2 Conservative *
' PIIIL.IPPINK
THK PKKSIDKNT'S .
PltOCI.AMATION.
| General Otis aprees with the anti-imperial-
ists that the pn'sitlcnt'fl proclamation of De
cember 21,1SSI8 , ordering extension of militiirv
government over the wh"ln of the ceded terri
tory befor the tn-aty with Spain wns ratified
was a cause of the subsequent trouble. Ho
censors the proclamation but General MiMur
without orders publishes it as the president
wrote it. ]
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT PACIFIC
& EIGHTH ARMY CORPS.
MANILA , P. I. , Dec. 29 , 1808.
Brig. Gen. Marcus P. Miller , U. S. V. ,
Commanding First Separate Brigade ,
Eighth Army Corps , Iloilo , Pauay.
Sir : This will be delivered to you by
Captain Montgomery , of the British
navy , who leaves for Iloilo in the morn
ing. I inclose copy of our translation of
a cablegram received today in cipher ,
from which you will understand the
position and policy of our government
toward these islands. * * *
E. S. OTIS ,
Major-General , U. S. V. , Com.
"The cablegram referred to in the
above letter to General Miller was the
proclamation of the president received
in cipher. The translation was com
pleted about an hour before the letter
was written , and was transmitted to
General Miller to inform him of the
policy which the government intended
to pursue. Neither its contents nor
feasibility of immediate issue had been
carefully considered. No direction for
its publication had been given and it
was not supposed that it would be pro
claimed at Iloilo. The general , how
ever , under the impression that it had
been transmitted for publicacion , issued
it very soon after it was received.
"After fully considering the presi
dent's proclamation and the temper of
the Tagalos with whom I was daily dis
cussing political problems and the
friendly intentions of the United States
government toward them , I concluded
that there were certain words and ex
pressions therein , such as 'sovereignty , '
'right of cession , ' and those which
directed immediate occupation , etc. ,
though most admirably employed and
tersely expressive of actual conditions ,
might be advantageously used by the
Togale war party to incite widespread
hostilities among the natives. The
ignorant classes had been taught to
believe that certain words '
, as 'sover
eignty , ' 'protection , ' etc. , had peculiar
meaning disastrous to their welfare and
significant of future political domination ,
like that from which they had recently
been freed. It was my opinion , there
fore , that I would be justified in so
amending the paper that the beneficent
object of the United States government
would be brought clearly within the
comprehension of the people , and this
conclusion was the more readily reached
because of the radical change of the past
few days in the constitution of
Aguinaldo's government , which could
not have been understood at Washing
ton at the time the proclamation was
prepared. It was also believed that the
proclamation hnd been induced partially
by the suggestions of the naval authori
ties hero , which three weeks previous ,
and while affairs were in a specific and
comparatively quiet state , had recom
mended "that the president issue a
proclamation defining the policy of the
United States government in the Philip
pine Islands and assuring the inhabitants
that it is our intention to interfere as
little os possible in the internal affairs
of the islands. That as eoon as they
developed their capability for self-
government their powers and privileges
will bo increased. That will allay the
spirit of unrest. These authorities at
that time recommended the government
of the islands as a territory with a
civilian as a governor , to be followed
later by a naval and military com
mission to determine questions of a
naval and military character.
"The amended proclamation was
thereupon prepared , and fearing that
General Miller would give publicity to
the former , copies of which , if issued ,
would be circulated soon in Luzon , I
again dispatched Lieutenant Co'onel '
Potter to Iloilo , both to ascertain the
course of events there and to advise the
commanding general of the dangers
threatening in Luzon , and which might
be augmented if any action was taken
which the insurgents could make use of
in furtherance of their unfriendly de
signs. General Miller thought his
action in making publication of the
proclamation on January JJd correct , as
he had not been instructed to the con
trary , and his opinion , he contended ,
was confirmed by a war department
dispatch which I had directed Colonel
Potter to deliver to him , and which he
had received on January 6. He was
satisfied that the use he had made of the
proclamation was that contemplated by
the war department authorities , but it
was not long before it was delivered at
Malolos and was the object of venomous
attack. "
Report of Major-General E. S. Otis ,
U. S. Volunteers , on military operations
and civil affairs in the Philippine
Islands , August 81 , 1899.
THE
.
THAT GBIKD.
STONE. TIVE possessed at
Arbor Lodge in
early 1855 a pioneer grindstone. It was
a rare and useful thing in the neighbor
hood. Everybody knew where it could
be found and that all were welcome to
sharpen their blades and other imple
ments , of one sort and another , there
upon. It was a large and rather
superior "stone and its fame went out
even to the aborigines. So in the spring
of 1850 when Dave Kenuison and John
Hughes were breaking prairie with six
yoke of oxen and n twenty-four inch
plow , just south of the cottage , and
T
there wns no one in the house except n
young mother and her baby boy , a big
Otoo Indian stalked up. His coining
was discovered nfnr off across the
prairie and the east door was quickly
locked ; he tried to open it and started
around to the west door. But the
mother , animated by love and fear for
her child , had locked that also. Look
ing out of a window , after she had thus
prevented ingress , she saw to her horror
the big Indian aforesaid sharpening a
butcher knife upon that grindstone. He
was giving it a peculiarly wicked shine
and an edge of cruel keenness. It wore
a scalp-taking expression ; and in terror ,
with that intense solicitude of affection
which only mothers experience , she
rushed out of the east door and down
onto the prairie , where the men were
plowing the baby in her arms mean
while howling lustily for safety.
The plowmen , Kennison and Hughes ,
who were frontiersmen without fear ,
suggested that the Otoe had been in
formed of that grindstone and its knife-
sharpening qualities. And returning to
the domicile with the mother and child ,
soon , by conversation with the Indian ,
demonstrated the correctness of their
theory. However , a dispute arose as. to
how and how often
long knife-sharpen
ing Indians might use that stone , which
resulted in the application of the ox-whip
upon the aboriginal tramp until he fled
from the premises. And from that day
on no Indian over came to Arbor Lodge
to sharpen a knife.
Forty-five years have converted that
patch of prairie into orchards , groves
and tree-shaded avenues. That baby
boy , who proved a joy to his parents
and all whom he loved , has grown to
manage large affairs in manufacture and
commerce. The place that raised him
is better for his having been there.
Nebraska City had an interest under
the scalp which his competent and
beautiful mother thought the Indian
sought. Such women , such mothers
give the world strong men and in them
live again , for the good of all.
$100,000.000.
News shows that
city to have "cleared" more than one
hundred and sixty millions during the
year 1899. It is not probable that
another city of similar size in the United
States can equal that showing. In this
connection THE CONSERVATIVE recalls a
time when St. Joseph , Mo. , held the
second place in the list of American
cities for her per capita wealth and
Hartford , Conn. , the first. St. Joseph
has been always distinguished for its
permanency in richness. It has never
splurged nor boomed. It is solid and
sedate. The estates of decedents in St.
Joe generally over-run public estimates
and opinions about thirty-three per cent
and dead millionaires in that town gener
ally pan out three millions of dollars ,