The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-28
YuNrsH mn YrnyuRlnA

ing the men who testify before the Senate Committee on the Philippines and do not tell the truth" remarks The 3Leavep- worth Times, and we thoroughly agree with it. We go much further and say there ought to be way to punish a man who testiies before any tribunal and fails to tell the truth. When the Almighty said to the Children of Israel. through Moses: Thou shalt not bear false wit ness against thy neiEhbor." He gave to them, and after them to all the peoples of earth, command which forms the very foundation of the temple of justice. False swearing is not only . sin in the eyes of God. but it places life and liberty, reputation and property at the mercy of the villain. Therefore. the laws of all civilized countries punish the perjurer. and If Congressional Committee has no power to punish those who swear falsely, it certainly should have.
 And we agree with The Times that the investigation into the conduct of our off, fcers and men in the Philippines should be conducted in such manner that all the truth will be brought to light. There has been so much said. and so many scandal ous reports have been circulated. that it Is due to the army and to the country that the whole truth should be known That there have been wrongs perpetrated over there by Americans cannot be doubt ed by any one who has read even the contradictory reports that have been nriofod That vn,,-l, of xubat r. baya r>od is grossly exaggerated, and that much more Is wholly false seems equally true, and yet we know that all this great Dass of charges and specifications are not mere fabrications. If men and officers can send to the Department such stories as have appeared in the papers and those stories are false. or If officers. privates and citi- gems can go before an Investigating com mittee and deliberately perjure themselves without penalty. then there certainly ought to be a change of methods.
 As we have said, the credit of the army as whole and of the officers and men composing that army is at stake, and not only that but the entire Government will be scandalized if these charges are true. For that matter, there must be some scandal if the charges are false for many of them are made by men who are or have recently been connected with the army But however that may be, there should be some way of getting at the truth and of punishing those who bear false wit ness.
 And while on the subject 1t is not amiss to refer to another feature of these inyes- tigstions. Those speakers and newspapers who deny everything and pronounce all the charges slanderous depend too much on negative testimony. For example, in his examination before the Senate Com- mittee on Monday. Captain Mcdonald was questioned in regard to a reported out rage on a woman. and he said. according to the press dispatches: No such cir cumstance as that ever occurred at that time or any other, from the beginning to the end of my stay in the Philippines"
 Now we do not charge that Captain Mcdonald knowingly swore false, or in- tended to do so. but we do assert that it was impossible for him to know all that occurred on the islands. or to know of a certainty that any certain event did not occur. When a witness testifies posi- lively and of his own knowledge, to a certain fact. that testimony must be ac- cepted or successfully controverted. The fact that d dozen other witnesses may swear that they knew nothing of 1t will not of itself discredit the other evidence. Now, in the matter under consideration, certain men. both officers and privates, have made definite charges of outrages committed on the natives If these charges are false, there should be a way to ascertain their falsity and to punish the slanderers, but 1t is no answer to such charges to bring forward other men to say that nothing of the kind occurred. That kind of negative testimony will not 30 in a court of justice. unless the positive testimony can be invalidated.
 As before remarked we hold that the credit and honor of the army, the Ameri- | can people and the Government of the United States is involved. and we want the truth. Nothing could give us more satisfaction than to know that none of | the charges are true unless it would be l the knowledge that those who had thus | Slandered cur soldiers have been punished | as they deserve. |