Rock Island Argus., 1900-04-11
Monthly List of Bills.
The following bills were allowed
DIsAGREEs WITH JOHNSTON
w. $. Neal Tells His Views of Conditions
in the Philippines.

In the philippines.
Rock Island, April editor of
THE ARGUs:-Having read in your is
sue of the 9th the opinion of one
Johnston in regard to the war in the
Philippines, l beg leave to correct a
few mistakes, if you will give me
space, for the benefit of those who are
not familiar with the facts, especially
as have read so many stories in re-
gard to the Philippine campaign and
the conditions prevailing there, all
more or less, containing terrible tales
of misrule, suffering, suppression of
the truth, etc. Mr.. Johnston seems
TO have a kick coming as he has
not one good word for any one con-
nected with the running of affairs in
Luzon. In the first place, he saws we
have no business there, and that the
Filipinos are capable of governing
thems selves
The Philippine islands fell into our
hands accidentally, as we all know.
and there never has been a time since
the Spaniards surrendered Manila
that the United States government
could let them 60, as all thinking
men will have to admit, for to have
done so, would have meant factional
war among the natives themselves
which would have lasted for years, re-
sulting in the slaughter of thousands,
as there are Is or 20 different tribes
in Luzon, and as many different
languages spoken, and they would
have been sure to have clashed and
fought for supremacy, and under
such circumstances it would have
been disgrace to the American gov
ernment to have left them in such a
state.
agree with Mr.. Johnston that there
are many we'll educated Filipinos in
Manila, but they are in the minority,
and they know nothing of self-gov-
ernment, as they have had no eX-
perience except what they have
learned from the Spanish, and we all
know on what lines the Spanish gov
ernment was run, especially in the
Philippine islands.
Mr.. Johnston also states that the
Filipinos will not fight except when
forced to do so, but many times have
the American soldiers been aroused
from sleep, at all hours of the night,
to repulse vicious attack from the
Filipinos, often mum bering up in the
thousands. Fhey will fight like
demons.
1t is true that seven-tenths of the
natives want peace, for the only war
ing tribe are the Tagalos, who are
naturally an unruly tribe. and have
been taught from childhood to fight,
and il is their nature.
The lower class of them are the
most vicious and cruel people i'm
aginable. 1t is this class of Aguin-
aldo's soldiers who are now roaming
in small bands, since they have been
scattered and broken up, pillaging,
numbering and robbing their own peo-
pie for few paltry pesos. and 1 have
seen some horrible results of their
fiendish work.
The Filipinos are an intelligent
people, as a general rule. capable of
learning anything, but they have been
robbed of the fruits of their country
and ground under the heel of Spain so
long that they have come to look upon
the white man with suspicion, and it
will only require time and patience
to educate them in the ways of real
civilization.
There are many insurgents, both
officers and men. who have laid down |
their arms and have quit fighting for
good. since they have learned what
the Americans really are, and a great |
many of those same soldiers are num- !
bered among the best friends the
have.
/ have talked to many intelligent |
Filipinos of the better class in north |
ern Luzon and nine-tenths Of them are |
perfectly willing and anxious to have