The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-10-13
Our Soldiers More Cruel Than the
Russians.
From the New York Journal.

New HAVEN, Oct. 6.-Charges of cruelty
by the American troops in the Philippines, of
criminal conduct in the general Philippine
campaign and of looting Filipino towns by
American soldiers were today brought by Pro-
lessor George Trumbull Ladd, head of the
Department of Psychology and one of the
leading professors of Yale.
Professor Ladd has Just returned from a
year spent in China, Japan and the Philip
pines He was given an audience by the
Japanese Mikado during his visit to that coun-
try. The direct object fhis trip was to lecture
before the national universities of Japan,
China, India and Egypt.
Mr. Ladd returns TO America ardent
anti-mperialist. Here are some of his beliefs
as result OF his trip
s'Our soldiers are looting towns in the Phil
ippines. Russian troops in China could be
restrained by their leaders. American soldiers
in the Philippines cannot be withheld by their
officers
sit was mistake to take the Philippines
1t was criminal and immoral.
''Give the Filipinos sell. lf.government They
are as nearly ready for it as we were few
centuries ago.
''See how Japan has developed self-govern-
ment in fifty years. Japanese blood runs in
Filipino veins.
CAN We GOVERN OURSELVES?
whether we are fit for selfgovernment.
''The monopolists have grabbed our Gov
ernment 10 evade paying taxes. Now they
are trying to grab and hold it to support big
standing army.
''The secret of the Philippine conquest is
that the United States has been committed to
the policy of raising and maintaining a large
standing army to try to grab commercial in
terest in other continents.
Talk about civilizing inferior races by
conquest is either the result of ignorance or
hypocrisy.
"Aguinado and his party have conducted
themselves so as to be entitled TO the respect
of civilized nations.'i
Professor Ladd said in discussing the Phil
ippine question:
.'The attitude of the United States in re-
tanning the Philippines is not justifable. 1t is
wrong from the beginning, from the time our
commissioners forced Spain TO sell us the Phil
ippines. II has been impolitic, immoral and
contrary to all of our traditions. But now
that we are responsible for the Philippines the
problem is very difficult one.
"We have made it needlessly difficult 1t
will become increasingly difficult. Holland
has had twenty-five years experience with
similar tribes in Sumatra, and they are con-
stanty in rebellion. Holland has had GEN.
turies of experience at governing colonies, and
is better organized to govern them than we are.
.'Even in the case of the British Indies with
the English, the most gifted nation in govern
ing colonies in the world, the problems are
increasingly difficult 1t is becoming a more
and more burdensome and difficult problem
every day to govern the British Indies.
''The history of the world shows that in
every case where higher race tries to subju-
gate lower one the lower one pulls the other
down 10 its own level This is shown in the
history of our own troops in the Philippines.
.'ln spite of the fact that our men went with
such good intentions and from such civilized
communities, they are inevitably led into ex
cesses of cruelty in their warfare.
This danger has been greatly increased by
the fact that our troops are not accustomed to
! give such strict obedience to their officers as
are the troops of other civilized nations.
RUSSIANS FORBID LooTIHG.
''We are listening Just now to the complaints
against the Russians in China. In spite of the
fact that the Russian private soldier is much
less highly civilized than ours, his training IN
strict obedience to his superior officer often
secures him against these excesses. When
| the Russians take town and their officers
forbid looting it. they prevent the private SOL
diers from doing so.
s'How has it been in the case of our own
troops? Both officers and men have looted
towns. For example, if a comparatively re-
cent instance, given in trustworthy European
newspapers, is to be believed 80 persons were
killed in a single Filipino village to avenge a
private quarrel in that village.
sit would have been possible not to have
held the Philippines. Isuppose that the State
Department wanted to pay Great Britain back
for indirectly assisting us in the Cuban war.
England wanted no other nation to get the
Philippines, so we were induced to take them.
"In three or four years we have gone over
to the policy of backing up our strife for com
mercial supremacy with an army. That's
what all the world is doing. But the policy
is disastrous and wicked. That's the truth at
the bottom of such large standing army. 1t
exists simply TO prepare each nation to take
part in the division of the spoils 1t is direct
" contrary to the genins of the nation.
"The Filipinos can learn to govern them
selves Just as we learned 10 govern ourselves.
They are better prepared than we were a few
centuries ago.
"Just see what the Japanese have done the
last century in adapting themselves to modern
civilization. No troops in China have behaved
more splendidly and in a more civilized man.
ner than the Japanese. Yet it is only fifty
years since they were in the dark ages. There
is probably the same blood in many Of the
higher classes among the Filipinos that there
is in the Japanese.
''The chances are that the Nlipinos will al
ways keep in rebellion till they are either given
self-government or are exterminated.
"The question ON trial in the United States
is whether we are fit for selfgovernment. We
don't need to take any more governing jobs
on our hands. The supreme danger to the
nation at this time is that it will be committed
to the policy of big standing army to forward
its commercial interests.
''The same interests which have controlled
in their own behalf the taxation of the country
seem about ready to make use of the armed
force of the country.
''Most of this talk about civiizing inferior
races is either ignorant or hypocritical. What
nation ever learned to govern itself without
friction and bloodshed?
81 do not look upon Russia with anything
like the horror current in the United States;
think that our horror of Russia is fostered
by the English in favor of holding Engand's
commercial supremacy"