The Tucson citizen., 1902-04-18

against Weyler in Cuba would be
proved against soldiers wearing the
uniform of the United States. Yet the
charges are made, and the evidence
produced to sustain them. Lieutenant
Day of the Marine Corps, was placed
on trial before court martial at Man
lila yesterday for executing native
Filipinos without trial. We quote from
an Associated Press report of the trial
printed in the Star of this morning: |
| He (Day) said the man he shot |
January 19, was spy who was shot
| by Major Waller's orders and added:
Il ordered Private Kresage to fire at
| his head and ordered Mcgee to fire at
the center of his back. After the snoot- !
ing | saw convlusive shudder OF the
mans shoulders. Placing my own re-
volver to his forehead | shot him
dead. | ordered the police to leave the
body on the ground as an example to
the natives" Major Waller testified
that he ordered the shooting OF eleven
men on January 20 but denied ordering
the execution of a man on Jnauary ~.
He admitted that he was very i'll at the
time.
This is barbarous. 1t is sufficient to
bring the blush to the face OF every
American All the islands in the Pacl-
fic are not worth the character we have
lost since the Philippine enterprise
began. Those seif-contained gentlemen
whose souls were kindled by the new
but now diminishing tlres of imperial
ism must be discovering that, though
perhaps. not so meant, benevolent as
similation" and other phlanthrophlc
phrases are sirens words.
Major Cornelius Gardner, an ofncer
of the regular army. of high character
and good professional reputation, who
l. is detailed as civil governor OF the
province of Tayabas in the Philippines,
> is not sufficiently bound by the ties OF
old associations to be blinded to a
grave and menacing situation. he
frankly admits in report made TO the
War Department and which has been
made public by a Senate committee,
that the sentiments of loyalty once
, shown by the natives toward the
: Americans is rapidly decreasing and
. a deep hatred is taking its place. In
four Provinces, he says, the course pur-
sued is rapidly sowing the seeds for
perpetual revolution against us
hereafter and we are daily making per
manent enemies Major Gardener con
!. Itinues:
. The conduct of the troops, such as
; the extensive burning of the barrios'
: in irving to .ay waste the country so
; that the insurgents cannot occupy II,
t the torturing of natives by so-cailed
g water cure and other methods, in or
der TO obtain information, the harsh
treatment of natives generally ana
: the failure of inexperienced. lately ap-
S pointed lieutenants commanding posts
d to distinguish between those who are
friendly and those unfriendiy, ana 10
treat every native as If he were,
whether or no, an insurrecto al neaFl'
i this favorable sentiment above refer
l. red to Is being removed. and deep
hatred toward us fast engendered. ii
these things need to be done, tney
had best be done by native troops, so
$ that people of the United States VIII
: not be credited Herewith.
An explanation of the water cure
I will not lail to be interesting A native
! is discovered who is supposed to have
I Information wanted by the United
States troops He refuses to give 1t. he
is tied. laid on his back with his head
raised; then a small stream OF water
Is noured into him until he nearly
bursts Should he undertake to avoid
swallowing the water, his mouth is
pried open with stick or his nose Is
pinched until his mouth opens When
a gallon or more of water Is thus forced
: down the poor devil he Is squeezed to
force the water out, and then nlled up
again, and the operation is repeated
until he gives up the information. One
Young soldier said that in order to
hasten the process occasionally some
one would Jump on the Filipino IN
order to empty him Of the water all
the faster. The torture of this method
ia declared to exceed in fiendishness
the process of burning at the stake IL
generally leaves one stark mad ii per
sisted in, although death comes along
: soon and relieves the victim.
. All this infamy. with the loss OF
: character that accompanied 1t, is due
0 to the experiment in imperialism. The
[ soldiers are hardly to be blamed. They
a think they are doing their duty. 1t is
Il the Republican party that Is respon-
T sible for the disgrace. and that must
5 be held accountable by the American
e people.
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