Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-02
RECORD
DEEPLY SCORED
HIS CAREER IN PHILIPPINES
LAID BARE
WHAT REPUBLICAN POLICIES
FORCED ON COUNTRY
President Nominee Showed Himself
Fully in Sympathy with Measures
That Trampled Native Lib
erty Under Foot

That Trampled Native Llp=
erty Under Foot
Political parties are necessary; but,
if sure of permanent control, they be-
come corrupt, forget their fundamental
principles, and degenerate into mere
machines for grabbing office, power
and wealth. Masquerading in the pre-
tense of their old virtues, their lead
ers cunningly contrive to get their
fingers into the pockets of millions,
and to make the worse appear the
better reason in deciding questions of
public policy.
Candidate Taft is better than most
of the bosses that are wont to ride
in the Republican band wagon; but
he and they ignore the great purpose
which called the party into being fifty
years ago. They have utterly forsak-
en- their first love, and he, embodiment
of all private virtues, has lost fa4h,
if he ever had any, in the basic prln-
ciples of our republic and our religion
In particular, he characterizes as
impossible dogmas" the self-evident
truths of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence-that all men are created equal,
that they are embossed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights, among
which are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness; that public officials de-
rive their just powers from the con-
| sent of the governed; that government
should be of the people and by the
people; that no man should be po-
| litical master, for all are equal breth-
rem.
These truths to him are rhetorical
phrases" impossible dogmas." This
he showed all the while that he was
governor of the Philippine islands, from
| July A. 1901, to February 1, 1904, when
he and his $4,000 soldiers sat heavily
astride the necks of the Filipinos, as
the Old Man of the Sea bestrode Sin
bad the Sailor.
Record in Philippines
In April, 1898, the nineteenth insur-
rection against Spanish rule was pro-
crossing in the Philippines, with every
prospect of success. On the first OF
May Dewey smashed the Spanish fleet.
On the oath Aguinaldo, leader of the
rebellion, proclaimed the Philippine re-
public. A thrill of joy went through
the islands. A nation seemed born in
day. In a few weeks not an armed
foe, not an armed Spanish soldier or
Spanish war vessel was within ten
thousand miles. Our commanders had
welcomed the Filipinos as friends and
Joined forces with them as allies. They
trusted us, believing that we were sim
cere.
A congress of some ninety eminent
citizens was Immediately convoked.
They framed a provisional constitu-
ton and Senator Hoar of Massachusetts
in a speech on the floor of the United
States senate pronounced 1t master
piece of craftsmanship" He added,
mot twenty men on this planet could
have drawn up q better" The new
Gpcf
of August. 1t was welcomed every
where in the islands.
In october and November, 1898, Pay
master w. B. Wilcox and Ensign Leon
ard Sargent, both of Dewey's fleet.
Travelled hundreds of miles through diff
ferent provinces among the 100000
inhabitants of Luzon, and found peace,
gladness, security, satisfaction every
where. They were feted as allies and
deliverers and our flag was idolized.
For more than five months these ma
tiVes celebrated their newly acquired
freedom and independence with festiv-
tiles, bonfires, speeches, poetry and
music.
Intelligence of Natives
They were fairly intelligent. Expert
Packard in the annual report of our
commissioner of education at Wash
ington, made a year before the war
broke out, told us that the University
of Manila, founded twenty or thirty
years before Harvard, had 1000 grad
uates that the island of Luzon had
1016 boys schols and 592 girls schools;
that nearly all the 100000 could read
and write, and were Christians of Cath
Ollie faith: that most of them could
speak either the Tagalog or Viscayan
dialect and also the Spanish language.
Why did we not let them alone? We
had no business there.
But, on the 21st of December, 1898,
our president, who, in his message to
congress eight months before, had SOL
EMMY denounced "forcible annexa-
ton" as "criminal aggression" issued
his fatal order to General Elwell s.
Otis, commander in-chief of our army
in the Philippines: Extend with
all possible dispatch the mill
tary authority of the United States
over the whole archipelago" Mr.. Car
negie. who was present, said to the
president: "Mr. President, if you issue
that order, you will be fighting those
people within thirty days" The presi-
dent turned to some listening bystand-
ers and said: Mr.. Carnegie doesn't
understand the situation at ALI"
This was more than six weeks before
the United States and Spain ratified
the treaty of peace, and at that time
IL Was IL lliC bl0oiJ SNpi NONAN
be ratified. We then held only the
city, harbor and bay of Manila. "How
far does your jurisdiction extend?"
was asked of Dewey. Just as far as
these guns can shoot" he replied All
the rest of the territory the Filipino
armies had wrested from the Spanish
and held in undisputed possession, for
it was their own native land. They
owed us no allegiance; they had never
been subject to our authority; they
had simply been tyrannized over by the
Spaniards whom they had justly eX-
PEELED, and who had not the slightest
claim on the territory or the people,
having by their cruelty and oppression
forfeited all right and title.
Submit or Die
But our armies had been pouring in.
First and last we sent over 10000 Off
GERS and soldiers. The word went forth
from Washington: "Give up your indie
pendence. You are not fit for freedom.
Submit, or die!' They chose to die.
We began the fighting
AS General Otis reported to McKtn-
ley the day after the first battle: Our
forces acted vigorously on the often
sive; the enemy strictly on the defens-
ive'' The war continued for years,
until, as governor, Hon. William III.
Taft stated in his speech at Ithaca,
N. Y, October 20. 1904, we had killed
in battle (these are his own figures)
1886 (the Filipinos say 100000, and
..,...o1.,oe I,o5 Loot a., haffIa and nv dis