Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-10-25
A Mere bubble.

The Chicago Tribune has undertaken
to impeach Judge Parker's statement
that the Philippines have cost the
American people s67O,OOO,0OO and that
In the attempt to bolster the option on
the lands, tenements and Embellishments
of this victim we have sacrificed over
100000 lives" After quoting Secretary
Taft's statement that the Philippines
have cost the American people S199, 600,
600. the Tribune says:
''Ten days after Secretary Tafts cor
rection Judge Parker made his now ia
nous speech on the Philippines. He
paid no attention to what Secretary
Taft had said. He did not even try to
disprove it. He simply contented him
self with reiterating that the Philippines
had cost 1910, 100000 And to the
astonishment of the country he added
that Sin the attempt to bolster the
option on the lands, tenements, and
Entertainments of this victim (the
Filipino) we have sacrificed over 200, 600
lives"
Add together all the American soldiers
who are or have been in the islands at
any time. Add to them every Ameri-
can who has gone to the archipelago in
any official capacity, whether as teacher
Judge, clerk or administrator, and the
total falls under 200, 900. The number
of our troops, including the Filipino
constabulary, who have died in the is
lands from wounds, disease, or natural
causes is less than 5, 900
Will Judge Parker kindly rise to eX-
nlaip inst w hat no means Inv his state
ments He may have been merely mis-
informed when he wrote his letter of
acceptance, but why ten days after
Secretary Taft correction did he calm
ly repeat his extraordinary estimate of
$3.50, 600, 900 And, above all things,
why in the name of the Goddess of
Truth did he tack on that amazing
assertion about 100000 lives?"
The Tribune pettifogs. Six hundred
and seventy millions of dollars is a
modest estimate of the cost to the
American people of the Philippine is
lands. The direct expenditures may
not exceed 5000, coo, 600, but when it is
considered that it has been necessary TO
double the military establishment to
hold them, it at once becomes evident
that there are other things 20 be taken
into consideration besides the cost OF
purchasing and eonquering the islands.
In the one item of the navy, on no
less an authority than Senator Hale OF
Maine, the Philippines have imposed an
annual burden of 800, 900, 600 on the
American people. Their possession
neeessitates great navy 1t necessi-
tates an army such as the United States
never maintained even when it was
protecting its frontier from hostile
Indian tribes 1t costs 81 900 year to
keep a soldier. The army now con-
tains over 10000 men where p, 900 men
were deemed sufficient before the con-
quest of the Philippines Not only has
it cost the American people $670, 000, 900
to purchase, conquer and retain the
Philippines, but it is easily costing
them s100,00O,O00 a year more than
would be necessary TO maintain the
army and navy if we were not under
the necessity of protecting them.
In the conquest of the Philippines
over 100000 lives were sacrifced-not
the lives of American soldiers, but the
lives of FilipinoS, men, women and
children, through siaughterings in bat
tie and through the disease and starva-
ton that followed upon the heels of the
devastation worked by the American
armies Whole provinces were laid to
waste. 1t is estimated that over 900 600
Filipinos, including women and chill
dren. died from starvation and disease
as a consequence Of the devastation
caused by the war
And this has been done by party
that was brought into existence as q
protest against human slavery, that de-
clared lis adherence to .he Declaration
of Independence and that found its in
SEPARATIONS in the teachings of Thomas
jefferson and that raised to the presi-
dency Abraham Lincoln, who held that
mo man IS good enough to govern an
other without his consent -MiIwau-
kee News