The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-11
TEXT FOR MILES.
The Report of Major Gardiner
is Made Public.

dtE EOalluAlAtG OH LiIE pines ilit-@
today Senator Lodge, chairman Of the
committee. laid before the committee
the report Of Major Cornelius Gardiner.
civil governor of the Philippine province
of Tayabas, to which reference was
made by General Miles in his eorrespon-
denee with Secretary Root. This report
had been withheld, and this caused the
adoption of a resolution at the last
meeting of the committee requesting the
secretary Of war to send the report to
I The committee.
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 campaign against the in
! snrgentS In the course OF the report the
governor says.
I "A vigorous campaign was at once or
! ganized against insurgents in arms
with the troops acting under positive er-
/ ders to shoot no unarmed natives and to
I burn no houses except barracks. Loot
I ing was prohibited under the strictest
j penalties. Company and other com
4 nnanders We're ordered TO pay for every
I thing taken for necessity or bought from
! natives.
! The governor in lengthy detail tells
{ about what has been done and then rec
/ onmends that the operations against
/ the insurgents should eby a force of ma
! tives He has Travelled all over the
/ province with no other escort than ma
I tiNes. IN another recommendation he
I
duty to say that it is my firm conviction
/ that the u. S. troops should at the earl
] lest opportunity be concentrated IN one
1 or two garrisOnS. if it is thought deSira-
| BILE that the good sentiment and loyalty
/ that formerly existed to the United
! States among the people of this province
should be conserved and encouraged
Being in close touch with the peO-
! pie having visited all the Pueblos one
or more times, having lived with them
in their homes, 1 know that such senti-
nent once existed OF late, by reason
of the conduct OF the troops such as the
extensive burning of the barrios Ia
trying to lay waste to the country so
that the insurgents cannot occupy Il,
the torturing of natives by so-caiied
water cure and other methods. in order
to obtain inform alton. the harsh treat
ment of natives generally and the fail
ure of inexperienced lately appointed
lieutenants commanding posts, to dis
tinguish between those who are friendly
and those Unfriendly, and to treat ev-
cry native a 5 if he We're, whether or no.
an insurrecto at heart, this favorable
sentiment above referred to. is being
fast destroyed and a deep hatred tow
ard us engendered- If these things need
be done, they had best be done by ma
tive troops so that the people of the
United States viii not be credited there
with.
and also many officers refer to natives
in their presence as 'niggers and ma
tives are beginning to understand what
the word Niger means.
The course now being pursued in
| this province and in the provinces Of
! Patangas, Laguna and Samar is in my
/ opinion, sowing seeds for perpetual
revolution against US hereafter. WIlen-
ever a good opportunity affords. I'm
! der present conditions the political sit
uation in this province is slowly retro
! grading and the American sentiment IS
decreasing and we are daily making
permanent enemies.
I'm the course above referred to,
troops make no distinction often be-
tween the property OF those natives
who are insurgent or 1nsurgent syTnpa-
thizers and the property of those who
heretofore have risked their lives by
! being loyal to the United States and
| given us information against their
/ cOuntrVmen in arms. Often every
! house in a barrio is burned
In my opinion, the small numb Of
! irreconcilable insurgents still IN arms,
although admittedly difficult to catch,
! does not Justify the means employed
| especially when taking into considera-
| ton the suffering that must be under
gone by the innocent and its effect upon
the relations with these people here
after.
THE work of the Philippine commits
sion and the laws that have been en-
acted by it are everywhere favorably
! commented upon by the natives The
! efforts being made for the general edu-
cation of the people are appreciated by
! all The provincial government 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 contentment can only come under
a benign civil government
The attitude of the army, thereby mean
1 ing most Of its officers. and soldiers, is,
/ however, decidedly hostile to the proVin-
cial and municipal government in this
| province and TO civil government in these
Islands in general In Manila especially it
] IS intensely so. even among the higher Of
hcers. The work of the commission in the
/ IS rld1culed even In the presence Of the ma
tives: 1t is openly stated that the army
years Outrages committed by officers and
! soldiers. by natives in an organized n1anlc-
ipality and province when reported by the
preSlcente, or governor 10 Inc military al-
thoEities, are often not punished This. in
my opinion. is unfortunate because loyal
natives begin to fear that local self gov
eminent promised them Will not last long
ana that any slight disturbance n a pro-
vince may at any time be made the pre-
text to again place it under military rule
and this is JUST the thing the insurgents at
TT has been stated that a Filipino or an
/ Oriental does not appreciate just or kindly
treatment and that ne considers II an eNl-
1 dence Of weakness and that severe and
! harsh measures are the only ones that arc
permanently effective with F1lipinos- I
have found that just and kind treatment.
uniform and continued, is the only way By
+ which these people can become cur friends
and satisfied with United States sove-
4 reignty-
Having been stationed six years on the
Rio Crande. l am well acquainted with
the natives of the state of Tamulipas.
Mexico and while stationed in the province
Of Santa Clara. Cuba. visited every town
4 ia that province and was able to observe
/ the intelligence and education there I be-
lieve that the people Of Tayabas province
are in every way superior in education. in
i teiligence. morals and civilization to the
people Of Tamuiipas or Santa Clara
las an officer of the army. regret that
my duty as civil governor Of this province
I iflDFtS to state the attitude OF the ma
jority Of my fellow officers towards civil
i government in these Islands and its ef-
4 feet upon the people, but I feel that the
interests of the government involved and
the future of the people for whose welfare