The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-12
OUR EFFORTS TO SECURE PEACE.

Jun 1r pOHlo ~ OhO OININ INAOIN
Our mistake has not been cruelty; it
has been kindness 1t has been the
application to Spanish Malays of
methods appropriate to New England
Every device of mercy, every method Of
consolation has been employed by the
peace-loving president of the American
republic to the amazement of nations
experienced in Oriental revolt. Before
the outbreak our military governor of
the islands appointed commission to
make some arrangements with the ma
tives mutually agreeable. / know the
members of the commission well--Gen.
Hughes, Colonel Crowder and General
Smith-moderate, kindly, tactful men
of the world-an ideal body for such
negotiations. 1t was treated with con-
tempt. We smiled at intolerable insult
and insolence until the lips of every ma
tive in Manila was curling in ridicule
for the cowardly Americans We re-
Trained from all violence until their
armed bravos crossed the lines in viola
ton of agreement. Then our sentry
shot the offender, and he should have
been courtmartialed had he failed to
shoot. That shot was the most fortu
nate of the war.
WORK OF THE COMMISSION.
A civil commission was sent to Ma
nila composed of distinguished diplo-
mat and eminent college professors, and
also Gen. Otis and Admiral Dewey.
These men exhausted the expedients of
peace, and always were met with the
Malay's ready evasion, the Spaniards
habitual delay. 1 am personal witness
that no effort was neglected by our
commission to assure the Filipino peo-
pie of our good intentions and benef-
cient purposes. The commission en-
tertained the mestizos of Manila in a
way that would have honored the sem
ate of the United States; the brown
faces Of the common people sneered.
The commission treated natives, ac-
customed to blows, with kindest con-
sideration; the agents of Aguinaldo
told tales of our pusillanimity to the
ignorant rural masses. This remark
able man sent so-called commissioners,
| ostensibly to treat, but really to play
with ours. His commissioners were
composed of generals in uniform. The
| populace gaped in open admiration
when they appeared in Manila. Our
representatives of peace talked to them,
argued with them, entertained them;
| the people were impressed with their
| Importance. President Schurman even
rode with them through the city; the
masses were confirmed in their rever-
ence for their brothers who were thus
honored and distinguished. Then the
| bespangled representatives of the Ma
| lay dictator returned to their lord and
| the sole effect of these pacific efforts
was to make 250000 natives in Manila
think that the only way to win the re-
| spect of the American republic is tc
| fight it.
No, senators, the friendly methods ot
peace have been thoroughly tried, only
to make peace more difficult. The
Orientals does not understand our at.
tempt to concilate. Every effort of the
commission which did it's work at Ma
nila so earnestly, and which, will
Americans or Europeans, would have
so brilliantly succeeded, only delayed
the peace it attempted to hasten. There
Is not now, and never was any possibl,
course but Ceaseless operations in tn,
field and loyal support of the war a
home. The news that 60, 900 American
soldiers have crossed the Pacific; that
i necessary, the American congress will
make it 100000 or 200, 900 men; that, a
any cost, we will establish peace ant
govern the islands, will do more I,
end the war than the soldiers them
selves. But the report that we even dis
cuss the withdrawal of single soldie
at the present time, and that we evel
!, debate the possibility of not administer
ing government throughout the archi
! pelago ourselves, will be misunderstood
, and misrepresented, and will blow int
flame once more the fires our soldiers
blood has almost quenched.
THE FILIPINOS ARE CHILDREN
UTTERLY INCAPABLE OF
F-GOVERNMENT
But, senators, it would be better t
abandon this combined garden an
Gibralter of the Pacific and count ou
blood and treasure already spent
profitable loss than to apply any aca
demic arrangement of -governmen
to these children. They are not cap
: able of self-government. How coul
they be? They are not of a self-gov
erning race. They are Orientals, Ma
lays, instructed by Spaniards in tn
latters worst estate. They know moth
ing of practical government except a
they have witnessed the weak, corrupt
cruel and capricious rule of Spair
: What magic will anyone employ to dis
solve in their minds and character
those impressions of governors an
2 governed which three centuries of mis-
: rule has created? What alchemy wi
change the oriental quality of thei
blood and set the self governing cur
{ rents of the American pouring throug
their Malay veins? How shall they, i
the 'twinkling of an eye, be exhaulte
: to the heights of self-governing people
which require thousand years for u
: to reach, Anglo-SaXon though we are?
: The great majority simply do not un
derstand any participation in any gov
ernment whatever. The most enlighten
: ed among them declare that self-gov
ernment will succeed because the EN-
: ployers of labor will compel their EN-
ployes to vote as their employer will;
and that this will insure intelligen
2 voting. I was assured that we coul