The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-25
TART'S ANSWER TO PARKER.
HE TELLS THE HISTORY or
WINNING THE PHILIPPINES.
The Union League Club Of Brooklyn Greets
Secretary OF War-No Reference 10
the Odeil State Ticket Madeline hea-
con for Not Giving Up the Islands'

| TIC OOciI btbt6 'AIChtt 49,
con for Not Giving Up the Islands'
Secretary OF War William H. Taft was
the guest OF the Union League Club IN
Brooklyn last night and delivered a stirring
address on the Philippines at the Clermont
| Avenue Rink under the clubs auspices,
The meeting was one Of the largest and
most enthusiastic Of the campaign, equal
ling the great demonstration in honor OF
| Senator Fairbanks last week. The Union
Leaguers to the number OF 8OO, each carry
ing small American flag and headed by
band, marched from the clubhouse in Grant
Square TO the rink. Major Fred Z. Ebstein'
former Deputy Police Commissioner, being
the grand marshal. They got great
ovation on entering the hall. President
Fred E. Gunnison Of the club was chairman
Of the meeting
| The meeting was unmarried with single
reference to the State ticket none OF the
speakers introducing a discordant note
by urging the support Of the Odell can
didate Secretary Taft got big welcome
on his entrance, and was cheered when
introduced by Chairman Gunnison. He
was listened to throughout his address with
| deep attention and frequently Interrupted
with applause. He said in part:
Il am here only to talk about subject
in which hore you have an interest ana
the other day thought had some informa,
ton want to talk to you, and II you VIII
bear with me, will attempt to describe
not what recent student OF conditions
saw in the islands, but what IT was given
me to learn and see in those far on gems
of the Pacific. 1t is exceedingly dlfiicuit
to describe the conditions in the Philippine
Islands, and to an American audience, be-
cause the conditions are 30 different from
aanytthing that s an American audience Is
"1he Islands were discovered In 1928
by Magellan. They were settled in l565
by La Gaspie under the direction of Phillip
| II. They were not settled as a colony
| they were settled as Christian mission.
The present Fiipinos- miles OF
them-are the only Christians in the Orient
They are the only Christian Malays in the
world. And that Is a most Important
thing. considering the problem. which we
have to solve there. Our English friends
and our Dutch fri nds look upon our forts
and our policy in tn Islands, that OF leaving
the Filipinos to become a self-governlnS
people, as an experiment that must fan
and they do so because they liken the Fill
have had to do in the Malay States and in
India The reason why the forecast OF
our failure is not we'll founded, is because
two million people of the Philippine Islands
are sincere Christians; whereas In lndla
and in the Malay States the Indians with
which they have to deal, and the peoples
over whom they assumed government
are Mohammedatans and Buddhists, people
who look with distain upon Christianity
and upon Christian ideals and upon Euro
pean and American progress.
Now, the Spanish priests regarded these
people as their wards and they treated them
as children; they did not encourage in the
islands the development OF the islands,
At Nl.1N d. DAErt nd i'm
Mexico the opening Of mines had led to
the greatest cruelty and the greatest bar
barism to the natives Of those countries.
in 1870 you remember, the Suez Canal
was constructed, and the islands We're
brought within thirty days Of Spain. That
led to the coming OF great many Span
iards into the islands just at the time when
there was republican. movement In spain
and they had a republic there right on for
about three months.
Judge Parker says that the Spanish
never conquered the islands. I am afraid
that his history is as inaccurate as his
information in regard to the present condi-
ton Of the islands. The Spanish were IN
manifested by tho fact that in 100 years
they had but 400 trooTs there; the friars
were in complete control and were looked
up to by the people and followed by the
people Ph..o po,,,,o.r ;dsos srr.ad among
the educated people Of the islands and
hordcs OF Spanish adventurer came over.
Spanish ideas became very much morepreV-
Giant in the islands and in 1871 there was
an uprising. a mutiny in regiment. L
don't know how extended the uprising
was beyond the regiment, but it was charged
by the Spanish authorities that a natiIe
priest had been at the bottom OF the dis
turbance and this priest was taken out and
shot.
But in lsss the revolution broke out,
1t was furthered by an organization known
as the Cattapuma Society, This society
included all the leading Filipinos, and
all over Luzon. The original head Of it
was Address Benafaccio a man Of vio-
lence, and extreme in his methods. Agui-
naldo was a native of Carita and was the
organized by the Cattapyma Society. He
was successful in two or three. battles with
the Spaniards. in which he showed great
bravery. They were the first in the war
and they made him public idol The
Spaniards worried Aguinaldo and his fol-
and his generals agreed for the payment
of $500 ,OCO down to leave the islands;
In 1895 Dewey sailed into Manila Bay
BY taking the Spanish feet he had taken
police manila, though it lay helpless under
his guns. Aguinaldo had been sent to
him by consul from Singapore and reached
him several days after the battle OF Manila
bay. Dewey ueniI W uec III oiit
purpose of holding the ground until the
American soldiers reached Manila. He
sent Aguinaldo ashore twice. He told
Aguinaldo that he would arm his insurgent
soldiers il he could call them together again.
Aguinaldo tried twice and failed but the
third time he went ashore he stayed there.
Arms were distributed to his followers and
a very considerable army was raised.
Secretary Taft told the story Of the sup
preston Of the rebellion OF Aguinaldo
and how the Americans finally got absolute
control Of the Philippines. He declared
that Dewey never promised Aguinaldoi
independence.
One OF Secretary Tafts questions was
II ask you as reasonable men, could we
turn those islands with 100000 Of people
over to government Of military despotism
OF Aguinaldo of the character I have de-
scribed2 Cries of No. No all over the
hallI There were 100000 Moros who
hate the Christian Filipinos as they hate
the devil, 100000 non-Christian tribes in
the mountains who fear the oppression OF
the Christian Flipinos And all those
people were under our, control, and they