Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-12-04
A Prophecy That Failed

In the campaign of 1900 the republi.
can leaders denied that their party con.
trmplated permanent increase in the
standing army. They asserted that q
large army was only necessary because
of the insurrection in the Philippines.
ana they p0idly declared that the insur-
rection would cease Immediately if the
republican ticket was successful. The
dem ocratic platform and democratic
speakers were blamed for the prolonga.
tion of the war. "Just re-elect Presi-
dent Mckinley" they said, "and let the
filipinos know that they are not to
have independence, and they will lay
down their arms and our soldiers can
come home"
Well, the republican ticket was elect.
ed, and the Filipinos were notified that
they were not to have independence,
but a month after the election the
republicans rushed through congress a
bill authorizing the president to raise
the standing army to 100000. and now,
after year has elapsed, the insurrec-
tioA is still in progress and the end is
not yet. Some of the worst losses of
the year have been suffered by our
troops within two months. General
Chaifee reports that the Filipinos have
protlted by the deception practiced upon
them when Aguinaldo was trapped.
He says that "insurgent soldiers in Or
binary civilians dress lurked about
and among American gsrrsons," and
he adds that "with deceptive cunning
they obtained credentials from Amer
ican authorities" We were assured
year ago that only small fraction of
the Filipinos were hostile to the Amer
ican government. We were told that
the great majority of the Filipinos vel
coined the American government and
were glad to be made subjects. The
Times-Herald quotes General Chatfee
as saying that "the whole people OF the
Philippines are engaged in wsging war
upon the United States" The Times
Herald Ia republican paper adds: "The
Filipinos who are friendly to the
United States are said to be those hold.
ing office, and the officers who discuss
ed the situation today assert that their
loyalty will exist only SO long as they
have the opportunity of drawing Amer
ican dollors."
Ii Mr.. Mckinley was correctly in
formed when he stated that most of the
Filipinos were friendly, then the insur-
rection has, according to General
Chatfee, increased rather than dimin-
ished.
After the republican victory made 1t
impossible for the imperialists to blame
the anti-imperialists for the continu-
alton of hostilities, the republican lead
ers declared that Aguinsldo, actuated
by selfish ambition, was compelling his
countrymen to continue the war. But
even after his capture and imprisonment
yes, even afterhis captors had secured
from him an address advising his COM
rades to surrender-the insurrection
continued. How long will it take the
imperialists to learn that we can never
have peace in the Philippine islands?
That we can suppress open resistance
is certain, although the cost may be far
beyond any gain that can be derived
from colonial government, but that
we can ever make the PHILIPPINES love
us or trust us while we rule them
through carpetbag government is
absurd.
If the republicans had read the
speeches of Abraham Lincoln as much
recently as they did in former years,
they would have known that hatred of
an alien government is natural thing
and thing to be expected everywhere.
Lincoln said that 1t was God Himself
who placed in every human heart the
the love Of liberty. Lincoln spoke the
truth. Love of liberty is linked to life
itself, and "what God hath Joined to-
gether let no man put asunder."- The
! Commoner.