El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-15


eS-Terms Rebels" and Traitors
Defined -Insurgent Leaders Given
wArning.-Those Who Disobey Must
Suffer
The following is the text of General
MaeAarthur's proclamation to the Fill
pines:
Office of the United States Mill
tary Governor in the Philippine Is
lands. and Headquarters Division
OF the Philippines Manila. p. l..
December 20,-A Proclamation:
In the armed struggle between the
sovereign power of the United states
now in progress IN these Islands, ire
quent violations of important provis-
ions of the laws of war have recently
manifested themselves, rendering II
imperative. while rejecting every con-
sideration of belligerancy OF those op-
posing the government in the sense in
which the term belligerency is general
Iy accepted and understood. to remind
all concerned of the existence OF these
laws. that exemplary punishments at
tach to the infringement thereof, that
their strict observance is required, not
only by combatant forces. but as well
by non-combatants, native or alien. re-
siding within occupied places
In pursuance of this purpose. refer
ence is made to the following provis-
ions of the laws of war, as most es-
senfial for consideration under present
conditions:
First-A place district or country oc-
cupicd in consequence of regular mill
tary operations by an organized COM
blatant force stands. by reason OF said
occupation, under the martial law Of
the occupying army. The command
ing general owes protection to all peo-
pIo -esiding within the places occu-
pied who perform with fidelity the du-
ties imposed upon them, from which
copsiderationreSultS the obligation up
on the part of the people and civil
officitIs of the occupied territory of
strict obedience to the commanding
general of the occupying force
The present necessity for alluding to
the laws of war arises from the fact
that many proclamations, recently Is
sued by insurgent commanders, threat
en- punishment against all native IN
habitants of occupied places, who ac-
cept the reciprocal relations above de-
scribed and from the further fact that
in the prosecution OF this policy. the
mandates of the insurgent officers, to
kiGnap and aSsaSSinate residents OF
occupied towns have been successful
" executed. 1t cannot. therefore, be
too emphatically declaredthat all en-
gagged IN such transactions from the
authority making the proclamation to
the parties of execution, are collec-
lively and individually, guilty of vio-
lation of the laws of war, and must
eventually answer for murder or such
other crime as may result from ther
unlawful actions
Notice is accordingly given to in
surgent leaders already committed to,
or who may be contemplating on
such a system of warfare that the
practice therefor will necessarily ter
inmate the possibility of those engag-
ing therein returning to normal civic
relations in the Philippines That
is to say, persons charged with viola
ton of the laws of war above emu
mer ated must sooner or later be
tried for feloniouS crimes, with all the
possibilities of conviction; or, as an on
ly means of escape therefrom. must
become fugitive criminals beyond the
Jurisdiction of the United States. which
in effect means lifelong expatriation.
Second-Persons residing within an
occupied place who do things mimi
cal to the interests of the occupying
army, are known as war rebels, or
war traitors, according to the ma
ture oftheir overt acts, and are punish
able at the discretion of the tribunals
of the occupying army. To comply
with demands of an expelled public
enemy and make no report thereof,
creates the presumption that the act
is voluntary and malicious. In such
a case a plea of intimidation can rare
ly be accepted. The plain duty of peo-
pie so threatened is to report the facts,
which must, by reason of a common
language, be of knowledge to a large
part of the resident community, mad
thereby avert suspicion as to their
own good faith and enable the COM
handing general to act enic1aliy In
behalf of their protection.
When, however, as is known to be
the case in many cases occupied by
United States troops, secret commit
tees are permitted to exist and to act
in behalf of the so-called insurgent
government by collecting supplies, re-
cruiting men and sending military in
formation to the insurgent camps,
it is not only difficnlt to afford ade-
quate protection, but the well dispos-
ed people who, from a sense of timid-
ity or displaced sympathy for neigh
bors. persist in screening these COM
mittees, in effect offer themselves as
easy victims to be plundered and muir
dered and also expose themselves to
the danger of being classified and tried
as war traitors against the United
States.
The principal object of this procla- |
nation is to instruct all classes
the archipelago as to the |
as to the laws of war
in respect of the particulars herein re-
ferred to, and to advise all concerned |
of the purpose to exact, in the fu- |
ture. precise compliance Herewith. |