Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-05
ROAST OF j, S. ARMY
WILL BE WAR CRY
THIS FALL
BUT REPUBLICANS WILL USE 1T
IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEM
ocRATIc NoMI-
NEEs.

WASHINGTON, June 3-The Republic
can campaign managers and party leaders
believe they have secured an excelient
campaign cry from the Democratic utter
ances during the six weeks debate "a elle
senate on the Philippine civil government
bill. Already they have begun 70 shout
the text: Democrats have slandered the
army in the field"
It win be interesting to watch the de-
velopment Of this Republican trick, for II
illustrates not only the methods the Re
publicans use to gain their victories, but
also their everlasting vigilance and their
ability to make political capital out OF
nothing.
The Democrats, led by Patterson, of
Colorado. Rawlins. of Utah. and Carmack'
Of Tennessee, have frequently used IN the
debate instances of cruelty practiced on
the Filipinos by American soldiers, but in
every instance they have been careful 10
protect the army as a whole from the
charge of unnecessary cruelty. They
have maintained that the boys who are
fighting for the flag on the other side Of
the world are not responsible for the in
human brutality which has marked so
many cases OF punishment of Filipino
prisoners and have frequently declared
that the officers, not the men, are the
ones TO whom the guilt attaches. Their
purpose in ringing in the instances of
the administration in pacifying the islands
was neither just nor right, and should not
be continued indefinitely as the Republic
can bill under discussion proposed.
This kind OF argument by the Democrats
cut the Republicans deep and before 1t
had been in progress two days the Repub-
lican leaders experienced a sensation sim
liar in effect to heart disease. They hur-
riedly got together and mapped out plan
~En -. Tn
stead of remaining silent as they had
planned at first, they put up their best
speakers and sought TO stem the tide by
adroitly twisting the Democratic monou-
vers into an attack on the whole army.
Thia plan Of the Republicans was vigor-
ously started out by Lodge and carried
on by Spooner. Finally President Roose-
welt himself took occasion at Arlington on
Decoration day TO defend the army from
an attack which had never been made.
Spoouer, the best debater on the Republi-
can side, drew wonderful word picture
of our army fighting 5000 miles away while
the Democrats IN the senate. he declared,
stood slanderingl and villiryfng every man
in uniform across the Pacific. His words
were so affecting that hundreds OF his
friends who had gathered in the galleries
to hear his speech cheered him as he made
up his case against colleagues across
the aisle who on that very day had stood
at their desks and proclaimed the honor
and courage OF the American soldier.
The presidents speech and Spooner's
speech will be printed and spread broad
cast in every close district this fall IT Is
said that 10,00Q are now on the press for
distribution I'm districts where the Phflli-
pine regiments were recruited. II can
readily be seen what the effect would be
II the Democrats failed to meet the Re-
publican charge as set forth in the
speeches.
But the Democrats are not asleep. They
have elected their campaign committee
with a view TO meeting just this charac-
ter Of campaign. For every Republican
speech sent into the close districts a Dem
! ocratic speech exposing the falsity of the
Republican charge will be there to greet
IT, Wherever the battle cry 'Slandered
Army" is raised. another will echo from
the Democratic stump: Brave Army, but
Brutal Orders!'
With this trick Of the Republicans, and
the others they have up their sleeves
such as the presidents attack on the beef
trust and the agitation to lower the tariff
rates. both of which are pretty bunco
games-the campaign promises to be ex-
ceedingly lively. Both parties are deter
mined 10 win the majority in the next con-
gress and both are already claiming to
have the best start 1t is sure to be nip
and tuck until the very end and the fight
viii liven up an otherwise dull fall.