New-York tribune., 1901-03-26
WHO BEGiNs

After two years of bearing false witness
against their own countrymen and persisfentiy
representing the United States soldiers as
aggressors who precipitated war upon the
FiIipinos. the anti-imperialists now acknowledge
that they were wrong and that. whatever they
think of our fight 10 hold the Philippines. the
fight AT least was not begun by our troops, but
was forced upon them. This truth is not new
TO most people The So-called antl-lmperial
critics of the government have. however. all
along bluntly denied the truth of the ofhcial
statements of the outbreak. and declared that
our troops. even if they did not fire the hrst
shot deliberately provoked the fighting Tor
polirical ends and 10 compel the ratification of
the Treaty of Paris. This SANDER which has
become part and parcel of the intellectual fur
nture of the American defenders of Aguinaido
is now disposed of by the Philippine Informa-
tiop Society a Boston organization which COM
mands the confidence of the anti-imperalists.
The result of this society's Investigations as
ranorted Yesterday in The New-York Evening
Post is the declaration:
The outbreak occurred as the result Of a
trespass by four armed Fipnos on territory
admitted by the Filipinos in command TO De
within the Jurisdiction of the United States
The action of the Filipino trespasseTs seems 10
have been an instance of bad discipline IN the
insurgent army. Certainly il was not ordered
on that date by the inSurgent leaders, althougn
the indications are that the leaders had planned
TO attack in q few days The claim that our
forces instigated the attack for the purpose or
securing the votes necessary to ratify the treaty
is absolutely unsupported by any evidence
which has come to the attention or the EDITORS.
The society has not found sufficient evidence
to lead il to declare authentic the reported order
Of Agunaldo's aid Theodore Sandco. for the
butchery of the foreigners in Manila. but il does
give full credence To the order Of Aguinaldo 10
his soldiers on January enjoining them TO
preserve the appearance Of peaceful relations
with the Americans and pretend 10 he friendly.
but TO prepare for the outbreak as inevitable.
Following this order came the outbreak of
February 4, concerning which it is reported:
1t was clear from the general firing which
began from all the insurgent lines that the
attack premeditated. whether II was
directed to occur at that time or not
The American soldiers who We're peacefully
holding Manila repelled this attack. long pre-
meditated under the guise Of friendship, and
Aguinaldo began his campaign to drive the
| styrants'' into the sea. What else could the
| Americans do? What would the most rahid
/ anti-expansionist. however much he might wish
| they had never sailed into Manila Bay have
had them do Our troops Were in Manila of
| right war WAS wantOnly made upon them and
| il was a case of cOnquering AgunaldoS forces
| or disgracefully surrendering to them. This is
the vital point in the situation Whether or
| not the campaign was thereafter managed with
the greatest wisdom. whether or not beforehand
some terms might have been made with Agui-
naldO consistent with our obligations other
civilized nations are questions about which
opinions will differ. The most disinterested
advice which AguinaldO received before plung-
ing into hOstiltieS was Il warning that he could
gain nothing by attack and could gain
everything by Deaceful appeal TO the Ameri-
can people. He did not make that appeal.
Instead he planned 10 rush the American lines.
The time for arbitration is before war, not
after plunging into war TO escape its cOnse-
quences. Everybody knows that the people Of
the United States would have treated friendly
Filipino proposals with the greatest consdera-
tion. but Filipino attacks on Americans peace
fully holding the city delivered 10 them by
Spain, pending adjustment Of future relations,
left only one course open 10 this country.
That was to support its soldiers and put down
their assailants. No desertion such as left
Gordon 10 die at Khartoum was to be thought
of, and the campaign. once begun. could not
stop short of complete mastery. If have
conquered the Filipinos instead of reaching n
peaceable agreement with them, ii is because
they began 10 fight and persisted in fighting