Life — January 12, 1899 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“ While there is Life there's Hope.” 4OL. XXXUL.- JANUARY 12, 1899, 19 Wesr Tutery-Piesr Sr., New Youn, Published every Thursday. $5. a year in ad- vance. “Postage to foreun countries In the Postal fF extra. Single current ov {ler three months 18 No coutribution will be returned unless accompanied by stamped and addressed envelope. The illustrations in Lave are copyrighted, anil are not to be reproduced without special arrangement with the publishers, Prompt notification shoutd be sent by sub- seribers of any change of address. I’ was real mean of General Rios to surrender lloilo to the Filipino in- surgents, and most —incon- siderate of the insurgents to accept his surrender; but we must expect that some embar- rassments of that sort will be mixed into our job in the Philip. pines. The suspicion that General Nios surrendered merely to make trouble for the Americans isa painful blow toa kind- hearted people who are trying hard todo right. We have learned, however, not to expect from Spain a just appreci- ation of our upright intentions. The news from Iloilo is at this writing still hazy and incomplete, and it is impossible to say whether it will be necessary to retake the place with firearms or whether diplomacy will avail, Diplomacy seems preferable if it can be used, since, once we begin to fight with the Filipinos, it will be all the harder to convince them of the urbanity of our ultimate inten- tions. The trouble with letting the in- surgents, who now seem to hold Llioilo, continue in possession of it, is the diffi- culty of ascertaining who they are or whom they represent. If they were authorized representatives of the people of Panay, and could give that island a decent government, it would seem not “LLPE * inconsistent with our purposes to let them go abead and doit, What we know, however, of Philippine insurgents encourages the belief that they lack re- sponsibility, and that their notion of government is to gain for themselves the power-to levy heavicr taxes on the inland population than the Spaniards did before them, Allthe same, fighting them would be very disagreeable work, and hazard. ous besides, and we must hope that Gen- eral Otis will find effective means of per- suading them to good bebavior without the actual use of weapons, ASA: TT 'HE Senate has not yet ratitied our treaty with Spain, and there are those who think it ought not to do so, and who believe that now is the time and the Senate chamber the place to fight expansion and all its works. The dis. cussion of the treaty will be interesting, and may be protitatle, but there seems little prospect at presert of its rejection, notwithstanding it will take a two thirds vote to ratify it. Many Scnators will vote for it with extreme reluctance, but they will vote for it all the same, rather than invite the chaotic condition of things which would result from its rejection. It scems wiser now to bend our energies to the care and training of-our white cle- phants, so that they may be taught to keep step with the rest of the procession, than to indulge futile hopes of getting rid of them, if Be problem of quickening commu nication with the far off Asintic dependencies begins to invite solution. Our watchful rulers bave concluded to annex Wake Island, which is good news, for Wake Island is easily had, and there seems to be no one on it to object to the hoisting of our flag. It is somewhere very far off, on the way from Hawaii to Guam, and we feel that we need it for a future cable station, for of course we shall have to have a cable to Manila, Then there is the canal to be dug. and that isa big job, which wiil cost a vast deal of money, and much wear and tear of mind One would like to see the old Pavama Canal put through, if only out of respect for human endeavor, and from dislike to see work wasted. The Panama Canal in its present state offends thrift, To buy itand complete it would give us all a better opinion of human enterprise, for one does not like to 80 Vastan atlempt sink down in mud and perish, It is for engineers to say, however, whether it would pay better to put the Panama Canal through, or build a pew one through Nicaragua. Whichever work is undertaken, we shall feel the burden of it heavily enough. 660866 LL the plans for the reorganization and increase of the army seem to be bad. Those that don’t increase it enough are objected to for that reason, and because, insufficient as they are, they involve hiring more soldiers and spending many millions of dollars on them, Those that provide for a suf- ficient increase are assailed because they cali for so many professional soldiers, because they cail for a great deal of money, and because they involve the uppointment of a raft of new officers who don't know their business, As alas, how much talk about far- away things and innovations that seem imminent! The peaceful hours we once enjoyed, How calm their memory sti!!! But they have left an aching vold Expanston cannot fill, We uscd to find something to think of and discuss besides annexations and news from the East and-West Indies, but now the most conspicuous news in the papers is usually from Macila or from Cuba, Between man and man. however, small talk still passes current. The two inter. ests which at this moment most engross the population of New York are the grip and the stock market Everyone who cculd afford it seems to have had the grip, and also to have bought some sort of a ticket in the great Wall Street lot- tery. The grip, though very prevalent, has not been severe, and the lottery of late has turned out many prizes; so, for the majority of mankind, life still has consolations.