Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1903-02-13
SrKICkES FILIPISOS.

Tho once prosperous Philippine IL.
lands have come to sud pass. After
war, murder, torture. rapinc and tire
have devastated the greater portion oi
these islands, the inevitable plague
pestilence and famine have followed in
their train Two hundred and fif.y thou
sand FIlipiLos are said to have been
killed in the wGI, and like number
have perished from the plague. How
grent is the number OF the widows and
orphans thnt have no providers ~ prob
lemHtical, but the number must ap.
proach 100000 Of helpless ones. These
nrc now dying OF hunger. and :he mum
ber ID added Ia daily, Tor the plague has
not been stayed.
So desperate are the conditions TINT
President Roosevelt hns transmitted to
Congress message iucloslug letter
from Secretary Root describing the ter
riblc conditions that prevail and asking
tl'R! u special appropriation Of $1,000
OOO be made for the rrliei ut the desti-
lute. The Seer. iary "f War says:
1t seems To me that the conditions
resulting from the destruction by rim
dcrpcst Of % per cent u Tia. carubaos,
the draft animals Of the islands, aud
the consequent failure OF the rice crop,
followed 10y an cpidc ~ cholera. are
70 serious and distressing ns Ia call for
hctIoh by Congress bcyoud that for
which the commission specifically asks.
'' | think the OCCASION for relief in
the Philippines Ii now greater than II
WIS III Cuba when Cong rcrs appropriate
I'd S3,OOO,OOO for the payment 81 the
Cuban soldiers ont uf the treasury OF
The United Stntcs, or than it WAS III
Porto Rico when hundrCds Of thousands
al dnllnrs were contributed 10y the H. o.
pie of the United States mud more than
sl,O00,Oa0 paid ont of the national treus.
ury FOR the relief 81 the suiTcrcrs from
the hurricane %! August, 1899"
Never before has a message oi IA Pres.
ident to Congress prcsrntcd such sud
and diahstrous condition rs existing III
amy Of the territory Of the United States
worse than Cuba after the iron dcs.
potism Of Spain and the brutality of
Wcy!cr had devastated that fair island.
Could nny parallel bc worss?
The great heart 0i the American pco.
pie freely gave relief To- the Cuban die.
trcss aud now will respond with even
greater hbcrnlity, Tor Cuba WINS only
ncighbor III deatrcss but the Filipinus
are our own people, whom we have IN.
dcrtakcn To provide for. We bought
thom with great price End have spent
hundreds of millions Ia force our gov.
0rnmcnt on them. We have been told
wo are there tn stay whatever betides.
Tho more reason they should bc cared
tor. There should be no delay in max.
lng this appropriation to relieve this
distress, for which wa are AT least pnr.
tially Responsible. IL s3.OO0.0GO is not
enough, let il he doubled or even ten.
fold appropriated.
Tho government we have instituted
III tho Philippines collects all the revc.
nucs, and, sorry to- relate, most ~ it is
expended on our own uiliciala who have
been cent there Ia administer il. Tho
Filipinoa are hcipirHs; their fntc is in
our hands.
Whatever disposition III Ia bG made of
tho Philippine islauhs will he settled
hereafter. The present IL no time for
quibbl,ng on political conditions when
thousands are dying ~ hunger and dis.
cHRc
Tho Republican, Hdmiuist ration of
benevolent assimilation Tor the islands
In II fnilurc--our rhiof oIlicinla acknowl.
edge it. Instead ni the pictures Of con.
tcntmen, and good government TINT
havo been the constant theme Of tho
imperialiRis. they are now forced To
portra, impovcrishmcnt and dstrces
Is 1t la Uc wondered at TINT lndrOnos
Rre organized ,hto bnnde, even Tor
plundcr, with gauut hunger stalking
through the lnud, up TO the gates of
MnnilnY
Government 81 the people without
their cOnscnt has always bocu disns.
troua 10 tho governed aud lima usually
brought misfortune To those WHO have
attempted il. Tx.