The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-06

were incidents of war. In the speeches of
the minority, he said, women and children
had been slaughtered by myriads but there
was not in the records an authenticated
case of killing of women or children trace
able TO the American soldiers. "Al OF us,
he said, want to see justice done-we want
TO see those guilty of atrocities and tor
lures punished. We do not approve of in
justices and atrocities committed upon
prisoners or upon helpless men. And or
ders have gone out from the White House
and the War Department TO prevent such
cruelties."
TRIBUTE TO THE ARMY.
Mr.. Lodge paid a high tribute to the
American army in the Philippines. all of
the members of which he pointed out under
our army system were volunteers. They rep
resented thoroughly the American COM
munities which gave them birth. They were
not saints-they were not devils. The afro
cities which had been committed in isolated
instances, and which all regretted. had
grown out of warfare. Mr.. Lodge then
quoted from the record many instances of
atrocities committed by the Filipino insur-
gents on the American troops. Men had
been captured as prisoners of war and had
their ears cut off, their intestines cut out
and their bodies otherwise horribly mu-
tilated. Others had been driven into
streams and while drowning had been shot.
Still others had been buried alive. Reading
from statistics furnished by the authorities
in the Philippines he showed that hundreds
OF natives had been assaulted and mutilated
because they sympathized with the Amer
leans. The statistics showed that the num-
Der of natives thus treated aggregated 442.
He pointed out that siXty-seven municipal
officers friendly TO the Americans had been
assassinated and forty had been assaulted
and mutilated.
He closed his speech, saying: 1--WE are
told that we had no friends among the
FilipinOs. Apparently the insurgents
thought there were enough friends to make
up that awful roll of assassinations. / have
heard torrents Of sympathy for the in
surgents fighting against the flag and the
authority of the United States, but not
one word of sympathy for the Filipinos,
men of the same race, who are friendly 10
us and who asked only TO live in peace
beneath our flag. Their lives were as dear
to them as those Filipinos who were aid
ing the insurgents, and they were our
friends. There are more of them there,
and | say that whatever else may be true
or false. if we get out Of these islands and
leave these friendly Filipinos to fates like
that, we are unworthy of the name of a
great nation.
81 did not rise TO defend in the remotest
way any cruelties practiced upon helpless
prisoners. L regard them as bitterly as
any one can. But as l have listened to
this debate | confess l have felt shocked
beyond measure at the attacks made upon
the army of the United States. Their
honor is our honor. Don't let us condone a
single proved offense. But let us be just
at least TO our own. Let us remember
living here in sheltered homes tar from the
sound and the trials Of war not only their
sufferings. but their temptations. their
provocations. their trials. When we con-
denim Waller for shooting treacherous
guides, when we think of that little band
of his that struggled through the wilder
ness of Samar where no Spaniard had
ever gone and came out on the other side
delirious with sufferings so that he was
reported when he first reached Manila 10
be out of his mind-let US remember the
circumstance ere we condemn. Think of
those 500 or 600 posts scattered among
those islands, little squads of fifteen TO
twenty men, under the very
often of a sergeant or a young lieutenant.
living there among people apparently
friendly. The first thing this boy in COM
mand or the sergeant knows is that one Of
his men has been assassipated in the night.
"Ah, Mr.. President. these are things that
have hardened their hearts and made them
feel that there is a treachery among them.
There is but one testimony as TO their
treatment of the friendly natives. Soldiers
and officers alike treated them as we should
expect Americans to treat people OF that
kind. generously and humanely. / want 10
have justice TO the American army. / want
the country TO know. when il reads Of
cruelties TO hostile Filipinos, what our men
have suffered and endured. l do not wish
TO be put in the position OF a defender of
cruelties. If / must make my choice. then.
l am for the friendly natives, the friend Of
America against the men i'm arms against
her. and / am for the American army
against the insurgents.
T h scheme has been 10 raise this cry
of cruelty in the philippines IN order TO
make it react upon the party in power.
The American army ought not 10 be sub
ject TO experiences like that. II is not
made 10 be the fOOtstOol Of politics. and
what il does or does not do ought not to be
used TO raise up or pull down any political
party. When justice is done, when the
guilty have been punished for proved Of
lenses. when the whole story has been
made up / believe that. after all that has
been said and all the denunciation that
has been heaped upon our troops and Of
fcers has fallen into silence. We shall find
that in the history Of the country the rec
ord OF that army. cleaning with victories
from Trenton TO Manila. viii shine brightly
in the annals OF the Republic when those
who vilify ii are but noteless blots on a
emembered name
When Mr.. Lodge had concluded his
speech he was warmly tulated by
many of his colleagues. Twice in the
course OF his speech the galleries burst
into spontaneous applause.
SehIeN nj hfckumuuu