The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-23
OUR TROOPS SLANDERED.
Chaplain Denies Reports of I'm
morality I'm the PHILIPPINES,

|
Chaplain Oliver C. Miller. Fourth Unite,
States Cavalry. who has just returned
from the Philippines. yesterday forwarded
long letter to Secretary Root with refer.
ence to the reports of conditions of ex.
cessive immortality and drunkenness in
| the archipelago.
chaplain Miller spent fourteen months
with the troops and denies that conditions
are as reported. His statement Is in part
as follows:
During the brief period since my re-
turn have found everywhere l have gone
! the most intense interest in the Philip
pines; and whether l have spoken in pub
lie assembly or to individuals have dis
covered that there Is not only great lack
OF information: but that most hurtful
statements have been widely disseminated.
While do not think it worth while to
review these publications in particular,
am constrained to say that my expert
ence in a service that extended over most
Of the islands of the archipelago by no
! means ccrroborates such statements as
the following: Our Government is aiding
and abetting the reign of vice in the Phil
ippines. Let me give an instance to con-
tradict such statements. During the north
ern campaign in Luzon General Lawton.
under whom l served as chaplain, request
ed me in all my addresses to the soldiers
to warn them against theft, cruel treat
ment, or unfair dealings with the natives.
During this campaign Intoxicating liquors
were poured out wherever found.
Il saw nothing to cerroborate the s.ate-
ment that 500 women Of abandoned car
acter had come to Manila during the frst
year of American occupancy. Eut, on the
other hand. after making. in company
with the Secretary of the Young Mems
Christian Association, an 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 did not see more than a half
dozen drunken soldiers.
Neither have / seen parts o. Manila
wholly given over to riot and lascivious-
ness but, on the other hand, while going
by night to visit and hold divine service
with the soldiers in their quarters have
been astcnished at the good order. which
far exceeded that which l have seen in
many of our Western cities, especially
during their earlier history. Often have
gone from to 10 o'clock at night and not
seen single drunken soldier on the
streets of Manila and other cities. l en- |
tirely agree with the statement made by |
one high in authority that L know of no !
city in the United States where there is |
SO little crime or where crime is followed |
SO quickly by punishment
"A strict regard for the truth compels |
me to stale that for the same number of
soldiers assembled in a given place have
found larger degree of drunkenness and
immortality in the cities of our homeland
than in the cities Of the Philippine Archi-
pelago.
THE army pest exchange, as have
seen it in the Philippines. was not sur.
rounded by drunken soldiers; neither
were men allowed to purchase anything
stronger than beer, and the quantity of
that was restricted. At many places in
the interior the vino and tuba jcints sur
rounding cur camps were tanisaed By the
of the post exchange. under
strict military control. The number OF
saloons as given in The Voice is far |
above that which really exists There
were many places where strong drink was |
sold before American occupation and
great complaint was waged against the
American administration because they
refused to license as large a number of
saloons as had been licensed by the Sran-
iards.''