Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-10
GARDENERS REPORT
Alleged Conduct Of Ameri-
can Troops.
RESULTS IN TAYABAS
LOYALTY TO UNITED STATES
BEING LEssENED.
Declares That Means Employed Are
Not Justifed-Gen. Macarthur
Before Senate Committee.

of the committee requesting the Secretary
| of War to send the report to the committee.
Major Gardeners Report.
The report is dated December 16. 1901, and
| is largely a review of conditions in the
province, and tells what was done in the
way of a campaign against the insurgents
| In the course Of the report the governor
says: "a vigorous campaign was at once
| organized against insurgents in arms, with
the troops acting under positive orders to
sheet unarmed natives and to burn no
houses except barracks. Looting was pro-
hibited under the strictest penalties. Com
pany and other commanders were ordered
to pay for everything taken for necessity
or bought from natives.
The governor in detail tells about what
has been done and then recommends that
the operations against the Insurgents should
| be by force of natives. He has Travelled
all over the province with no other escort
than natives.
In another recommendation he says: LAS
| civil governor l feel it my duty to say that
| it is my firm conviction that the United
| States troops should at the earliest oppor"
| tunity be concentrated in one or two garri-
sons if it is thought desirable that the good
| sentiment and loyalty that formerly eX
| listed to the United States government
among the people of this province should
| be conserved and encouraged.
| Alleged Conduct of Troops.
l
having visited all the pueblos one or more
times, having lived with them in their
| homes, l know that'such a sentiment once
| existed. OF late, by reason of the conduct
| of the troops, such as the extensive burn
| ing of the baTrios in trying to lay waste
| the country SO that the insurgents can
not occupy it, the torturing of natives by
| so-called water cure and other methods, in
| order to obtain information, the harsh
! treatment of natives generally, and the
| failure of inexperienced lately appointed
| lieutenantS commanding posts to diStin-
| guish between those who are friendly and
| those unfriendiy, and to treat every native
| as II he were, whether or no, an insurrecto
at heart, this favorable sentiment above re-
| ferred to is being fast destroyed and a
| deep hatred toward us engendered. If these
| things need be done, they had best be done
| by native troops so that the people of the
| United States will not be credited there
| with.
| Almost without exception, soldiers, and
| also many officers, refer to natives in their
| presence as 'niggers, and natives are be-
| ginning to understand what the word mig
ger means.
1.-The course now being pursued in this
| province and in the provinces of Batangas,
Laguna and Samar is in my opinion, SOW
| ing the seeds for perpetual revolution
| against us hereafter whenever a good op
! portunity offers Under present conditions
| the political situation in this province is
| slowly retrograding, and the American SEN
| llI0enI Is uecTedSlIlS anu we are Udlly MAX
ing permanent enemies
| "In the course above referred to troops
| make no distinction often between the
property of those natives who are insur-
gents or insurgent sympathiZers and the
property of those who heretofore have
| risked their lives by being loyal to the
| United States and giving us information
| against their countrymen in arms. Often
| every house in barrio is burned.
| I'm my opinion, the small number of ir-
| reconcilable insurgents still in arms, al
| though admittedly difficult to catch, does not
justify the means employed, espe ecially when
| taking into consideration the suffering that
| must be undergone by the innocent and its
| effect upon the relations with these people
| hereafter.
Work of the Commission.
1.-The work of the Philippine commission
| and the laws that have been enacted by it
are everywhere favorably commented upon
!! by the natives. The efforts being made for
| the general education Of the people are ap-
preciated by all. The provincial govern
! ment and the municipal governments estab-
| lished are slowly bringing order out Of
chaos and anarchy and there begins to be
| visible everywhere in this province progress
| and prosperity. True loyalty and content
ment can only come under a benign civil
! government.
"The attitude of. the army, thereby mean
| ing most of it's officers and soldiers. is,
| however, decidedly hostile to the provin-
cial and municipal governments in this
| province, and to civil government in these
| islands in general. In Manila especially, it
is intensely so, even among the higher Of
ficers. The work of the commission in the
l establishment Of provincial governments is
| ridiculed even In presence of the natives.
| 1t Is openly stated that the army should re-
main in charge for the next twenty years
Outrages committed by officers and SOL
i diers against natives in an organized mu-
nicipality and province, when reported by
i ho oSidenfa fn he mil IA
authorities, are often not punished. This in
my opinion is unfortunate because loyal
natives begin to fear that local self-goyern-
ment promised them, will not last long and
that any slight disturbance in a province
may at any time be made the pretext to
again place it under military rule, and this
/ is just the thing the insurgents at heart
most desire.
Effect Of Kindness.
"It has been stated that Filipino or an
oriental does not appreciate just or kindly
treatment and that he considers it an evil
dence of weakness and that severe and
/ harsh measures are the only ones that are
/ permanently effective with Filipinos. 1
have found that Just and kind treatment.
| uniform and cont nued. is the only way by
which these people can be permanently our
1 friends and satisfied with United States
sovereignty.
Having been stationed six years OF the
| Rio Grande, / am we'll acquainted with the
natives of the state OF Tanaalipas Mex
4 ico and while stationed IN the province OF
| Santa Clara, Cuba, visited every town
/ in that province and was able to observe
4 the intelligence and education there. be-
iteve that the people CT Tayabas province
are in every way superior In education. tn
telligence. morals and civilization. 20 the
1 people of Tamaulipas or Sarta Clara.
1 f"As an officer Of the army regret that
4 ray duty as civil governor OF this provln,.s
iTnpels nae to state the attitude of the ms
4 jorfty Of my fellow officers toward ciyii
1 government in these islands, and It's csfecs