Mr. Whitelaw Reid, however, was perfectly right in one thing. The Philippines belong (or will belong) to America by right of conquest. On August 28th, 1899, Mr. McKinley addressed the 10th Pennsylvania Regiment at Pittsburgh soon after their arrival from Manila. He said: "The insurgents struck the first blow. They reciprocated our kindness with cruelty, our mercy [13] with Mausers.... They assailed our sovereignty, and there will be no useless parley until the insurrection is suppressed and American authority acknowledged and established. The Philippines are ours as much as Louisiana, by purchase, or Texas, or Alaska." Here we get down to the bed rock, and discard all flimsy pretences. The Americans have undertaken a war of conquest, they bought it in fact, but I fear they are not happy either about its material progress or its moral aspect. We shall have to wait till November to see what they think about it. But whenever the cost in lost lives, ruined health, and shattered minds, to say nothing of dollars, comes to be known, there will be a great outcry in America. Mr. McKinley and his advisers are much to be pitied, for they were misled by the information given them by those they relied on. The False Prophets of the Philippines. Here is an extract from General Merritt's evidence taken from the Blue Book, fifty-sixth congress, third session, document No. 62, part I, p. 367: Mr. Reid: Do you think any danger of conflict is now reasonably remote? General Merritt: I think there is no danger of conflict as long as these people think the United States is going to take possession there. If they imagine or hear from any source that the Spaniards are to be reinstated there, I think they will be very violent. Mr. Davis: Suppose the United States, by virtue of a treaty with Spain, should take Luzon ... paying no attention to the insurgents --how would that be taken by Aguinaldo? General Merritt: I think Aguinaldo and his immediate following would resist it; but whether he could resist to any extent I do not know, because his forces are divided. I believe that, as matters go, Aguinaldo will lose more or less of his power there. The Chairman: If the United States should say, We will take this country and govern it our own way, do you think they would submit to it? General Merritt: Yes, sir. Mr. Davis: How many troops in your opinion will be necessary to administer the government of this island--to secure the administration of our government there? General Merritt: From 20,000 to 25,000 would be requisite at first. I admire the conviction of this distinguished officer that the benefits of American rule would be highly appreciated by the Tagals, of whom, by-the-bye, he knew next to nothing, having only been a few weeks in Manila amongst sycophantic Mestizo-Americanistas.