The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-02-01
MILIrARISM IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Like BanQuo's ghost the Philippine
question will not down. Though sick
and weary of it rs the American peo.
pie are, it will keep bobbing up for
many year to come unless change
comes over the imperial dream of the
iingoes who have t1ampled upon Amer
lean principles and traditions in under
taking to govern an oriental race by
depriving them Of "life,. liberty and
the pursuit of happiness in the volcanic
islands which their Creator destined
for their abode. From all Indications
the Mckinley administration made a
poor investment when it paid the Span
ish government S2OOOO,00U for the
privilege of governing the Filipinos by
compulsion. The imperialists and eX-
pansionists are beginning to realize the
truth and force Of the poets lines:
Easier We're it
10 hurl the rooted mountain from its
base
Than force the yoke of slavery upon
men
Determined tp be free"
The Filipinos. though mongrel race
Of an inferior order, prefer death to
vassalage. For three years they have
not surrendered their birthright to the
foreign invaders who came in the guise
of friends to rob them of their inalien-
able rights. They have been butch
cred like sheep by the 'hireling SOL
diers of the republic; they have been
tortured like the martyrs of the old
Spanish inquisition ITO betray their
leaders; they have been treated as
Cromwell treated the Irish and as
Kitchener is treating the Beers; but
yet they doggedly keep up the fight
for liberty and independence.
Mr.. George KEENAN,, the special in
vestigatpr of the Outlook, in letter
written nearly a year ago, had the
following to say of our barbaric meth
DDS in the Philippines:
1--WE have established penal col.
ony; we burn native villages near
which there has been an ambush or
attack by insurgent guerillas; we kill
the wounded; we resort to torture as
a means Of obtaining information;
and in private letters from two Off
GERS Of the regular army in the Philip
pines I find the prediction that in GER
tain provinces we shnll probably have
to resort to the method Of reconcentra-
tion practbced by Gen. Weyler in Gu
ba."%
1t is only recently that one Gen.
Bell declared that concentration camps
are being established in the province
Of Llzon, Of which the capital is Ma
mila. That is the Weyler method of
pacification against which this co,ln-
try went to war with Spain. 1t is
the method employed by Kitchener in
South Africa and which is condemned
by the civilized world.
Who protests againsts its introduc-
ton by us in the Philippines? Only
asfew Americans in the United States
Senate, like Hoar and Teller, protest
against. the conduct of the military Of
ficers who have inagurated such an UNI
Americana policy: The press and pull
pit Of the United States, with few hon
orable exceptions, keep silent when
military satraps are bringing disgrace
and dishonor on the American. name.
The Philippine war is carried ON by
military Neross who appear to be des-
titute of all feelings of humanity. If
their inhuman treatment Of the natives
is condemned, they insult the critics.
Gen. Wheaton, in referring to the
recent speech Of Prof. Schurman at
Boston, said that men were sent to
prison In Manila for saying less.
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