Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-04-02
Aguinaldo.

Aguinaldo, many times reported
killed, is now reported captured. The
capture, it is claimed, was effected by
means of a forged letter purporting to
be signed by one of his generals and by
which he was deceived into the belief
that the party which came to capture
| him was reinforcement of his own
troops. "Our English Cousins across
the water have been heard from on the
subject and have frankly expressed the
opinion that it was disreputable meth
cd which Gen. Funston pursued. Our
English Cousins" have been promptly
seconded by their cousins of the reg
ular army in Washington who say 1t
was not the method of soldier, nor
the act of soldier by which the cap
ture was effected, but was piece of
detective work which would recon-
| mend Funston for promotion in the po-
lice rather than in the army. Our
English Cousins in London need not
throw stones. They are as perfidlous
in war as q nation well can be. More
over, forgery is no worse than MUIR
der, and war for conquest such as our
English cousins have been waging in
Africa and ourselves in the Philippines,
is murder by wholesale. Why strain
at gnat anil swallow camel? Why
condemn forgery while committing
wholesale murder? AS to the shoulder
strapped gentry in Washington they
are largely responsible, no doubt, for
the bloody, unprovoked and disreputa-
BILE war into which our nation has been
plunged during the last two years, and
to that extent they have themselves to
blame for all its results whether in
their opinion disgraceful or otherwise
Passing the question of military eth
| les involved in the method of his cap
ture, which it is now too late to discuss,
the real point for thought is as to its
effect upon the war. The PILOT has
more than once expressed its wish
that the Philippines could give up the
contest and trust the American people.
If Mr.. Bryan had been elected the
Philippines, who are, as Dewey and
other good authorities concede, better
qualified than the Cubans for self-gov
eminent, would have been treated as
we treat the Cubans. The election OF
= Mckinley made it an assured fact that
the war of conquest would go on for at
least another four years if the Philip
pinos could hold out that long,-a very
| doubtful proposition. Notwithstand
ing what our nation has been doing
during the Mckinley administration
we have some faith left in the Ameri
can people. The devil often has his
innings but there are intervals when
the churches turn their faces toward
Christ, and when they do this the PEG
pie follow and are heard from to good
purpose. The American people will dc
justice to the Philippinos,-tard jus
tice it may be, but it will come sooner
than the Philippines can get it by war
If it be the real Aguinaldo that has
been captured by Funston, and not his
brother as claimed by Philippine au
thorities, we sincerely hope the result
may be a speedy ending of this shame
full war. 1t seems scarcely possible
that such mistake would not be de
tected. There should be good many
American officers now in Manila who
became well acquainted with Aguinaldc
when he was our ally in fighting the
Spaniards, and who would recognize
him and know whether the captured
man is he or not.
There is one danger into which the
capture may carry us, which the PILo1
would like to avoid We have had dis
grace enough for one generation. We
do not relish the aguish discussion
which was opened up by the military
and civil authorities in Washington
when the first news of the capture
reached that sink of iniquity, the ma
tional capitol; the discussion as tC
whether Aguinaldo should be tried anC
hung for treason by civil court oil
tried by court martial and shot. 1t il
not the right time to discuss questions
of this sort. Our people have become
blood thirsty and savage during recen
years. All over the country, north anC
south, east and west, they show an in
sane hunger for cruelty. Their wors
passions are in the ascendant for the
time being. They swarm in mobs anc
commit the most savage cruelties upor
black men. The suddenness with which
these outbursts of british passion have
intlamed whole communities through
out the country is one of the wors
signs of the times. Aguinaldo has don'
only what all patriots whose names
shine brightest in history have done
He has organized and led his people il
defense of liberty and independence
Washington, Tell, Toussaint, Emmett
Bolivar, Garribaldi, Kossuth, Come
and others whose glories and virtue;
will never fade from the pages of his
tory did the same. DeWet in Soutl
| Africa is tiuhtinU the same hattle now