetion in the Philippines would long ago
have ended.
The obstacles To the establishment oI a
civil government in the islands are many,
but we shall overcome them Mistakes
will undoubtedly bs made, but we shall
remedy them. We shall in time extend
over that archipelago the aegis Of our pro.
lection and Of free vernment and We shall
gradually hut surely liz up those alien and
savage races into the light OF civilization