Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-06-10
If IS UP TO MIR. ROOT.
: .i!E Military Head Is Charged with
Withholding INFORMATION Re-
Earding philippine Frauds

After the treaty of Paris han been
signed and the Philippines thereby
ceded to the United States, the Span
Ssh prime minister, Senior Sagasta,
said: "Now Spain is avenged" This
Eyes laughed at as fine bit OF tcyni-
cism; but events have established Sa-
gasta as a highly respectable autllorl-
ty. The gift has cost us hundreds
OF millions and the prediction that the
end is at hand is no more sangulne
than it has been scores OF times with
in the last two years. After the task
OF establishing peace and quiet Id
broken and scattered territory there
is the problem of protecting 1T. In the
svent of foreign war we would not
have the comparatively easy work Oh
defending continuous empire. 10
attack a compact nationality fighting
For home and country is u very d11Ier-
ent proposition and far less inviting
than the Inauguration OF war which
may be forced and fought 1000 miles |
from our shores, says the Detroit Free
Press.
That congress appreciates what o
stnpendous menace we have bought
appears in the fact that it is trying
to make appropriations to fortify the
seaboard cities in towns where the
costly maintenance of garrisons will
be necessary even after the internal
TROUBLES are quieted. For the same
reason the navy must be largely in
creased. There is nothing to do so
long as we cling to the Philippines
but to establish and maintain large
ay increased fighting equipment both
Tor the reasons cited and because the
respect formerly had for the Monroe
doctrine is greatly weakened by the
Invasion of the other hemisphere.
Some idea of what it would mean to
have to defend our new possessions in
the event of war appears In the fact
that the aggregate land of the Philip
pines is about equal to that in New
Mexico, while the seacoast they have
is almost equal to that of all our
states bordering on the two great
oceans.
Figures of the expenses that we
must carry are oyerwhelmingy and the
most sanguine do not predict that the
generation is yet born that will see
the balance in favor of this country.
Yet these considerations are far from
covering the mate rial considerations
involved. Charges OF fraud in the
Philippines have been passed over with
lfghtnesS that invites It's repetition.
Some of the ugliest stories connected
with modern civilized warfare are I'M
der investigation. The senate COM
mittee is encountering extreme diff
Guilty in getting vital facts as to the
true situation in the islands. Gen.
Iaft is charged with the suppression
of important information bearing
upon the military government. There
is NO valid excuse for this, but there
Is the creditable explanation that he,
as the head of the civil government,
EhraIk from condemning those with
whom he is allied in control.
Now it is alleged in open senate that
the secretary of war is withholding
material information from the COM
mittee. If this be true he is without
an apology. He is the power behind
the military government, and to cover
its dereHctions is to become party
to them. If the charges are true Mr..
Root has ignored acts for the people,
and that it is they who are demand
ing an unabridged and explicit state
ment OF conditions in our new posses
sions. Conceding the right of military
control IN the Philippines it does not
Follow that it can be exercised at home
In the slightest degree. Congress has
p right to know everything, and Of
course will know everything.