The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-05-14
THE AFFAIR or SAMAR.

II is surprising 90 End n Filipino and
especially one Of rank. saying that ne
APPROVES OF the course In Samar OF
General Smith whose order. XIII ev-
cry one over ten has startled the hu-
name sentiment Of the American peo-
pie and exposed them Co the same re-
bukr that they 80 lately visited upon
the Spaniards. Yet Don FELIPE Buen-
esmiuo. leader OF the Federal party In
Manila and member OF the Philippine
Commission. declares that General
smith. In view Of the peculiar condi-
tions'' In the island. did not go further
with his butcheries and his water
cures. than circumstances warranted
This is strange enough but II - stran-
ger yet that so many Americans. not
brought up like Senior Buencamino IN
der the rule OF Spain. should hold
similar opinion
The phrase peculiar conditions has
excused more atrocities. perhaps. than
any other. There were such conditions
In France when the HuguenOts were
slain and In Spain when heretics were
sent To the stake. The Duke OF Ava
found them In the low countries and so
put the Innocent. not exclusively over
ten" TO sword and pike. Peculiar con-
dl.lons'' lighted the fires OF Srnithfieid
and accounted for SapOleOn's butcher
les IN Egypt: and In our own day they
sent weyIer Up and down the land OF
Cuba Ike the ravening beast We COM
pared him with. Nearly two thousand |
years ago they sent n young Gaiiieean |
To- the cross. and In the ages since have |
sacrificed a myriad OF martyrs Of His |
faith.
But the phrase does not deceive. A
Christian nation knows that no condI-
tons can b. peculiar enough To ex-
cuSe the crimes OF murder and of tor
tur-. They know that no cause Is just
that has TO do injustice. Things may
BE- bad In Samar IA they generally are
where a rude and primitive people are
nShtinR an invader: but they were also
bad In Western America when the In
dians wsre trying to hold their ground
against the pale face The red men
knew no better than Co burn and scalp:
but the United States did not retaIiate
In kind 10 waSed n manly warfare
uatil the end came: and today these
same Indians are turning their scalplng
knives into pruning hooks and find In
The nature Of those who conquered
hem something upon which To remodel
heir own views OF life
A war of inhumanity never succeeds
4 the people upon whom IL Is waged
are proof against determination IL
-mbitters them TO n distant generation
~ was shown when. upon the outbreak
~ our war with Spain. the people and
,ress Of Holland. country which
Spain had rayaged 50 long ago. were
on our side They could
rot forget the dragons OF Aiva- Nor
he methods OF the American invader.
Il IL useless To try and make contented
'ubJrcts or admiring fellow citizens
,ut OF men whose children even IL
over ten" have been slain or who.
have suffered the agonies of
he water cure Nor IL IL possible TO
1eep them peaceable. Again the In
raders themselves find decentralization
N their own ways Of warfare. and IL .
IN reacts upon the character OF their ,
lation.
We are In the Philippines for the
'urpose OF benevolent assimilation" /:
mis- calls for the light hand and the !
word: and IL for war. n hu-
name and manly contest with the en-
my which will leave the way open for r
eace with friendship. The methods OF @
he barbarous simply make assimila-
lon OF any kind impossible: and put
ne day far In the future when the .
philippines will be anything but a bur n
en- To Us.