The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-11-28

COmn1O1er Comment.
Extracts From W. j. Bryan's Paper


diately if the republican ticket was
successful. The democratic platform
and democratic speakers were blamed
for the prolongation of the war. "Just
re-elect President Mckinley" they
said, land let the Filipinos know that
they are not to have independence, and
they will lay down their arms and our
soldiers can come home"
Well, the republican ticket was
elected, and the Filipinos were notified
that they were not to have independ-
ence, but a month after the election
the republicans rushed through con-
gress bill authorizing the president
to raise the regular army to 100000,
and now, after year has elapsed, the
instruction is still in progress and the
end is not yet. Some of the worst
losses of the year have been suffered
by our troops within two months.
General Chatfee reports thal the Fill
pinos have profited by the deception
practiced upon them when Aguinaldo
was trapped. He says that ''insurgent
soldiers in ordinary civilians dress
lurlzcd about and among American gar
ceptive cunning they obtained creden-
tials from American authorities" We
were assured a year ago that only q
small fraction of the Filipinos were
hostile to the American government.
We We're told that the great majority
of the Filipinos welcomed the Ameri
can government and were glad to be
made subjects. The Times Herald
quotes General Chaffee as saying that
1.-The whole of the Philippines are en-
gagged in waging war upon the United
States" The Times Herald "a repub-
lican paper adds: ''The Filipinos who
are friendly to the United States are
said to be those holding offics, and tho
officers who discuss the situation today
assert that their loyalty will continue
only so long as they hive the opportu-
nifty of drawing American dollars"
If Mr. Mckinley was correctly in
formed when he stated that most Of
the Filipinos were friendly, then the
insurrection has, according to General
Chatfee, increased rather than dimin,
ished.
After the republican victory made it
impossible for the imperialists to
blame the anti-imperialistsf for the con-
tinuation of host .lities, the republican
leaders declared that Aguinaldo, actu-
ated by selfish ambition, was compell-
ing his countrymen to continue the
war But even after his capture and
imprisonmcnt-yes even after his cap
tors had secured from him an address
advising his comrades to surrender
the instruction continued. How long
will it take the imperialists to learn
that we can never have peace in the
Philippine islands? That we can sup
press open resistance is certain.
although the cost may be far beN. -.
any gain that can be derived from; d.
COLONIAL government, but that we can
ever make the Filipinos love us or
love us while we rule them through a
carpetbag government, is absurd.
Ii the republicans had read the
speeches of Abraham Lincoln as much
recently as they did in former years,
they would have known that hatred
of an alien government is a natural
thing and a thing to be expected every
where. Lincoln said that it was God
Himself who placed in every human
heart the love of liberty. Lincoln
spoke the truth. Love of liberty is
linked to life itself, and "what God
hath joined togther let no man put
asunder."