Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1909-11-03

O~sSv
Of the surging emotions of disap-
pointment, anger and sorrow that
possessed them at this trying time.
Their properly constituted officials
held more meetings. councils and
parleys with Gen. Otis. He could
not change the orders from WASH
ington. He was a soldier; his duty
was to obey.
Soldiers from opposite sides Of
the world, having little in common
except the name Christian" now
faced each other with loaded rifles
in their hands, CLEANS of anger in
their eyes and insulting epithets on
their lips. The honey Of friend
ship had been turned to the bitter
gall Of hatred. Eagerly they fin.
gered the triggers of their rifles.
waiting the moment when they
should have the opportunity to fire.
"Just after dark on the evening
Of February 4, exactly a month at.
ter the posting Of the benevolent
assimilation proclamation. the
hell flames of depressed passion
broke loose. A Filipino lieutenant
came too close to the American lines.
He did not halt quickly when or
dered. Private Grayson of the
Nebraskas fired and killed him.
His Filipino comrades returned the
fire. Soon the entire line. extend
ing many miles. and circling the
city like a crescent. became a crack
ling. roaring. flashing instrumen.
tally Of carange and death.
Ion the next day, amid the roar
of artillery and the rattle of rifles,
an emissary from President Aguin-
aldo came through our lines carry
ing white flag. He said his peo-
pie wanted peace and were willing
to move their lines a mile still fur
Their back, So as to establish a neu-
trail zone and so avoid further
clashes. Otis again cabled WASH
ington. The answer was, Whip
Aguinaldo and establish an Ameri-
can government for the whole
islands,
The remainder of the story IS
familiar to all Americans. IN the
next few months at least thirty
cities and towns. ranging in pcpu-
lation from 1000 to 10000, were
laid in ashes, fields were made desc.
late, churches were pillaged and
burned, families were driven to the
mountains and thousands of bloated
bodies were buried under the blood
stained sod of tropical rice fields.
The smiles of joy which had pre-
vailed throughout the land at
Christmas tide had been turned into
the sad and sullen looks which fol-
low the blasting of u high hope and
the crushing Of a worthy ambition.
1.-The war, with all the usual &C.
compartments, continued for years.
Money can not measure its meaning
to the people Of the Philippines.
Only the sufferer can know his own
agonies. Up to date the islands
have cost the United States at least
six or seven hundred millions of
dollars. But this is the least i'm
portant item that the impartial his
torian of the future will note down
when he writes the sad and bloody
story of humanity's struggle toward
the attainment of the ideal of Free
dom.
"Why did the American people,
who are generous, sympathetic and
liberty loving, permit this war?
l will answer that if you can ex.
plain why these same wide awake
and intelligent people have permit
ted the System or the Inter-
ests' to control elections, dictate
legislation and decide the fate of
every man who aspires to political
position.
"The war upon the Filipinos
came at time when the American
conscience was at it's lowest ebb.
The governments Of our great
cities. whether labeled republican
or democratic, were reeking in COR
ruption and graft. The life insur-
ance iniquities were at their worst.
Public service corporations held
high carnival of law defiance.
Timber lands and other natural ,e-
sources belonging to all the people
and worth countless millions of dol
lars were brazenly stolen. It is
stated on good authority that in the
preceding election it had cost $751;
100000 to elect the president. The
trusting people did not suspect.
They were hypnotized into q blind
faith in party names. The late
awakening had not yet come.
1T fell to the lot of Gen. Otis,
as it did to thousands of others of
us, to serve as a soldier at this
time. 1t was not for US to reason
why. 1t was not for US to make
reply. Gen. Otis was a soldier.
He obeyed orders.
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