The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-06-22
A GOOD WORD FOR F1L1p1Nos.

IL Is SelUOM uuatC u reCurueu AIu0Tl-
can soldier from the Philippines has a
good word to say of the Filipinos
whom Mckinley has been benevolently
assimilating after the manner of
European despot for the past two years.
Before THE outbreak of the war with
the United States the natives of the
archipelago were spoken of by Ameri-
cams in terms of praise, but after the
first shot was fired between Filipino
and Yankee the former suddenly lost
all the noble attributes he previously
possessed. When fighting for his indie
pcndence against Spain the Filipino
was patriot and a hero in the esti-
nation of the Americans; when he
turned OH his so-called 'redeemers''
and resisted their foreign yoke he at
once became savage and "nigger"
and was good for nothing.
1t is refreshing to hear am American
soldier on his return from THE Orient
giving the much abused and slandered
Filipino credit for his honesty and hr
manity in war. The other day Cap
tain William \. Edwards. who was
in 1899. arrived in Minneapolis from
lie Philippines and spoke as follows
of General Cables, the Filipino leader
who recently surrendered:
"He was one of the wllitest leaders
who has resisted American encroacll-
mcnts in the Philippines. I remember
forty of our soldiers We're killed or
wounded, Cables, after declaring 4
truce. brought in the bodies of the
dead Americans just as they had fail
ell. Not body was mutilated or a
uniform disturbed. The American SOL
diers had been paid off just before the
diers were hundreds of dollars in gold
Not a dollar of it was touched. That
looks Like civilized warfare doesn't it,"
We believe that if the American sol.
oilers in THE Philippines had treated
the natives with more respect there
would have been no cause for cllarg-
ing the Filipinos with treachery and
cruelty. In his first proclamation to
the Filipinos, Aguinaldo called upon
his countrymen to respect the lives and
properties of all foreigners and threat
ened to punish with death all those
who violated his orders. Had the
American soldiers refrained from loot
ing the homes of the Filpinos and
from destroying their property, there
would have been no retaliation. The
example in honesty and humanity
which was given by Cables and other
Filipino generals was lost upon sic
kinley's soldiers, if they themselves
can be believed.
When the history of the wars of
conquest IN THE Philippines and South
Africa are written it will appear that
the Anglo-Saxons are far behind the
Filipinos and Beers in civilized meth
obs of warfare. The looting at Pekin
shows how the civilized powers carry
on war. With the exception of the
United States troops all the allied ar
mies committed depredations which
dlsgraced their country's flags. To the
honor of General Chaffee let it be said
that The protested against the looting
in THE Chinese capital and kept his own
men from participating in the work of
plumber. Had he been in command of
the troops in the Philippines the young
men of America would have returned
with untarntshed fame instead of with
boxes filled with the stolen property of
the Fihpinos, which they offered for
sale in this country and placed on ex-
hibition in public places.