The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-11
GARDENERS REPORT
COMMITTEE GETS DOCUMENT THAT
WAS WITHHELD.
ARMY SEVERELY ARRAIGNED
BAD. STATE OF AFFAIRS SHOWN
IN TAYABAS.

| Oh army hute, OF the COnte mptu-
Gus and Brutal Treatment of
Friendly, as Well as Supposed I'M
friendly FiIipinos and the Evil
Effect which This Is Having on
American Prospects in the Islands.
This Is the Document to which
Gen. Miles Referred.
Washington, April 10-When the
| Senate Committee on the Philippines
met to-day Senator Lodge, chairman of
the committee, laid before the commit
tee the report of Maj. Cornelius Garde-
ner, civil governor of the Philippine
province of Tayabas to which refer
ence was made by Gen. Miles in his
correspondence with Secretary Root.
| This report had been withheld, and
this caused the adoption of a resolution
at the last meeting of the committee
requesting the Secretary of War to
send the report to the committee.
The Governor recommends that the
operations against the insurgents
should be by force of natives.
He says:
"As civil governor, feel it my duty
to say that it is my firm conviction
that the United States troops should
at the earliest opportunity be concen-
| trated in Lae or two garrisons. if it is
| thought desirable that the good senti-
ment and loyalty that formerly existed
| to the United States government
among the people of this province
should be conserved and encouraged.
Being in close touch with the peo-
pie, having visited all the pueblos one
or more times having lived with
| them in their homes, l know that such
a sentiment once existed. OF late by
reason of the conduct of the troops
such as the extensive burning of bar
rios in trying to lay waste the coun-
try so that the insurgents cannot oc-
cupy it, the torturing of natives by
SO called watercure and other meth
DDS, in ORDER to obtain information,
| the harsh treatment of natives gener-
ally, and the failure of inexperienced
| lately-appointed lieutenants command
ing posts, to distinguish between those
1 who are friendly and those unfriend-
| ly, and to treat every native as If he
| were, whether or no, an insurrecto at
| heart, this favorable sentiment above
referred to is being fast destroyed,
| and a deep hatred toward us engen-
dered. If these things need be done,
they had best be done by native
troops so that the people of the United
States will not be credited Herewith.
Refer to Natives as .'Niggersv
almost without exception, soldiers
and also many officers, refer to natives
r. hot. f,,E-
| tives are beginning to understand what
| the word niger means.
THE course now being pursued in
| this province and in the provinces of
| Batangas, Laguna and Samar is, in
my opinion, sowing the seeds for a
! perpetual revolution against us here
| after whenever a good opportunity Of
| fers. Under present conditions the To-
| litical situation in this province is
slowly retrograding and the American
sentiment is decreasing and we are
daily making permanent enemies.
I'm the course above referred to
| troops make no distinction often be-
tween the property of those natives
who are insurgents or have rislxed their
| lives by being loyal to the United
| States and giving us information
against their countrymen in arms. Of
ten every house in a barrio is burned.
Iii lily ODlHiOll Tie Slildil HuiIIDtE VI
irreconsilable insurgents still in
arms, although admittedly diff
cult to catch, does not justify
the means employed. especially
when taking into consideration the
suffering that must be undergone by
the innocent and its effect upon the
relations with tehse people hereafter.
Good Work IL Appreciated.
The work of the Philippine Com
mission and the laws that have been
enacted by it are everywhere favor
ably commented upon by the natives.
The efforts being made for the general
education of the people and the NUM-
nicpal governments established are
slowly bringing order out of chaos and
anarchy, and there begins to be visible
everywhere in this province progress
and prosperity. True loyalty and
contentment can only come under a
benign civil government.
1.-The attitude of the army, thereby
meaning most of its officers and sol
diers, is, however, decidedly hostile
to the provincial and municipal gov
eminent in this province, and to civil
government in these islands in gem
eral. In Manila, especially, it is in
tensely so, even among the higher Off
GERS. The work of the commission in
the establishment of provincial gov
ernments is ridiculed even in presence
of the natives. 1t is openly stated
that the army should remain in charge
for the next twenty years.
Outrages committed by officers
and soldiers against natives
in an organized municipality
and province, when reported by the
presidents or governor, 70 the military
authorities, are often not punished
This in my opinion is unfortunate, he
cause loyal natives begin to fear that
local government promised them
will not last long and that any slight
disturbance in province may = [ any
time be made the pretext to again
place it under military rule, and this
is lust the thing the insurgents at
neart most desire.
ut has been stated that a Filipino
or an ORIENTAL does not appreciate just
or kindly treatment and that he con-
siders it an evidence OF weakness and
that severe and harsh measures are
the only ones that are permanently
effective with Filipinos. / have found
that just and kind treatment, uniform
and or.inred, is the ouiv way by
which these people can be permanently
our frierds and satisfied with United
States sovereignty"
with the report is a copy Of a letter
by Gen. Corbin to Gen. Chaffee dated
Feb. l9. saying he encloses the report
of Mai Gardener and that there
should be a complete investigation.
There is also a cable message. dated
April q in which Cen. chatsre lis di-
gecteG to make the investigation with