The sun., 1902-03-10
Great Speech on Filipinos
by Little Kansan.
SILENCE, WHILE BULLETS FLY.
Ignorant Talk at Home Has
Slain Our Soldiers.


our Side - Fnipinos Cry for seif-Goy-
ernnent as . ChlId Might for . Hot
Poker, but They Are Not f1t for II
-Chaes II We should withdraw.
Everybody who heard Brig Gen. Fred
eriok Funston at the Lotos Club on Satur-
day night tell the story Of the capture
Of Aguinaldo and describe the actual situs-
tion In the Philippines would like TO hear
! and cheer him tumultuously all over again;
and for those who did not hear him. here,
In full. Is his speech. parts OF which THE
SUN printed yesterday;
Mr.. ToAsTMAsTER AND FRIENDS: Judging
from the remarks of the President OF tho
Lotos Club / suppose that l am 90 talk
about the Philippines; al least would gather
that. But, In the first place, 1 want 10
express my heartfelt appreciation, not only
Of the fattering introduction from the
President of the club. but for 50 cordial
a greeting from the members Of an organ
ration which bears upon lts rolls the names
Of 90 many of the most distinguished men
in the United States,
To talk about the Philippines. and about
the war over there, Is not in all respects
Agreeable, but am glad Of the opportunity
20 lay before such company few facts.
IL may aid some OF you, who have been
inisled by stories Of various kinds, TO be-
leve that the army In the Philippines has
been doing as well as il possibly could.
and IL may enable others of you To be
prouder than ever of the patience and for
titude and humanity which have dis,in-
g,Iished the course OF the army and navy
In the Philippines from the beginning Of
the war down TO the present time. Zap
shall take a very little Of your time,
and you will take into consideration. Of
course. the fact that / am not a public
speaker. A man could not 10y knocking
around the world for fifteen or twenty
years acquire many graces as a speaker;
but viii give you few plain facts and
ask you TO draw your own conclusions.
WE COULD NOT sCUTTIE.
When the city OF Manila was surrendered
TO the navy under Admiral Dewey lcheersl
and 70 the army under Gen. Merritt, there
were In the city some hundreds Of Spanish
families, men, women and children, and
great many thousands OF Spanish soldiers
who were prisoners OF war in the hands
OF our troops.
In the eyes Of the world these people
absolutely unarmed and helpless. were de-
pendent entirely upon us for protection. In
addition to these there were many European
residents; there were German and British
merchants with their families proprietors
Of banks, commercial houses. warehouses,
railroads. representing millions upon
IllllOUe OF uOlldTs NOTtn OF property
To have turned these helpless Spaniards
and others over To the mercy of the un-
controllable mob which constituted the
army OF Aguinaldo would have been
positive crime. The Bulgarian and Ar
menian massacras would have been re-
peated on a smaller scale, and the whole
thing would have constituted the black
est page In American history-a thing
We could not have blotted out in a thousand
years Of repentance. tApplausel
MASSACRE AND LOOT FOR MANILA.
II Is not 10 be supposed that Aguinaldo
and some Of the other higher officers would
have countenanced massacre OF the help
less Spaniards. or the looting of the city Of
Manila, but there is no possible doubt
- to what would have happened. The
thirty thousand armed men who constituted
his force would have been absolutely be-
yond control, and one has but TO know
that pitiable story Of the execution of two
hundred helpless Spanish soldiers in 1899
by an insurgent major in the province of
Albai-he has but 10 know that awful story
In order 10 realize to what depths these
brutal savaRes could go.
No Joint occupation Of the city of Manila
was possible; only one thing could be done
and that was 70 put the insurgents bag
and baggage clear outside Of the city and
make them stay outside, police the city
with our own soldiers, and allow things
10 remain in that state until a final dis
position OF the Philippine Islands could
be settled, either by the Treaty of Paris
or finally by the people OF the United States.
Accordingly, on the demand Of the Amer!
can authorities. the insurgents went out
side the city instead of going up to Mslolos.
where their government went. They
formed a line Of trenches running parallel
with our own and extending from the sea
At Maliban on one side 10 Peracuna on
the other They dug their trenches TO
within one hundred 10 two hundred and
fifty yards OF our own lines and filed them
with twenty or thirty thousand armed
men, 90 that constant vigilance was neccs-
sary on our part.
P1LIPISos PROVOKED WAR.
The insurgents with ribald iests, with
curses and indecent oaths and insults.
taunted us as towards, and dared our men
20 open fire. but stern discipline prevailed
IN our army, and we obeyed the instruc-
tions from Gen. Otis TO avoid a conflict
under all circumstances, or delay II Ms long
a. was possible; but day after day the fric-
tion became more intense; nearly all OF
us think realized that il was not a ques-
tion OF months but a question Of few days
until the clash must come.
Aguinaldo and his paper government,
his Cabinet, and his elf-appointed Con |
gress retired 10 Nalolos and there issued |
proclamations and sulked.
Finally, probably two weeks before the |
beginning of the war, an insurgcnt captain |
who refused TO respond 10 the challenge |
OF tenIfN on lne StTeelS OF Mania Wab |
shot dead. That was the first actual clash. |
About three days after that private |
soldier OF the First Montana Regiment, |
who was on sentry duty outside the city, |
was approached by a man with rife AT
about 10 O'Clock at night; he gave the usual |
challenge, but the man did not respond, |
but instead Of that fired at him from a
distance Of very few yards, but. Filipino |
like, missed him. tLaughterl.
Only two DAYS later. private Of the |
South Dakota Regiment on outpost duty, !
only two miles north Of the city, was APP |
preached by an apparently unarmed native |
who asked him for a match. The sentry |
started to hand him one, when he drew |
bolo, a native knife about two feet long, |
and gave him n terrific blow across the |
face, cutting him from the top OF the skull |
down to the chin, and | am glad TO saw |
that within about half a second the native |
fell dead. shot through the heart
PIsHED FoR 1T UNTIL THEY GOT IT
few days later n drunken mob Of Fill |
ipinos. partly officers and partly soldiers !
of Aguinaldo's army, attempted 10 rush |
through the lines % the First Nebraska |
near Santa Casa; only the presence OF Col. !
Stearns, that magnificent soldier who /
Nsll