The Grit-advocate., 1901-02-01

| has indeed been evidenced disposition
by its most illustriOus sponsors, as if
their prophetic souls already trembled
at the inquisition of other ages, to i'm
pute the dubious responsibility to Prov
idence itself. l know not which to adj
mire the more, whether the mOdesty
which disclaims credit for the policy.
or the colossal presumption which
| challenges and betrays the vanunted
confidence of the Almighty.
II devoutly believe that the Republic
| is at the gravest crisis of its history,
and feel that necessary preliminary
to its getting safely out is to cause the
people to realize how it came to get in
Mr.. TOwne said of the Presidents
! proclamation that among the roses of
its soft rhetoric of love, it's fair speech
about our coming not as invaders or
conquerors, but as friends of the
mild sway of justice and of 'benevo
lent assimilation the already justly
awakened distrust of the Fflipinos
clearly beheld the unsheathed and gilt
tering steel of despOtism.
IF We are bent on slaughter" said
he, let it w in open guise. If We lust
for this peoples land, let us not glaze
our enterprise with false and sinister
pretense. Rather let us boldly raise
the sOmbre flag of NATIONAL piracy.
whistle scruple down the wind and
then close in upon our feeble victim to
the cry of loot and glory"
| Mr.. Towne maintained that the Unit
| ed States was under the obligation of
| circumstances, if not actual promise,
to grant independence to the FilipinOs
| and that among nations. the former
was quite as binding as the latter
He then argued at length in support
of his contention that the Flipinos
We're perfectly capable of governing,
themselves. pointing out that eighAh
per cent. of the population of I4uzGn'
can read and write. and holding that
the government established by Agui-
naldo was strong, symmetrical and pro-
gressive, even in the difficult and dis
turbing conditions which surround it.
He declared that the Filipino states
men would creditably meet almost
any emergency of administration in
even the most advanced government
and would have dignitied and orna-
mented the early struggles for nation
atty of any people known to history
There is excellent reason to believe
that even ut this day the existing Fill
Pine government, low as it is in es-
tate. and migratory to some extent as
to location. exercises Il wide and re
spected authority in the Philippine is
lands and is Obeyel quite generally by
the local authorities in the interior.
There is not the slightest ground
for believing that any appreciable i'm
preston has been made upon the deter
mination of the Philippine people to re-
sist lis TO the end. There is no evil
dence that any strong native pro-
American element has any existence
whatever. AS the result of two years
or wasting war. we occupy about one
hve-hundredth part of that archipelago.
No district is really 'pacitied.' We
hold the ground our troops stand on,
practically nothing more
During the campaign of 1900 it was
false accusation against the oppon-
ents of the administration policy that
they were keeping alive n smouldering
rebellion in the Philippines. The
newspapers and magazines made much
or this foolish argument and in many
pulpit where the gospel of the bullet
has supplanted the Christianity of the
Bible. the pious anathcma of prudent
priesthood rose to heaven on the wings
of prayer
Mr.. Townc then declared that after
the elections the resistance in the Phil
lppiles increased and that it had been
announced in the Senate within Il week
that 10000 American soldiers would
he needed in the islands for an ;ntIefi
mite period.
In closing. Mr.. Towne characterized
the present contest as an unholy war
for greed and empire. He said;
hn1 mot