The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-30

to US, can not be held to excuse any
wrongdoer on our side Determined and
being made, to find out every instance Of
barbarity on the part of our troops TO
punish those guilty Of it, and TO take, if
have already been taken to minimize or
prevent the occurrence Of ali such IN
stances in the future.
AS TO LYNCHINGS
From time to time there occur in our
country. to the deep and lasting shame OF
our people lynchings carried on under
circumstances OF inhuman cruelty and
barbarity-a cruelty infinitely worse than
any that has ever been committed by our
troops in the Philippines; worse to the
victims and far more brutalizing to those
guilty of it. The men who fail to con-
denim these lynChings. and yet clamor
about what has been done in the Philip
pines. are indeed guilty of neglecting the
beam in their own eye while taunting
their brother about the mote in his ITn-
derstand me. These lynchings afford us
no excuse fer failure to stop cruelty in the
Philippines. Every effort is being made,
and viii be made to minimize the chances
Of cruelty occurring
But keep in mind that these cruelties
in the Philippines have been wholly ex-
ceptlonai, ana nave Deen shameiessly eA-
that any such cruelties should have been
committed, no matter now rarely, no mat
ter under what prOVOcatiOn, by American
troops But they afford far less justifica-
uOn FOR general conueInnat1O4 OF our
army than these lynchings afford for the
condemnation of the communities in which
they have taken place. IN each case II
is well to condemn the deed, and it is
well also to refrain from including both
guilty and innocent in the same sweep
ing condemnation.
In every community there are people
who commit acts of welI-nigh inconceiv-
able horror and baseness 1t we fix our
eyes only upon these individuals and upon
their acts, and if we forget the far more
numerous citizens of upright and honest
life and blind ourselves to their countless
deeds of wisdom and justice and phllan-
thrOpy, it is easy enough to condemn the
I community There IS not CITY IN this
! land hich we could not thus condemn il
we fix our eyes purely upon its police
! record and refuse to look at what 1t had
4 accomplished for decency and justice and
charity. Yet this is exactly the attitude
with reference TO our army in the Philip
pines; and it is an attitude both absurd
anu 'ilif RIFLES OF WARFARE.
! The rules Of warfare which have been
/ troops in the field are the rules laid down
/ bv Abraham Lincoln when YOU my hear
/ ers. were fighting for the Union. These
/ rules provide. of course. for the just Sc
I verify necessary in war. The most de
to show weakness where sternness IS de-
1 manded by iron need But all cruelty IS
forbidden. and all harshness beyond what
is called for by need Our enemies IN the
Philippines have not merely violated every
rule of war. but have made OF these Vlo-
latiOns their only method OF carry ing on
the war. We would have been justified
by Abraham Lincolns rules OF warfare in
infinitely greater severity than mas peen
shown The fact really is that our
warfare in the Philippines has been car
ried ON with singular humanity. For
every act of cruelty by our men there
have been innumerable acts of fOrbear-
ance nagnanimity and generous kind
ness. These are the qualities which have
characterized the whole. The
cruelties have been wholly exceptional
The guilty are to be punished but in
punishing Them let those who sit at ease
the solt places OF the eafLn. fe5netilDet
also to do them common justice Let not
the effortess and the untempted rail over
much at strong men VINO with pioou anu
/ sweat face years of toll and days ana
nisnlS on asohy' anu a. llsSo lds W W " II u
/ tner HEeS M remote LIOplS Ju!lsivs 70
bring the light of civilization into the
worlds dark places The warfare that
has extended the boundaries OF clNlllza-
ton at the expense of barbarism and say
agery has been for centuries one OF the
most potent Factors IN the progress o.
humanity. Yet from its very nature it
has always and everywhere been liable TO
1t behooves US to keep vigilant watch
/ to prevent these abuses and to punish
! those who commit them; but if because
of them we finch from finishing the task
/ on which have entered, We show
/ ourselves cravens and weaklings, un-
/ worthy of the sires from whose loinS We
sprang. There were abuses and to spare
in the Civil war Your false friends then
you who are listening to me as merce-
naries, as "Lincoln's hirelings- 4oul
/ open foes-as in the resolution passed by
the Confederate congress in October, le6Z-
accused YOU. at great length, and with
nluCn DarIlCNlaElLF- OF cOUlEAIDAADtS uiS-
regard OF the usages OF clEln1ea war OF
/ subjecting women and children to ban
ishment imprisonment, and death ol
murder" Of rapine, OF outrages OF
| women. of '1awless cruelty, Of .'perpe-
trating atrocities which would be dis
graceful to savages and Abraham LIN
coin was singled out for especial attach
/ because of mis- spirit of barbarOus fe-
rocity." Verify. these men who thus foul
lv slanderad you have their heirs today il
those who tTaduce our armies IN th'
Pbilfppiues who fix their eyes on indi
, / 7-fl If
last they become blind to the great WOri
2 of peace and freedom that has alread.
''s-' PEACE AND FREEDOM
t Peace and freedOm-are there two bet
I I ter objects for which a soldier can fight
Well. these are precisely the oDJects 70
2 / which our soldiers are fighting in tn
cruelties committed in the Philippines. re
! ! member always that by FAR the create
/ portion of these cruelties have been com
; I mitted by the insurgents against thel
e / own peOple-as well as against our sol
+ diers-and that not only the surest bu
the only effectual way of stopping then
. is by the progress of the American arms
o The victories of the American army hav
t been the really effective means of puttin
4 a stop to cruelty in the Philippines
i Wherever these victories have been com
g plete-and such is now the case throughou
= the greater part of the islands-all cruel
n ties have ceased, and the native is secur
f in his life. his liberty. aand his pursuit o
b happiness Where the insurrectlon Stl
smolders there is always chance 10
u cruelty to show itself
e Our soldiers conquer; and what is tn
q object for which they conquer2 To es
e tablsh a military government No Tn
( laws we are now endeavoring to enact 70
e the government Of the Philippines are t
" / increase the power and domain of the civ
d at the expense of the military authoritie.
g. and to render even more difficult than
D the past the chance of oppression Ih
r military power is used to secure peace,
y order that ii may itself be supplanted b
n the civil government. The progress
d the American arms means the abolition {
q ! cruelty the bringing of peace, and tn
s rule of law and order under the civil gov
l. ernment Other nations have conquere
to create irresponsible military rule. W
conquer to bring just and responsible civ
e | government to the conquered
a But our armies do more than brin
9 peace, do more than bring order. The
p bring freedom. Remember always ths
d ( the Independence of a tribe or con
j. munity may, and often does. have nOtl
IA ing whatever to do with the freedom
a the individual in that tribe or commW
Is iLE. There are now in Asia and AlrIl