The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-20
MR.. GARRIsoN's INDICTMENT.
The HideOus Neither Side of the War
in the Philippines.

II is 10 be hoped that in time we shall
| OBTAIN faithful pictures of life in camp
| and held. Today it is difficult to find a
| medium of publication when the facts
| conflict with the theories of the admins
| trauon. That a tacit censorship exists in
| the republican press is spalpable to every
one VINO tries to get an insertion of I'M
! welcome truth. The soldiers letters,
| written privately without thought of
| publicity. have revealed a depth of de-
pravity and brutality SO terrible that the
| last resort of the leading newspapers has
| been to throw discredit on their truth.
bishop Potter, after six days In Manila,
| comes back to tell us of the sobriety and
! good habits of the American soldier in
| the tropics. He did not see one drunken
| soldier, nor does he allude to the licen-
| tiousness Of army men. 1t happened that
| on the very day his testimony was given
! to the world there called upon me an
army official who had spent six months
at Manila. Naturally 1 inquired If his
| observation and opinion conceded with
| those Of the bishop, whose warning that
the true question with which the nation
must deal is not What shall we do with
| the Philippines. but what will the Philip
pines do with us?' had not been forgot
ten. My informant is man of medical
education, careful observer, of reflective
mind, and exceedingly deliberate in
| speech. This is the substance of his re
ply:
He left San Francisco with the first
troops sent to the Philippines. The West
ern regiment to which he was attached
numbered about 1900 men, Before sailing
| from San Francisco, not only was drunk
enness prevalent, but 4S0 men were reg
| istered for venereal diseases
Arrived in Manila, they found but few
| houses Of ill-repute, with less than a
| score of total occupants, but Immediately
! from all quarters came a great and sud
| den accession. From VIadivostock, Singa-
| pore, Yokohama, Hong Kong, Calcutta
! and other treaty ports abandoned women
| poured i'll to the new and active market.
| Social vice makes no distinction of race
| or color. These importatiOns included
| Russians, Germans, French and Italians.
| THEE hundred were reported as arriving
| on one steamer. They found cordial wei
! come, and their houses were guarded by
United States soldiers under orders to
| protect the traffic.
| My visitor affirmed that when he LETT
Manila, IN the Gala Alix, street in the
| northwestern part of the city, these noto-
| r1ous houses occupied both sides of the
| way for three-quarters Of a mile, the
| windows filled with soliciting women in
| CARDS too scandalous for description. The
! blessings of American civilization were
| beginning among a chaSte and temperate
| people. Actual war upon the natives, al
| though imminent, had not yet begun.
| On the arrival of the regiment, there
| existed, according to my informant, one
! brewery, one distilIery, one garden fer
| the sale of beer and spirits, and several
! hotels, clubs and restaurants, where
| liquor was served with meals. Among
| 5000 Spanish prisoners not single case
of drunkenness was observable. With the
! arrival of our troops, the grog-shops
multiplied and fourished, over 400 cursing
| the conquered city. That the officers
| were no better than the men was the
! conviction Of my informant. 1t was CO.
incidence that, on the very Gay of Bishop
| Potter'S speech the government reported
| the dismissal from the army, by court
martial of Maj. Klrkman and Lieuts.
| Gregg and Bailey for drunkenness in the
| streets of Manila
! The regimental canteep, my caller af-
| firmed, was worse than the grog-shop.
| The temptation is ever present, and any
| good resolutions or feelings of disgust
| after q spree. were quickly dispelIed by
| another drink. On the financial side,
| soldiers credit was limited at the saloon.
| Not so at the canteen, where his pay was
held as security for his drink, and often
entirely absorbed. A soldier is obliged 20
seek grog-shop, but the canteen seeks
him.
If one questions whether such necessarily
anonymous testimony as I report is to be
compared with that of the great and good
bishop of New York, let him read the
chapter of horrors detailed in the New
Voice by Frank NJ. Wells late chaplain
of United States volunteers, which he
gave verbally to President Mckinley and
Secretary Root. Chaplain Pierce has laid
stress upon the number of huts from
which maddening native liquors We're dis
pensed, but it is not made plain that these
were not in such evidence before our
troops arrived, for whose trade they were
established Chaplain Wells, in a recent
interview with the editor of the New York
Philanthropist testified: Whisky AMI
bad women are running more men into
death in the Philippines than are being
killed by Filipino bullets or injured by
other causes"
Drunkenness, lust, gambling, brutality
and other vices that annihiIate conscience
are in full swing in Mania. Not only are
| the natives polluted by this contact with
superior civilization, but the soldiers who
return to the United. States bring with
them the seeds of disease and contagion,
to be sown broadcast. Who can estimate
the ravages among our. own people in con-
! sequence?
| We have a president belonging to the
great Methodist denomination, which
| probably includes the largest per cent of
prohibitionists of any religious Organiza-
| ton in the country. The souls of many
/ OF, its members are stirred over the queS-
ton whether their distinguished communi-
cant turns his Wineglass down on festive
! occasions or ventures to take a drop. We
! have a secretary of the navy who is pres
| ident of the Massachusetts Total AbSti-
| nence society. Contributions for it are
annually solicited to save a few drunk
ards from the gutter. Mr.. Mckinley has
| but to speak the word to close every grog
/ shop in Manila and remedy the canteen
| abomnation. He can find excuses for ar
| bitrary power to the extent of multiplying
the principles of republican government
| and disregarding the constitution, but not
| to clean out the saloons in the Philippines.
| Nor has the total abstainer Secretary
| Long, yet made his influence felt against
| this national enorInfty, which destroys
! more human beings In a day than this
! Massachusetts society can rescue in
| lifetime Let the responsibility be placed
where it belongs.
| This is difficult subject to handle with
| out offense, but 1t needs exposure and 0Al-
| phasis more than. any other aspect of
war. Death closes the account, and
wounds of flesh may heal, but the soul
| degradation and dissemination of vice
| through the great enginery of the army
! entails incalculable curse. Nothing should
| stir the indignation and purpose of women
| like this sin against the human race.
| From Cuba and Porto Rico comes the
| same story The trail of armies Is the
| trail of the serpent, and no fine phrases
| like those of Bishop Potter can for
| moment obscure the devilish work IN
which the countrymen of Washington and
| lincoln are now enRa eed Two thOuSa nd