The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-24
OUR SOLDIERS DEFENDED.
what Chaplain Has 60 Say ofvics I'm
the Philippines.
(Boston Transcript


Washington, Nov. % The Rev. Oliver
c. Miller, chaplain, voluntarily at
tached to the Fourth Cavalry, and who
served under Generals Young Bates and
Iawton. has returned to the United
States ana was at the War DEPARTING mt
today. He describes the better class OF
Filipinos as lovable people, with high
standards OF domestic NOR Atty, and says
that the prevalent impression OF their
sayagery Is due to their confusion In the
popular mind with the Ladrones, who
are a dangerous and apparently inoorri-
gible class.
Chaplain rIiller also expresses indigna-
ton at the re ports which have been spread
abroad as to the addiction OF our soldiers
to vicious habits. "During the northern
campaign In .Luzon," he said today,
"aenerai Lawton requested me In all my
addresses to the soldiers to warn them
against tnstt, cruel treatment or unfair
dealings with the natives, and to assure
them II any one was found guilty Of
criminal assault, he, the general, would
strongly urge that such offender be shot
During this campaign Intoxicating
LIQUORS were poured out wherever found.
A white and q oolored boy. each about
fourteen years old, camp followers, were
by the natives accused OF committing as
sauIt. was sent with our regtmentaI
surgeon to inquire into the charges; Inc
result was that although the evidence
was not as convincing as might be de-
sired, the boys were promptly arrested,
tried by military court martial aud 8 en-
fenced to five years confinement In
Biibid prison. know OF but ons other
cass OF assault during the whole OF the
northern campaign, that OF Maccabebe
scout. and he was promptly punished.
/ saw nothing TO corroborate the state
ment published heresthat eight hundrec
women of abandoned character had coIne
TO Manila during the first year OF Ameri-
can occu pancy. But, on the other hanu,
after making, in company wltn .ne $50
rotary OF the Young Mems Christian As
ISOLATION, a. exploration by night OF the
city OF Manila to find out the extent OF
drunkenness and impurity that existed,
the facts compelled us to state that we
old not see more than half dozen drunk
en- soldiers, and in seciuded part OF the
city we.found about torty-nv9 HOUSES o.
iIl-fame patronized by our soldiers, but
we failed to see, 8s stated by Mr.. VII.
liam E. ~J0hnsonttn the Daily Voice sof
Chicago the American flag di6honoIed
in the decoration of these resorts. 10 my
personal knowledge these houses have not
been licensed by the government, nor are
they in many cases connected with
saloons.
/ have been astonished at the good order
reiQningain Manila, (which far Gexoeeded
that which have seen In many OF our
Western cities, ESPECIALLY during their
earlier history. Often l have gone from
seven to ten o. clock at night and not
| nj e0lHiRr the
streets, / know of no city In the United
States where thers Is SO little crime, or
where crime is followed SO quickly by
punishment, for the same number OF SOL
diers assembled In an open place. have
found larger degree OF drunkenness and
immortality in the cities 81 our nome
land than In the cities OF the Philippine
archipelago.
Al many places in the interior the
vino and tuba Joints surrounding our
CAMPS were banished by the establish
ment or the post exchange under strict
military control.
The number OF saloons as given In The
Voice is far above that which really ex
lists, There are many places where strong
drink was sold before American occupa-
ton. and great DOM plant was made
AGAINST the American administration be-
cause 1t refused to license a large num-
Der OF saloons as had been licensed by the
Spaniards.
The moral conditions in the Philippines
are, or course, not what they can be
made by. faithful.an united effort, but II
IS unreasonable to expect that we can In
SO short time raise the standards OF
GOOD citizenship higher among the Fill
pinos than that existing at home. 1t
Is the duty of every good citizen of ouI
land to insist ON high standard oil
Christian manhood In our army. Never
was sobriety honesty or moral purity
more demanded there than now. for the
standard OF sobriety and OF morals among
the Filipinos is very high, and II it IL
lowered 1t will be our fault. That no
one may question the motives prompting
my statements, / may add that have
conformation or pay from the govern
ment and only relinquished the wori
when successive attacks OF fever had en-
t4raIv hroken my health,