New-York tribune., 1899-12-24
crVrPAL LAWTON'S EPTTAPH.

The darkest shadow that falls upon the lahd
in the midst Of Christmas brightness proceeuS
from tho little chapel in Paco Cemetery lhere
lies the dead body Of one OF tho Nation most
faithful and most efficient servants, slain In the
performance Of the highest duty that comes 10
man There are not many who could nor
have been better spared than he. And yet IN
tho loss there is great gain. In dying Lawton
hos served the Nation as we'll as in living. and
indeed IN manner Of peculiar efficiency such
nc was not possible in life. His words, penned
in the shadow of death and heard by his coun-
trvmcn not until that shadow had deepened 10
fatal substance, are at once his most precious
message 10 the Nation, the most scathlng con-
dcmnation of It's disloyal sons and his own best
cpitaph. We published them Yesterday In our
report Of Mr. John Barretts speech. in which
they were first quoted. Let them he rccnilcd
again and held in perpetual remembrance:
would to God that the truth Of this whole
Philippine situation could be known by every
one in America as | know II. If the real MS
tory inspiration and conditions Of this insurrec. .
tIon and the influences local and external that
now encourage the enemy. as well az the actual
possihiIities Of these islands and peoples ana
their relations to this great East. could he I'M
dorstood AT home, We would hear no more talH
Of unjust shooting OF Government INTO the th
Filipinos. or Of hauling down our nag IN the
Philippines. If the so-called anti-imperiallsts
would honestly ascertain the truth on me
ground and not in distant America, they, whom
! believe 10 he honest men misnformed, Wouli
he convinced Of the error OF their statements
and conclusions and Of the unfortunate effect OF
their publications here. II | am shot by FIJI
pino bullet il might well come from one OF my
own men because I know from observations
confirmed by captured prisoners that the con-
tinuance OF fighting is chiefly due 70 reports tnat
are sent cut from America.
nalist nor OF an Office seeking politician, nor OF
a greedy speculator nor Of a land grabbing
lingo They are the words Of brave ana truth.
fu soldier. man who rose from the ranks and
who thus was in sympathy with the common
people a man who had nothing TO gain by ''ex-
panson and nothing TO lose by the contrary
policy: man whose sole thought was 10 serve
his country and who in that service hesitated
not to sacrifice his life; man who knew where
Of he spoke with knowledge acquired person.
ally on the spot through days Of labor and Of
peril and nights Of weary watching. II there
has been in all this Philippine business one
single utterance Of real authority. commended
with irresiStiby convincing force to the minds
and COnscicnceS Of the American people both by
It's origin and by the circumstances Of It's de-
livery, that utterancc Is this letter Of Henry W.
Lawtous. 1t comes TO this Nation as Gordon's
diary at Khartoum came to the British nation,
as a voice from beyond the grave speaking plain
truth 10 that part of us that shall survive the
grave.
Nor is the closing sentence of the quotation to
bH forgotten Its note was one of dreadful
prophecy Some intangible intimatiOn of i'm
pending doom appears 10 have come TO Law
toms mind. and with vision as unerrng and
words as direct TO the mark as one of his own
rife shots lie saw and told the source OF danger
II he were shot it would be with Filipino bu.
let and by Filipino hand, but the inciting i'm
pulse behind that hand would be Of American
origin. His real assassin would be the Amcri-
can who, from the too tolerant shelter of his
native land, aided and abetted rebellion against
that land and with lying words encoura ged the
Filipino bandits to do the murderous deed. That
is the fact which should to-day ring in the ears
and be scared upon the hearts Of the men who
are wicked enough TO spur the F.pinos on 70
deeds OF lawlessness and blood. but are too
cowardly to to!D them IN the act There were
those who with hideous hypocrisy affected to
lament Lavton'S death as a sacrifice 10 the
Governments policy of criminal aggression" :"
Tc every such one IawtOn speaks from beyond
the grave with The awful rebukc Thou art the
man. II Is to such men and to their policy OF
infamy that this brave md truth loving man
was made n victim. That fact is their eternal
condemnation. II is Lawton's fitting epitaph