Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-07-21
THE SMITH CASE.
tFrom the Boston Globe@

(From the Boston Globe9
The action of the President in CEN
suring Brighten Jacob II. Smith and
retiring him from active service as a
punishment for having violated the
rules of war in issuing his celebrated
kill-and-burn order, is a lively theme
of conversation in political circles in
Washington.
According to some of the Republi-
cans, it was the very best thing the
President could do, and effectually dis
poses of the statements that the Re-
publicans defend atrocities in the
Philippines.
According to other Republicans, IL
was ridiculous thing for the Presi-
dent to do, because 1t snstains the
statements made by Democrats that
Philippines, and that the atrocities
would have been ignored had it not
been for the demands made by the
Democrats that the men guilty of car
rying on uncivilized warfare be pun
ished.
During the course Of the long debate
in the Senate on the Philippine bill,
while only one Republican Senator, it
is believed. defended Gen. Smith and
justified him for what he had done,
al the other Senators sought to mini
mize his offense and to make as light
of 1t as possible. Senator Foraker was
the only Senator who defended Gen
Smith and who justified his action
basing that justification on the condi-
tlons existing and the duty imposed
upon him to strike terror into the
hearts Of the enemy by methods which
would best produce that result. The
other Republican Senators did not
come so boldly to his defense. They
lodged the question whether Smith
was justified, but they urged that cir
cumstances were exceptional and that
he should not be strictly governed by
the code of warfare prevailing among
civilized nations.
These Senators had muct to say
about the atrocities committed by
Nero and other patriots In the remote
past and even more to say about the
outrag ges committed by the Filipinos,
These they dwelt upon at length as an
excuse for what Smith did, but they
all tried to show that the Democrats
We're making entirely too much noise
about a comparatively trifing matter.
The Presidents action rather puts
these Senators in an awkward posi-
tlon, Had the Democrats not insist
ed in calling the attention of the coun-
try to the kill-hnd-burn order, nothing
would, in all probability, ever have
been heard of It, But they kept it to
the front and finally forced the Pres,.
dent into ordering that Gen. Smith be
court martialed, the President detail
ing the personnel OF the court. which
gave him an opportunity as the review
ing authority to revise the action OF
the court,
II was fully expected that the Presl-
dent would make use of the opportun-
ity offered him do read Gen. Smith a
lesson, to defend the army on the one
hand, and TO make Gen, Smith a Vi
carious sacrifice on the other for the
offenses which II is not denied have
been committed.
The Democrats are quite satisfied
with what has been done. A member
of the Democratic Congressional com.
mlttee said tonight: "The Gen. Smith
case and the Presidents order retir-
ing Gen. Smith win undoubtedly he
made use Of by the committee and
until action has been taken | do not
care to speak officially for the com.
mittee, but my own opinion is very
clear. The President practically ad
mits all that we have asserted; he
practically denies all that the Repub.
licans so vociferously affirmed. We
have asserted that atrocities have