The Irish standard., 1901-10-26
The End Of the Fighting in South Africa
and the Philippines is Yet
.. Quite Way Off.
What Robt. Ellis Thompson Says Anent the
Wars on Little Peoples in
the Irish World,

Neither the war In the Philippines
nor that in South Africa Is coming
properly to its end. Neither the Beers
nor the Filipinos fight with proper
regard to the, rules of the game. It
was the complaint of the old Euro
pean generals, trained in the school of
Frederick the Great, that Napoleon
did not retire to winter quarters when
the weather called for this, but would
march his soldiers on them in the dead
of winter, as Washington had done
at Trenton. He won victories, they
admitted, but it was clean against the
rules to fight in such weather. And
military rontnfsts have always OBJ
jected to irregular modes of fighting,
such as the Beers and the Filipinos
use. The British officers were in
dignant to find that they had to fight
men who wore no uniforms, who fired
at them from behind rocks and stones,
instead Of coming out into the open,
and who began an attack without
warning. Frequent were the COM
plants of the Filipinos for similar ir-
regularities, such as waylaying our
soldiers in canebrakes and other queer
places, instead of coming out into the
open as targets for our rifemen. And
now they have cut off a considerable
force of our soldiers in Samar, without
the least warning, and after lulling the
military commanders into security by
peaceful pretences. And in military
circles there is great indignation, not
so much because of the loss Of the men
as of "the shameful treachery'' with
which it was effected, says Robt. Ellis
Thompson in the Irish World.
Are we in a position to censure the
FaNpinos of Samar for, treachery!
What kind of honesty characterized
the whole management Of affairs on our
part at the opening Of the struggle?
Were not the Ftlipinos brought by de.
ceit to cooperate with us against the
Spaniards, in the we'll warranted ex,
pectation that we would sustain their
efforts at establishing and maintaining
an independent national government in
the islands? By what means was the
capture of Aguinaldo effected, and the
Filipino government deprived of its
lawful head? Let us cast the beam
out Of our own eye before we under
take to deal with the mote in the eye
of the Filipino.
In the meantime let us recognize the
fact that we have not won the conf.
-dence-much less the affections-of the
people Of those islands. We are hated
by Them as strong, cruel and deceitful
foes, who have not hesitated to use
falsehood as well as force to secure
ends in subjugating their country
And let us not expect that they will he
more considerate Of the character OF
the means we use than they have
found us to be.
Under President Roosevelt, it is to
he presumed, the war will go on. His
speeches on the subject during the
presidential campaign were Of such q
character as showed him altogether
impervious to reason on the subject.
But It will be costly. not only in money
but in the lives of American citizens,
which are worth more than money.
It took seven years to bring to an end
our war on a handful of Seminole In
.dians, and every "brave'' cost the coun-
try thousands of dollars before he was
shot or banished from Florida, and
more than life for life in the sacri-
flee OF our soldiers. That is the way
in which a desperate people fight for
their aiberty and their country, and
that is the way the Filipinos are going
to fight us.
The Boer Is Of the same mind. "Bet-
ter dead than British subject" is his
principle. AS is the case Of the Philip
pines, the world has heard again and
again that ''the war is virtually over. -
that "only guerilla parties are now in
the field" But the war is as lively as
ever, and the efforts Of Kitchener to
harry the resdstants into obedience and
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