The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-08

| capture. but on behalf of my naval comrades who
! did it alone object to having any Of it taken
| away by anyone attempting TO falsely assign US
| help. Yours very truly, .
Captain, L. ;. n.
Continuing Mr.. Lodge said:
! But. Mr.. President. there are some per-
| sons-yery few. l think-who are indiffer-
| ent to facts, VINO care nothing for the tes
| timony of the official records. who Will not
| accept the word of the President. or OF the
Secretary of the Navy. or of Admiral
| Dewey. or of the generals OF the United
| States. in regard to any transaction in the
Philippines. Fer the benefit of those per-
sons l desire to call on this point. another
witness. one in whose veracity l have not
myself the 81 Shtest confidence but whom
/ | cite in this instance because here he is
| testifying against himself and against the
! contention which his friends make in his
/ behalf. On January ;, 1899. when Agui-
naldo was engaged in rousing his followers
| to attack the Americans. he issued proc
lamation in which he set forth his griey-
ances Among the many complaints which
he made l extract the following:
! The American generals not only ignored me
entirely IN the stipulatiuns for capitUlation. bat
| also requested that my forces should retire from
| the port Of Cavte and the suburbs Of Manila.
/ | represented to the American generals the IN
justice done me. aud requested in friendly terms
| that they should at least expressly recognize my
cooperation. but they utterly declined TO do so.
In spite of these concessions AgUinJldo'S with
| drawai of his armyl. not many days passed before
| Admiral Dewey. without any reason whatever.
arrested our steam launches, which had been ply
ing in the bay OF Manila with his express consent
| Mr.. Lodge carefully substantated each
statement of this nature by constant ref
! erences to official letters and other docu-
ments.
The Campaigns Reviewed
He then reviewed briefly the two cam
/ paigns of the American forces against the
! insurgents. and described the so-called
government" that had been set up by
Aguinaldo
Under that government" he said, (which
represented cnly the leaders who set 1t up
| and never had the support of anything but
| a very small proportion of the Filipino
population, warfare of the most barbarous
| sort was carried on. and every kind of
| crime was committed, not only against
! every open enemy. but against helpless
! prisoners, and against the inhabitants OF
| the islands. of whose freedom they were
| loudly proclaiming themselves the cham
| pions for the benefit of their sympathizers
! in the United States
| Turn to the other side, and you will
! find not that in situation of great diff
| Guilty and delicacy there were no mistakes,
| but great cause for wonder that so few
| were made. You vin find that our Ad-
rniral and our generals never swerved from
| the line laid down: that they made no false
promises; that they carried patience and
forbearance to such a point that it en-
! couraged men of Asiatic mind to think us
| weak and timid fit subjects for attack. You
| will find that they saved the great city
| from fire and sword; that they curbed the
| insurgents: that they dealt with them
justly; that they grasped at every chance
for peace, only to find that each PROPOSE
tion was sham, with neither substance
nor honesty in any negotiation offered.
You will also find that when war was
forced upon them, so soon they had
troops and opportunity they pushed it rap
idly. effectively. and with the skill and gal
iantry characteristic of American soldiers
10 successful conclusion.
The President Defended.
Behind all this lies the policy of the
President. which our officers followed by
sea and land. While the rest of the world
was talking he had to be doing. The iron
hand Of necessity was upon his shoulder,
and upon his alone. Act he must No man
in that high office seeks new burdens and
| on new policies with the unforeseen dan
gers which lie thick along untried paths.
Every selfish motive every personal in
| terest, cried out against 1t. Every selfish
| motive, every personal interest. urged the
| President to let the Philippines go, and.
| like Gallo, to care for none of these
| things 1t was so easy to pass by on the
other side. But he faced :he new condi-
| tions which surged up around him.
When others then knew little he knew
much. Thus he came to see what duty
demanded duty to ourselves and to others
| Thus he came to see what the interests of
| the American people required. Guided by
| this sense OF duty. by the spirit OF the
| American people in the past. by wise
craftsmanship. which looked deeply into
the future. he boldly took the islands.
| Since this great decision his policy has
| been firm and consistent. He has sought
only what was best for the people of those
| islands and for his own people. II is all
| there In the record. Yet although he
| fought in his youth for liberty and union,
| he is now coarsely accused OF infatuation
| for vulgar Caesarism.
| Mr.. Lodge pictured the commercial pos
| sbilities of the Philippines in glowing
! colors, and said:
I'VE have been told that arguments OF
| this kind are sordid.
| 'Sordid indeed Then what arguments
n
which proposes to open wider markets to
| the people OF the United States. to add to
| their employment. and to increase their
| wages and which. in its pursuit, requires
| that we should save the teeming millions
| of China from the darkness of the Russian
! winter and keep them free not merely
| for the incoming Of commerce. but for the
entrance of the light OF Western civiliza-
| ton. seems to me great and noble rol-
| icy, If there ever was such, and one which
may well engage the best aspirations and
the highest abilities of American states
manship."
The Nations Future.
In conclusion. Mr.. Lodge said 'I do
not believe that this nation was raised up
for nothing. l do not believe that it is
the creation of blind chance. ! have faith
that it has great mission in the world
a mission of good. a mission of freedom.
| believe that it can live up to that mis-
sion; therefore. l want to see 1t step for
ward boldly and take it's place at the head
of the nations. / wish to see it master of
the Pacific / would have it fulfill what 1
| think is its manifest destiny if it is not
false TO the laws which govern it.
II am not dreaming of a primrose path.
/ know well that In the past have COM
mitted grievOus mistakes and paid for
them. done wrong and made heavy COM
pensation for it, stumbled and fallen and
suffered. But we have always risen.
bruised and grimed sometimes. yet still
We have risen stronger and more erect
than ever. and the march has always been
forward and onward.
Onward and forward it will still be. de-