Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-04-27
WILMINGroS, THURSDAY. APRIL ga.
More Testimony From the soldier.


public sentiment in this country. 1t
is plain and convincing. There is
ring of sincerity about it that assures
its truth. Far more potent than the
red-taped reports of superior officers,
it gives faithful pen picture of affairs |
as they are, and bespeaks the senti-
ment of the private soldier with respect |
to this indefensible war Of extermina-
tion.
The testimony OF these private sol |
diers, as contained in the letters they |
send to their friends at home, is all of |
the same tenor. Were it not for the |
fact that the writers are members of
different commands, and therefore
without opportunity of consultation
with each other, it might be advanced
that the uniformity of statement was
the result of concerted arrangement.
But there is not possibility of such
an arrangement. Each soldier writes
of what comes under his own observa-
ton, and the fact that all tell the
same story is proof that all are writing
the solemn truth.
Lnu Itotihong 90 W 1ho ioobihS
characteristics of this war is refreshing
in its franlzness. A captain, in letter
recently printed in The Gazette,
told about hurting fine piano, for
which he had no use. out of second
story window. A private told how he
had been left by the rapacity of the
looters who were ahead of him. d. NJ.
DO ~,
ment, writes of visit to the house
of the Spanish governor general at
Iloilo that it was ''the most gorgeously
furnished house ever saw in these
islands. The building had been taken
possession Of by q United States
Officer he adds, "and he looted it to
finish. l suspected something and
followed one of his men to the place.
expected to be jumped on by the officer
as soon as found him there, as l was
away from my post, but it seems he
was afraid l would give him away !;
in fact, we were both afraid of each
other. He was half drunk, and every
time he saw me look at anything ne
would say, Tennessee, do you like
that? Well, put it il your pocket. ;
The contents of every drawer had been
emptied on the floor. You have no
idea what a mania for destruction
the average man has when the fear of
the law is removed. l have seen them
odd, sober business men, too-knock
chandeliers and plate-glass mirrors to
pieces just because they couldn't carry
them off. 1t is such pity"
On the other subject made rromi.
nent in these soldiers letters, the lack
of spirit on the part Of our men for the
work in which they are engaged, there
is ample testimony in the shape o.
letters heretofore printed. In this line
Thomas Crandall of this same Ten
nessee regiment writes: "The boys ar,
getting sick Of fighting these heathens
and all say we volunteered to figh
Spain, not heathens. Their patriotism
is wearing off. We all want to COM
home very bad. If / ever GET out O
this army will never get into another
They will be fighting 400 years, ant
then never whip these people, for Their
are not enough of us to follow ther
up"
These plain truths, uttered by tn
private soldiers, deal the expansionist
the hardest blows that they receive a
home, and in their desperation the
are attempting to make it appear tina
the soldiers letters are the result of
conspiracy conceived and furthered b
the enemies of the administration i
this country. But this pretext is mos
absurd. All who read these letters fe,
that they state the real truth, and the
strip the pretensions from the pleas
the imperialists, and leave their eau:
absolutely without justification.
How soon will the administratio
give heed to these plain and terrib
facts, and bring this costly, bloody ar
unjust war in the Philippines to Q
end?
private soldier in Nebraska reg
ment now in the Philippines, writii
home in a letter printed by the Oh
cago Standard, a Baptist journa
says: 'We came here to help, not
slaughter, these natives, to fight Il
oppressor Spain, not the oppressed.
strikes me as not very fair to pursue
policy that leads to this insurrecti,
and then keep us volunteers out be
to fight battles we never enlisted Il
/ cannot see that we are fighting I
any principle now.''
A great many other American soldit
in the Philippines hold the sal
opinion. Their hearts are not in tn
WORK. They did not enlist to fie
people who are making a maj
struggle for liberty and independent
And when they write to their frier
at home in the above strain, the ;
vocates of imperialism in this coun
say that their frank expressions
the result of a reasonable plot to c
discredit on the administration
President Mckinley. How ridicul,
aud utterly untenable this assur
ton is.
Governor Lee of South Dakota S
that he has received many letters fir
the parents and friends of the soldit
who invariably claim that the vol
teers have performed the service
which they enlisted, and that Il
should not be kept to do garrison du
and adds:
Many of them left good positi