Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-04-02
ON A BLOODY SHIRT RAMPAGE.

ON A BLOODY SHIRT RAMPAGE.
1t takes the old South-hating organs
a long time to get over the war that
closed over a quarter of a century ago,
although the Union was victorious,
while the South has only of late years
begun to recover from the awful effects
of that cruel struggle of brother
against brother. Some of these South
mating organs never will get over it.
They hate the South to-day with a
rancor and bitterness that seems to
be augmented as the evidences grow of
that sections dawning prosperity.
Happily there are but very, very few
OF the inveterate ~South-haters left, but
occasionally we see one that has out
lived it's day, like the Wheeling Intelli-
gencer, still chewing the cud OF Sec
tional bitterness. Everything, no mat
ter how absurd the connection, is seen
by that malevolent old organ through
the same old glasses begrimed by the
smoke of the battles of the sixties.
Everything must be measured by those
old standards and the organ has the
temerity even to compare the present
tool and servant of the syndicates,
William Mckinley, with the martyr
President of all the people, Lincoln.
Delving to its hearts content in the
bitter memories of the civil war, draw
ing strict modern party lines in that
conflict, which will be interesting news
to the thousands of surviving Demo-
Gratis who fought on the Union side,
and thus having to its satisfaction
marshalled the Democratic party ex-
clusively in the Confederate army and
the Republican in the Union, our con-
temporary takes the bloody shirt in
it's teeth and roars and RACES, finally
winding up exhausted as follows:
But the real responsibility rests with the
Democratic party in Congress-. 1t was vir-
tually unanimous and hot for war with
Spain, while President Mckinley was en-
deavoring to see how to preserve peace
with honor. When the war was on the
cowardly and pussilanimous faction of
Democracy commenced to raise obstacles
government on every occasion that pre-
scented itself, and finally espoused the
cause of Aguinaldo, and like the copper
heads of the civil wal gave aid and COM
fort to the enemy by their white-livered
conduct. AS in the days of '61-5. so it was
during the present conflict that every
thing attempted by the Republican party
to hasten peace was "u-n-c-o-n-s-t-i-t-u-
t-i-o-n-a-l!' How the copperheads of the
north used to ring the changes on that
cry. Same old party.
You may break, you may shatter, the vase
if you will.
But the scent of the roses will cling round
it still.
Our readers will please not laugh.
But pity the incoherent ramblings of
one who mind lives in the dim and
dusty past.
This TRADE is brought forth by the
suggestion that a word from President
Mckinley would have stopped the cruel
and bloody war in the Philippines,
which President Mckinley alone was
RESPONSIBLE for.
Our raving b~loody-shirt contempt
rary does not see the point clearly. 1t
is not the Spanish wal that is spoken
of, but the separate and distinct Phil
ippine war. lHostilities in Luzon were
begun solely on the initiative of Pres
ident Mckinley. whose troops under
his orders turned their bayonets on the
Filipinos and kept them out of their
own city at the conclusion of hostilit-
les with Spain. This was ostensibly to
prevent looting of the city, but not so
the events which followed.
Congress never declared war on the
'Filipinos. That war was declared by
President Mckinley himself and no one
else is responsible for all the treasure
and blood that has since been spilled.
Before hostilities. began the Filipino
leaders begged and pleaded for the sim
pie assurance that the occupation of
the United States did not mean for
them simply a change of foreign mas
tiers. This assurance was arrogantly
denied them. They sent a peace envoy
to Washington and he was denied an
audience and forced to fee for fear of
arrest. And this in the land of George
Washington.
AT that time one word, a simple as
surance that American occupancy did
not mean another foreign yoke, but lib
erty and self-government ever under
American auspices, or OF any reason
able terms sued as those we accorded
to the less advanced Cubans, would
instantly have made friends of the Fill
pinos and averted two years of cruel,
costly, bloody war.
But Mr.. Mckinley was in the hands
of the syndicates, whose greedy eyes
were on the Philippines and who want
ed the power of bestowing concessions
and franchises and lands in the archi-
pelago placed where they could best
control It, namely. in the hands OF the
administration at Washington instead