The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-03-25
Cannot Plead Ignorance.

President can no longer plead ignor-
ance, if he ever could have done so, OF
the hideous Grimes and atrocities which
are being daily perpetrated in the Phil.
ippines in his name and by his author
ity. Senator Stewart. while protesting
to be an earnest opponent Of expansion,
supports the policy Of the administra-
tion by his votes in the Senate. for
which he has had his reward in his re-
election to that body for another term
Of six years. He is represented as hav-
ing become reconciled to the situation.
for the reason. az he expresses it, that
while we have most foolishly taken
hold. now il is impossible for us to let
60. - without abating, however. any OF
his misgivings as to the unfortunate
and unhappy results OF the policy upon
which We have entered.
In the interview in question the Sen.
ator is reported to have told the Presi.
dent that It was the shame aud misfor-
tune Of the country that battle aud dis.
ease were carrying of so many Of its
brave soldiers, the more so, that the
causes were criminal and unnecessary.
He said, without reserve, that the hos
tile attitude Of the Filpiuos was due
to the acknowledgement and merciless
severity Of the United States military
officials. He said to the President he
was satisfied that General Otis in the
Philippines had been as brutal as Wey-
Ter had been in Cuba. In the report Of
the interview the President is repre-
sented as expressing great surprise to
hear this; Senator Stewart said the
evidence Of it was officially on file in
the War Department. He fonnd par
allel case in 1.-THE horrible conduct OF
many military commanders in the
Southern States after the civil war, "
who acted upon the theory that mill.
tary government Of communities meant
irresponsible despotism and the extinc-
tion Of civil laws and private rights.
This" he said had been the case
in the Philippine Islands. Personal
and property rights had been trampled
upon until the islanders were forced TO
the conviction that they had found in
the United States hsrsher master than
in Spain "
Other facts Senator Stewart. who is
represented as in "close communication
with the best sources Of inform ton in
the Philippine Islands, brought TO the
Presidents attention. The President.
it is stated, did not feel himself in a
position to concede the statement of
facts made by the Senator he said the
whole subject should receive his most
earnest attention, and the Senator did
not need TO be assured of his purpose to
do right II is greatly to be feared
that il the President momentarily cher
ished any such purpose, 1t and the
whole subject Of the atrocities in the
Philippines have been driven from his
thoughts by more interesting topics at
Thomasville and Jekyl Island. Why
should President. intent upon schemes
for his own reelection and for reward
ing the friends who are to help him,
bother himself with such trifles as the
daily massacre OF few hundred or a
few thousand Filipinosi
II Mr.. Mckinley had cared TO know
the facts he could have learned them
even from the incorporation the
scissored and censored dispatches which
his own military officials permit TO
leave Manila. Every day since he left
Washington the bloody work has been
going on, and the death roll Of the VIC
tins, the fruits Of massacre and Of or.
son. have been duly cabled to the War
Department For example, the very
copy Of The Sun in which the inter-
view with Senator Stewart is reported,
contains dispatches from Manila Of the
date Of the day before March l9) de-
failing the operations Of Gen. Wheaton
along what is called the Lake Shore, in
the vicinity of the town of Pasig. A
skirmish between accommodating
party Of troops and the Filipinos, in
which we lost two killed and some
wounded, determined General Wheaton,
as described, Ito send out punitive
expedition. and his troops met the Fill
ipinos at o'clock and drove them along
the lake fifteen miles. Five miles OF
huts. forming Filipino hot bed, were
burned, with hundreds Of tons Of rice
The inhabitants of towns about the
lake are retiring into the mountains"
Further details in the same dispatch
are that General Otis says the Ameri-
can arms and gunboats now command
the lake. He estimates that properly
Of the Filipinos valued at $500, 900 has
been destroyed, while quantities Of rice
and sugar and 400 tons of coal have
been captured. The operations of the
force on the lake are thus reported
The armed tugs Laguna de Bay and
Oeste have returned to San Pedro Ma
cati and reported the results Of their
tour of the lake. On Friday morning
last they shelled the town Of Morang,
the Filipinos fleeing without making
any response to the fire. The Ameri-
cans landed a party. which destroyed a
quantity of stores and all the stone
buildings, except the church. Then the
expedition proceeded to Majayjay.
where q sugar mill and saw mill were
destroyed. " All this is confirmed in
an official dispatch from General Otis
10 the War Department. with the added |
detail in reference to General Wheat