Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-05-21
THE PHILIPPINE TROUBLE.
March with More spirit THAI They
Do the star spangIed Banner

The last bundle of newspapers from
Manila gives an insight into political
affairs there that would never be
CLEANED from the official dispatches.
The Filipinos appear to be in constant
dread of the extraordinary laws that
the Philippine commission have enact
ed to govern and enlighten them.
They still worship Aguinaldo and hope
for freedom. Some patriot musician
amongst them has composed the
'Aguinaldo March," and. as the com
mission imagines they were appoint
ed not only to make the laws but to
be the censors of the public morals
and of their patriotism, they enacted
a law that when the "Aguinaldo
March" was played the "Star-Span-
gled Banner must follow. This law
or ordinance seems to have been in
vented by the commission on purpose
to instill into the Filipino heart that
Aguinaldo was equal to Uncle Sam.
The effect, anyway, has been to incul-
cate a vast respect and love for their
own national anthem and a dislike for
ours. The Filipino is willy and tricky;
he has been for centuries learning to
delude and beguile the Spaniards into
believing that he was satisfied with
his masters, but every few years the
smothered patriotism would break
forth and a serious rebellion would
show that every mothers son of them
--z.1l Gul4 20, f,nnInrp Tho Snan-
iards enacted preposterous laws to
keep the Filipinos in subsection, but
who can stife the love of liberty and
independence In the human breast
that once has absorbed it.
The Philippine commission that the
United States has appointed to govern
these Filipinos have in many respects
followed the bad example of the Span
iards by enacting vicious and absurd
laws against sedition, the ordinance
about playing the "Star-Spangled Ban
ner" being an example. The Filiplnos
are natural musicians and they obeyed
the law, but the effect was, as might
be expected, entirely different from
thatintended by the commission. When
the Filipino bands played Aguinal-
dos march it was performed with avim
and precision that set every native
heart on fire. When the "Star-Span'
gled Banner followed it was rendered
in a ~listless and ~uninspiring way that
begets Indifference, if not derision
The letter of the law is obeyed, but il
spirit it is dead.
The commission has at its beck ant
call an army of police, detectives
scouts and secret service men who b,
] day and night try to entrap the dis
| loyal Filipino.
The Manila American of Februar,
J S describes their attempt to close thu
Risal theater because the play wa
: considered disloyal, and gives the fol
q lowing outline of the play that ha
] been placed under the ban:
"'Mindi Acc Patay' is an opera o
the most subtle character. Will
there is not a line in it that would az
: pear revolutionary on its face, Their
i is a, double meaning to almost ever,
word in the play. The heroine is
o young woman who is costumed as'Fili
pima Libre.' The villain is made u
t as an American soldier, and what tn
t heroine does not say about that youn
e man is not worth saying from a revt
U l%utionary standpoint. The play
II cheered from beginning to end, and
J is easy to see from the expression o
! the faces of the audience that it III
derstands well the revolutionary sent
ments expressed by the players. Th
final scene is typical of the Who'll
Q play. The rising sun. the emblem {
the crushed Filipino republic is see
to rise behind a stage setting repre-
senting a mountain. AS it rises til
n orchestra plays the 'Aguinaldo March
Is BY the time the march is finished an
the audience has ceased cheering tn
sun has reached its zenith, and remair
stationary. Then the 'S~tar-spangle
le Banner is played. This is done solel
to comply with the law recently passe
by the commission permitting II
lie 'Aguinaldo March to be played provi
is ed the national air of the Unite
sc States is played Immediately afte
ID ward. But there is no cheering viii
10 the 'Star-Spangled Banner is beir
N PLAYED. However, there is no deart
H. of kissing and cat-calls and oth'
= demonstrations of disapproral. Ar
1t all of this has been done right he1
in the city of Manila, not once b'
CT many times, during the past month
n. The American also states thatSJua
"a Matapa. the native author of the pla
q is probably in serious trouble fl
~ writing such a production. The col
es mission may hang or imprison Matap
NJ but it is folly to imagine they cs
II change the hearts of his countrymen'
If this news from the Philippin
IS was not so disastrous to The hop
Of the people of the United State
1!e who have paid so dearly for their viii
III tie. and so at variance with the ofici
u]tterances of the commission, it won
be laughable and could be looked up'
as of the opera bouffe order. r
500. O00.0 900 a years. a pretty highpri
OF to pay for a smile.
IN. New ethical Code of Army.
n 1t is really moving to read the I
IT. proofs and protests in regard to &c