The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-16
LETTER TO FILIPINO
Part of Captured Correspond
ence Is Given Out.
ADVICE OF LEVERsoN
TELLS HOW TO SHOW REAL
CHARACTER OF SLAUGHTER.

Washington, Aug 15-The war DEPART
rlent has made public the Filipino CORE
spondence captured some months ago by
General Funstons command in Luzon.
There is letter from DIR. Mantague r.
Leverson, dated al Fort Hamilton, n. Y.
July Il, 1899. and addressed to Senior G.
Apacible, which refers 10 the Occur
d Alene situation. 1t says:
Dear Sir and Brother-Our friend, AL
pert 3 ParSOn of Lexington gave me your
| Tame as one to whom / should write as
| a representative Filipino.
am a member of the Anti-imoeriaI-
lStlc league of Boston, of which George
D Boutwell, is president and Erwin Wins
low is secretary | have pIibIished MANY
articles and letters denouncing the war
carried on by President Mckinley against
your people. He and General Otis and ali
MS troops are pirates upon the territory
OF natives. Our presidents are not in the
positions of kings Our presidents are
not duly authorized 10 make war with
OUT the consent of congress, as Mckinley
Is doing, and all persons comprised in
TINS war are pirates.
Suggests Change of Piracy.
i should like to suggest a plan to you
You should sieze some one of rank in
the service of the United States and then
inform the foreign consuls that he was
10 be brought before a council OF war
Tor piracy and write to said cOnsuls to
nave representatives present at such
council or war 20 see that il is legal.
piracy would be shown by conducting
a war in violation of the uSages of civil
lzed war, and the proof would consist in
the Iact OF the consent to killing defense
less prisoners and nOn-combatants men
women and children, in cold blood and
IN robbery by officers and soldiers of nom
combatants.
IF 1 were not an old man of more than
o. o. years. would willingly aid you in your
just defense.
Il also suggest that the Filipino con-
the United States. 1 shall not give YOU
Che neadS or this appeal | merely point
out something which will especially in
form the people. For example, a refer
ence 10 the Declaration of independence
must be inserted, but l believe that it is
also necessary for you to mention in your
appeal the points l have made above. to
snow that this is piracy, using them to
Drlng out the want of Christian feeling
for the soldiers.
Mckinley Keeps People Ignorant.
You must also show that Mckinley
keeps the people of the United States
In Ignorance of the true facts; that ne
and. the members of the cabinet have
denberately lied to secure the ratification
OF the treaty of peace with Spain with
out a clause which would have assured
the liberty Of the F'ilipinos, that they
deliberately lied when they said that
A@onc1ilo advised AguinaldO to fight and
!hat telegram stating the opposite was
intercepted The war was advised from
washington to secure the passage of the
treaty. Do not fail to insist upon the
atrocities before mentioned, especially The
assassination in cold blood of women and
children and the sack of property of nom
combatants perpetrated by soldiers es-
peclalIy by captain named Otis who
Is peneVed TO be relative of the gen
eral, who not only took no steps for the
punishment of the assassins, but who did
not even reprimand them.
II you can prove tliat women have
been violated, put that also in your state
You should offer to prove all these
atrocities before the commission COM
posed of three Americans named by the
G fS9ItEi OF the United States and thre9
f1I1olnos named by the Filipino congress
and presided over by person of some
otner nation chosen by the United States
he must not be an Englishman, fo' they
are all associated in the crime
Ready For Publicity.
IF the publication of any portion of
this letter will be OF any service to Won.
you can use 1t, but l think it would be
more prudent TO keep it secret Do not
forget to speak of the American SQUADRON
which blockaded your coasts bombarded
them without warning to the non-com-
patantS and peaceful towns. where war
would never have been thought of but
WAere now the greater part of the in
habitants, who formerly were friends of
the United States. have taken arms TO
aVenge the deaths OF their wives and
sons. Also speak of the refusal of the
United States and Great Britain TO re-
nounee the use of explosive bullets which
was decided upon in the conference of the
commissioners at The Hague and which
the United States are now using, al
though their use was denounced as bar
barous by the other commissioners at The
Hague.
Ask the people of the United States
II they think that they are Christians and
ask them how they can reconcile their
pretended religion with their present con-
duct toward Mckinley and his war
This horrible war is nightmare for
me. 1t may be folly for me to permit
myself to be affected by it, but its hor-
rOr, the eternal infamy of il for nv coun-
try, whose people are preparing a state
Of slavery Tor another, prevents me from
sleeping.
Il can say nothing more but that 1t
would be wen TO let the people know that |
steps are being taken to introduce mill !
tarism into the United States, some ex-
amples of which can be shown from the |
conduct of General Merriam in Idaho. |
Very sincerely,
MONTAGUE r IEVFRSON