The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-03-24
wHo n RESPONSIBLE ?

All accounts regarding the recent
l..ttle~ IN and near Manila state ,sat
there vac large slaughter Of the FIJI
p,no WON and children The shells
from the warships and the field artil-
lery destroyed the irail native huts,
asd in many cases killed the occu-
pants. The women who refused TO re-
spect Presiden, Mckinley authority
were blown to pieces by reason Of q
moral necessity IL il claimed
But who is responsible for the lives
Of some hundreds OF Filipino children
and baDes who were blown TO pieces
with shot and shell by our forces? II
you ask the men who manned the guns
on land and sea, who Is responsible?
they reply: our captain gave the
order TO fire" II the captain Is asked
who IL responsible, he says, Gen. Otis
and Admiral Dewey ordered me to
IRE" II Gen. Otis and Admiral Dewey
are asked who is responsible, they re-
ply: president Mckinley gave Us the
order to fire" II President Mckinley
Is asked who is responsible, he replies
The people OF the United States gave
me the order to fire
Then, II you point out 10 the people
a row OF several hundred sucking
babes dead and torn to pieces by shells
paid for by Christian taxpayers In
America, and you ask the people. who
Is responsible for this slaughter Of the
innocents. they reply We don't
know, We didn't order the killing"
Then, II you find a stalwart Expan-
sionIst and ask him who Is really re-
sponsible for the slaughter, he tells
you tnat AguinaldO Is responsible
And II you ask him, II Aguinaldo or
dered the babes 10 take up arms, he
replies that the mamas Of the babes
were hostile to the Americans. and the
babes had to take their chances" Or
In other words the babes were in an
unfortunate affair, and really the Gre
ator IL responsible for the shocking
butchery, because He had not given
them brains enough TO get out Of the
scrape
II IL conceded, Of course that the
infants have committed no crime. and
that somebody Is responsible for the
horrible butchery. who is RESPONSE
bile? DO the Scriptures throw any
light on the subject? What do the
wise men-the instructors in ethics
say ht:I
AZ a cOroner's inquest was held over
the remains OF these women and chiI-
dren, the verdict would be: Game to
their death by the act OF parties I'M
known" This is the usual verdict in
Our communities when several hundred
respectable citizens take a man out OF
jail. and lynch him. In this way the
responsibility Is distributed, and no
one Is punished for the crime. II any
one Is caught and tried for the offense,
the jury return verdict OF justitiable
homicide without giving reasons for It.
When the Indians, in the early days.
IN defense of their rights, dashed out
the brains OF the infant children Of
tho colonists. they were called pitiless
brutes. When American citizens paid
and fed by American Christians blow
ont the brains OF Filipino infants, in
the protection Of American rights,
even the American mothers, sitting by
the cradles OF their own babes, think
only of the Flag and the courage of
the brave boys.
The oder communities severely cri-
ticise the coroner's verdicts that hold
no one responsible, in the newly set
tied communities, In the case OF a
Iynching pee. There Is practical wis
dom in such verdicts. The question Of
responsibility Il complicated.
In the case OF the slaughter Of the
Filipino infants a similar verdict would
be. "KIllcd for the honor Of the Flag.
Believing, az we do. in the duty OF
the United States TO police the Phil
ippines for awhile, there arise many
and perplexlng questions for the moral
list to discuss and settle. Is this slaugh-
ter an instance OF doing evil that good
may come? We may see our way TO
killing of the Filipino army which Is
trying TO massacre the Spanlards and
our own troops. But the incidental
question OF the slaughter OF the chill
dren Is very embarrassing.