037 Americans were killed in action or died of
wounds; 2,818 were wounded, and 2,748 died of disease. ("Historical
Register," Vol. II, p. 293.)

The Philippines were conquered twice--once in a contest with Spain (in
cooperation with the Filipinos, who regarded themselves as our allies),
and once in a contest with the Filipinos, the native inhabitants, who
were made subjects of the American Empire by this conquest.[36]

5. _Imperialism Accepted_

The Philippine War was the last political episode in the life of the
American Republic. From February 4, 1899, the United States accepted the
political status of an Empire. Hawaii had been annexed at the behest of
the Hawaiian Government; Porto Rico had been occupied as a part of the
war strategy and without any protest from the Porto Ricans. The
Philippines were taken against the determined opposition of the natives,
who continued the struggle for independence during three bitter years.

The Filipinos were fighting for independence--fighting to drive invaders
from their soil. The United States authorities had no status in the
Philippines other than that of military conquerors.

Continental North America was occupied by the whites after a long
struggle with the Indian tribes. This territory was "conquered"--but it
was contiguous--it formed a part of a geographic unity. The Philippines
were separated from San Francisco by 8,000 miles of water;
geographically they were a part of Asia. They were tropical in
character, and were inhabited by tribes having nothing in common with
the American people except their common humanity. Nevertheless, despite
non-contiguity; despite distance; despite dissimilarity in languages and
customs, the soldiers of the United States conquered the Filipinos and
the United States Government took control of the islands, acting in the
same way that any other empire, under like circumstances, unquestionably
would have acted.

There was no strategic reason that demanded the Philippines unless the
United States desired to have an operating base near to the vast
resources and the developing markets of China. As a vantage point from
which to wage commercial and military aggression in the Far East, the
Philippines may possess certain advantages. There is no other excuse for
their conquest and retention by the United States save the economic
excuse of advantages to be gained from the possession of the islands
themselves.

The end of the nineteenth century