Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-09-07
Hon. John Barrett's Direct Evidence.


No speaker upon the Maine stump.
| this fan. has a more thrilling, remark
able and convincing message to the
voters than Hon. John Barrett If Ore
gon This brilliant young speaker is
a native Of Vermont, was the Demo-
/ cratic minister to Siam under Cleve-
| land and when Dewey sailed to Ma
Mia he was with him as an American
newspaper correspondent. He was in
Luzon through the entire war and the
| beginnings of the instruction war in
timately acquainted with Aguinaldo.
intimately acquainted with Dewey.
Otis. Lawton. Stolsenburg and others
in that warfare. He speaks from ex-
perience and knowledge. and by the
| logic Of his narrative the paramount
issue of imperialism is mercilessly
dissected. He shows what a sham
| that issue is. but he discusses it from
| A TO Z because the whole truth makes
the administration Of President Nc
Kinley mighty in its strength and
majesty
Mr. Barrett was by the side Of Col
! Stolsenburg OF the 1st Nebraska regi-
ment when he died after falling at tn,
| head Of his men. He took from the dy-
ing lips Of this brave soldier the fol
! lowing declaration: Knowing all of
the conditions and Influences that led
up to the firing on the American
troops. l say that the responsibility
| for this war does not rest on the Amer
| lean soldier or on the American gov
| eminent. one thing the American
people must remember and that is
that the American flag is fired on as
deliberately as I know this was fired
on by the Philippines. there can he NJ
cessation of the conflict except in un-
| conditional surrender Of the enemy
Against these words Mr.. Barrett sets
the vaporings If that other Nebras-
| kan Colonel who was never within
1000 miles of the firing line in the Phil
| ippines, but who assumes to know 50
much more Of the situation than those
who have been there
1t was to Mr.. Barrett that General
Lawton from his jungle camp. shortly
before he fell in battle. penned the fol-
lowing letter which ought to fill with
bitter shame and humiliation the hear
of every "anti-imperialist" in the
land:
Il would to God that the truth &C
this whole Philippine situation could
be known by everyone in America as
I know it. If the real history. in
spiration, and conditions of this insur-
rcction and the influences, local and ex-
ternal, that now encourage the enemy.
as we'll as the actual possibilities Of
these islands and peoples. and their re-
lauOns to this great East. could be un-
derStOOd at home. We would hear no
more talk of unjust shooting Of gov
eminent" into the Filipinos. or of haul
ing down our flag in the Philippines.
If the sO-called anti-imperialist would
honestly ascertain the truth on the
ground and not in distant America.
they. whom ] believe to be honest men
misinformed. would be convinced ofthe
error Of their statements and cOnclu-
sions and of the unfortunate effect Of
their publications here. If | am shot
by a Filipino bullet. it might as well
come from one Of my own men, because
know from observation. confirmed b.
captured prisoners. that the cOntinu-
ance Of fighting is chiefly due to re-
20! IS that are sent out from America"
Mr.. Barrett shows that since Dewey
sailed into Manila bay it has been an
im7ossibility for Us to leave the Phil
ippines. He shows that Dewey made
no alliance with Aguinaldo. and his
picture OF that crafty. treacherous. sell
FISH leader, drawn from personal ac-
quaintance, is one to make the Ameri-
can admirers of the Filipino George
Washington" vince The method by
which the insurrection was started BY
lying circulars and proclamations
about the purposes Of the Americans.