Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1902-06-20
LET US HAVE LIGHT
PEOPLE DEMAND THE TRUTH
ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES.
Efforts of Administration Senators 70
Cover Up Disgraceful Facts Are Too
Open-Creditable Position Taken
by Gen. Miles.

1t was with evident reluctance that
administration senators consented tC
an investigation of matters in the
Philippines by any committee. They
would not listen to the proposal that
a special committee be appointed for
the purpose. 1t was the Philippine
committee or nothing, and that com
mittee has not been conspicuously
jealous.
The administration was evidently
more unwilling than it's supporters in
the senate that there should be any
thing more than perfunctory investi'
cation. 1t volunteered no informa-
ton. 1t suppressed official repor'S
and it would not supply them even
when requested. 1t was furious when
the commanding general of the army
dragged to light one of them the
very existence of which it evidently
wished TO conceal.
Because Gen. Miles let it be known
that there was such document as
Major Gardner's report on file the
president ragged. He declared 10 a
delegation of senators that in doing
this the general had joined the DEM
ocrats of the senate committee IN at
tempting to bring discredit upon the
army, and he wanted to know whether
that sort of thing was to be toler-
ated. He gave the delegation TO I'M
derstand that putting the committee
in the way of obtaining information
was a crime for which the general
ought to be punished by retirement
in disgrace.
1t was not until certain shameful
things were disclosed to the commit
tee without the assistance of the adj
ministration that the president show
ed any disposition to investigate
charges against officers in the Phil
ippines.
When an officer of the army ad-
mitted that he had caused number
of Filipino prisoners to be shot with
out the poor formality of trial by
court-martial and pleaded in justifi-
cation that he was executing the Or
ders of his commanding general;
when that officer and two others
swore that Smith, the commanding
general, had given his order to kill
everything over 10 years DID," then
and not till then did the president
order that the general be court-mar
tailed.
1t is worth while to note the fact
that it was after the president had
issued this order that he accused Gen.
Miles of joining hands with the Dem
ocrats of the senate committee to
discredit the army.
/ If to bring facts to light is to dis.
credit the army and If the president
regards it as crime to discredit the
army, how much in earnest may we
suppose him to be when he orders
Gen. Smith to be tried by court-mar.
tial? Need we be surprised If court
of army officers take care not to dis.
credit the army?
Now the people Of the United
States have right to know the truth
about things that are done in their
name. There has been and still is al.
together too much press censorship;
too much suppression of official re-
ports from the islands; too much
silencing of army officers who tell of
things which are not altogether cred.
liable to the army; too much ill-con.
cealed fear of letting the people
know the truth and too much evident
anxiety to make them believe things
that turn out to be untrue.
1t Is time to make an end of this.
1t is time to find out whether the
statements made by Major Gardner,
who is at once an army officer of
good record and the civil governor
of one of the provinces of Luzon. in
that report which was so long sup
pressed are true.
Not very long ago Republican con-
gresham who visited the Philippines
last summer gave out an interview
in which he made statements reflect
ing even more severely upon the army
than those made by Major Gardner.
He said that there was no rebellion
in northern Luzon because there was
nobody left there to rebel; that Fun
ston and others who sheer at over
heated consciences made clean
sweep of the men in that part of the
island; that there were no reports
and nobody knew how many natives
were killed.
The congressman approved of this
strenuous mode of pacifcation and
more than intimated that it would
have to be adopted throughout the
archipelago. This congressman ought
to come forward and give his test.
mony, and it ought to be looked into.
The people have right to know
whether such things are done in their
name, and they ought to say whether
they agree with this Republican
statesman in the opinion that this
mode OF pacification ought to be ap.
piled to some ten millions of people.
Momentous Truth.