When William Howard Taft, then the colony’s chief lawmaker, called Filipinos “our little brown brothers,” the soldiers scoffed. A song they sang, frequently and loudly, captured their view: I’m only a common Soldier-man in the blasted Philippines; They say I’ve got Brown Brothers here, but I dunno what it means. I like the word Fraternity, but still I draw the line; He may be a brother of William H. Taft, but he ain’t no friend of mine.
