The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-28
The EVER LATE ANTS

The EVER LATE ANTS
That the war in the Philippines. now at
an end, was bloody and terrible enough
we all know. II the worst OF all wars
Is civil war, the most horrible war IS
one between a civilized and barbarous
or semi civilized foe. While our army
In the Philippines at first conducted the
war as 1t would a war against a; nation
of equal rank It came In time occasionally
to uss- the water cure it found there and
to take summary vengeance for the tor
ture Of American prisoners and the
wholesale assassination of those friendly
to American rule.
: While there are doubtless great many
cases Of the use Of the water cure ana
the abuse and even murder OF natives,
we refuse to admit that these acts were
typical of the army. They were rather
individual outbreaks under extreme prov
ocation. That there were. altogether, so
many Of them is due to the fact that the
exoesses Of the guerrillas were brought
personally homo to many soldiers and
officers. We do not condone these Of
fences. We urge and approve of their
punishment, Punishment has been meted
out in scores OF cases. Before the out
cry in this country caused by the sena-
torial Investigation the army was al
ready punishing Its own offenders. Since
IL has punished others-some high IN
rank.
In view of these facts we think the
anti-imperialists are, as usual, some
what behind the times in their attempt
to revive public interest in the painful
matter and secure a sweeping investi-
CATION Of all the charges en- masse and
4 in detail that have been made against
soldiers and officers in the Philippines.
Doubtless there are some guilty ones
still unpublished, doubtless an inyestiga-
tion would lead to the conviction OF
Few more. But is it worth while? The
war In the Philippines is over. Let 1t
bury Its dead and it's individual wrongs.
Let US not look for trouble. We had
nasty Job on our hands and we have per-
formed 1t. Let us look to present con-
ditions and prospects In the Philippines.
We have already paraded before the
world the fact that in certain instances
our soldiers and offers were cruel and
inhuman. Already we have punished
scores Of them. 1 Why should we now
stir up the dirty mess of blended truth
and falsehood, innocence and offense, and
have an investigation that will let every
slanderer Of the army have a good chance
to publish his ISLANDERS without danger
Of the libel law? ..-. -.
Nevertheless it would not be surpris-
ing If the president should meet" the
antis half way and do his part toward
bringing about a general investigation OF
the whole question of the conduct Of the
American army in the Philippines. If such
an investigation comes we are confident
that 1t will show far more good than
evil to the account of the army.
In the meantime let the antis reflect
that they are largely responsible for the
dragging out of the war after it had de-
generated into the cruel guerrilla stage.
In letter to the New York Evening
Post Senior Buenacamino, formerly a
member of Aguinaldo's cabinet and now
head of the Philippine federal party, dis
finctly states that the misled anti-im-
&inuation OF the war and the more recent
but now repressed outbursts in Samar
under Lukban and in Batangas under
Malvar. Reports of the work of the
3nti-imperialists and copies Of their
speeches and documents fred again the
spirit of insurrection after the lahors of
such men as Buenacamino had convinced
oP ho hat N
rule was the best course open to the
Philippines. Buenacamino says the in
surrection was founded on ignorance. kept
American antis.
Now it was precisely In Batangas and
Samar that were committed most Of the
acts that sully the fair name of the
American army, and more especially Sa-
mar. The concentration policy in Ba-
tangas, of which the antis complain, was
we believe. thoroughly justifable, and 1t
was necessary partly because the in
cendiary publications Of the antis had
aroused there such bitter determina-
zion to fight to the end that the Amer
ican troops were compelled to resort to
extraordinary measures. In Samar the
false course OF the anti-imperialists led
In a sense, to the massacre of Company
q of the Ninth infantry, at Balangiga
and that brought in its train those fear
Ynl reprisals that made Samar a :hewline
wilderness and forced the surrender oi
Lukban and Guerverras. Agitation by the
antis during the war, prolonged 1t and
added to its horrors. Now, instead Of
organizing to work out a program fol-
the future of the Philippines according
to their ideas, they are concentrating
their efforts in reviewing the horrors Of
that war. ~
The extent to which commercialism
dominates modern life is graphically IL
Illustrated in Prussian Poland. The strug-
gle on the one hand for the Prussianiza'