The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-22

Congressman Barrett's paper, the Bos-
ton Advertiser, is very severe on the
War Department. for retaining some Of
the volunteers in the service and order
ing them to Porto Rico and our other
newly acquired POSSESSIONS to do garrison
duty. 1t says:
The responsibility on the War Depart.
ment in this matter is self-eyident 1t Is
not matter which can be escaped by
mere quibbling or by irrelevant excuses.
The volunteers were enlisted for the war.
The war is ended anG will not be renewed.
Will the department keep its open and
public pledge, or will it resort to trlokery
and bnd faith merely to save money
Will it discharge all the volunteer rag1-
msnts, as it has already discharged some,
or will it refuse to carry out that policy
because it will be some trouble TO raise
new regiments of regular troops and to
install those regiments in garrison duty
in place of the volunteer regiments which
are now serving?
We do not think the responsibility for
holding a part of the volunteers in the
service belongs to the War Department
half as much as to the advocates of i'm
perialisnl. The men who yociferate that
the flag must never be hauled down where
it has been raised are the people who are
really to blame for the retention OF the
volunteers BY working upon natlona
pride they hare apparently created pre-
ponderating public sentiment in favor Of
retaining the Philippines, and everything
else that we have raised the flag over,
and this has practically compelled the ad.
ministration to adopt that policy,
and with its adoption has come the
need of large number of soldiers for
garrison purposes. The regular army il
| not large enough to supply the necessary
number, and unless what appear to be
the wishes of majority of the people are
| to be disregarded, some of the volunteers
must be used. 1t is idle to say that the
volunteers might be discharged and new
troops enlisted for the specific purpost
for which they are needed. for to get thu
fifteen or twenty Thousand men absolute
ly necessary to garrison the Philippines b!
voluntary enlistment would take many
months, if not years. The experience OF
the past four months has taught people
what soldering really is, and the effect
of that instruction has been such that TIT
exigency which confronts the country
must be much more important than the
holding of group of islands 10. 900 miles
away, inhabited chiefly by savages, to in
duce men to undergo the sutTerings and
privations of army life. IT the Philip
pines are to be held some of the volunteers
must bs held, and as apparently major
| ity of the people demanded the retention
of the islands, nothing was left to Score
tary Alger to do but to detain some Of
the volunteers. 1t doubtless is against
the spirit of TIE contract with thu
volunteers to send them to Manila
But it is against the spirit Of
our solemn declaration when the wal
was begun for us to be contemplate
| ing the permanent occupation of that
city, and the violation of the contract
with the volunteers is the inevitable out
growth of making what was declared to
| be purely war for humanity war OF
conquest; and for this change the people
are more responsible than anybody else.