Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-05-20
THE PHILIPPINES.
Why Not Try the National Ownership Cure
on Them? 1t Would Give Better
Results Than the Water Cure.

There Is no doubt that the United
States form of government, honestly
applied, will do more fol the Philip
pine Islands than could possibly be
done by mixture of Chinese and
Spanish intelligence.
There is no doubt, either, that at
this moment the United States Gov
ernmen is hated, and justly hated, by
every patriotic sman and woman in
our new Eastern possessions.
A brave Filipino, who knows that
the telling of secrets will result in the
murder of his friends, is pumped full
of water repeatedly till he almost
bursts. He is finally killed by slow
torture and the village which he in-
habits is burned. This work is done
by American soldiers.
Thanks to the energy of the teetot-
alers and the cowardice of the office
holding class, the canteen is abolished
in the American army, and the Ameri-
can soldier in the Philippines gets
horribly and dangerously drunk on
native concoctions.
One man, we'll known to this writer,
left the Philippine Islands, and four
officers high in rank we're at the pier.
OF the four, three were very drunk
and one was moderately drunk.
Tc RI 1,a Of that tl,o
sight Of drunken soldiers and officers
burning villages, numbering men, dis
courages the natives and makes them
just little suspicious of American
rule?
You must remember that in the
Philippines we are not fighting against
a few people, but against the entire
population of the entire country.
They could all have been made our
friends. They hate us, and for the
best of reasons.
We are spending tens OF millions on
the water cure and on the mainten-
ance Of a half-disciplined army located
among helpless people, licensed to kill
and torture.
Under these conditions the problem
on hand seems to be:
How long will it take to kill off from
eight to twelve millions of people?
Would it not have been better tt
spend all that money in another way:
At present. behind our army of sol.
diers there marches an army Of carpet.
baggers, who have received from their
government presents of franchises
which they propose to utilize in ex
plotting as many Of the Filipinos a
are not killed.
Suppose, as Mr.. Bird S. Coler sug
gested in recent speech, that we ha'
used our money to build railroads
telegraphs, telephones, public schools
roads and harbors, retaining them TO
the benefit of the people themselves
would not that have been better thai
the water cure?
Suppose we had given the people
chance to work for good wages, to Blu.
food at reasonable prices, to rise from
the hideous rut of oppression, depres
sion and superstition which they ha
lived under the Spanish.
Might we not have made ourselve
welcome: Should we not have bee
considered representatives of honest
and genuine liberty? Would not tina
have been better than to present gu
selves as wholesale murderers an
water curistS?
II some of the wise men at Washing
ton would get short history of Ale:
ander the Great and learn of his metl
DDS in dealing with conquered people
their eyes might open and they migt
find that government, even of asupe
ior kind, is best esta hlished on respet
for local feelings, kindness TO loc;
leaders and honesty of admins crat ito
Chicago American.
=.
The esteemed Chicago Chronicl
seems fond Of telling how fusion hs
failed in Nebraska. Let's see abor