The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-06-05


Inos With Reference to the condi-
tions Our Army Has Been Compelled
to Meet.
In all, learly $500 Indiana boys
have helped fight the battles of civil
ration against savagery in the Philip
pines under flag that has never been
unfurled over soldier enlisted in the
cause of oppression. A thousand
young Indianians. probably, are there
today in the uniform of soldier, sailor
or marine They are young, new, fresh
from the farms and factories of our
own state, the sons of our neighbOrs.
They were not butchers or hruteS
when they went away-they are not
brutes or butchers now. That some
of them, in an excess of resentful feel.
ing might demand IAN eye for an eye
and tooth for tooth" on occasion, is
probable. That there have been indi-
vidual instances of wrong-doing on the
part of some of our soldiers is without
doubt true. But the effort to besmirch
the good name of the whole American
army to make the American people
believe that the American soldier has
been engaged in campaign of slaugh-
ter for the mere sake of slaughtering
is to assault the intelligence and to
impugn the patriotism of the people
of Indiana, representative of whom are
the thousand Hoosier boys who have
been fighting the battles of their coun-
| try and our country In the Philippines.
1t was an Indiana regular who was
fist to scale the walls Of Pekin and
hang out the starry banner above that
ancient city. An Indiana boy who
struggled for chance to enlist in
Roosevelt's Rough Riders and later
begged without avail for an opportu-
nifty to enlist with a volunteer COM
pany at Camp Mount when Indiana's
war was being filed, was close to
Major Waller at the head of a COM
pany of marines when the march
across Samar was made. Captain
Hiram l. Bearss of Miami county has
been recommended for promotion be-
cause of his valor in scaling cliff 200
feet high in the face of shower of
stones hurled by savage enemy en-
trenched on the heights. Because he
struck at every foe who raised q gun
or bolo in an attack on American
marines he is. in the language of
Senators Carmack and Tillman. a
butcher"
The "Butchery" in samar.
Stephan Bonsall, newspaper cor
respondent of the highest reputation,
who because of his personal alignment
with the anti-expansionists. may be
considered q disinterested witness,
contributes to a recent issue of Col
lier's Weekly a most interesting arti-
Gle on THE 'Butchery' in Samar," In
which he points out the fact that the
"butchery" is no butchery at all, but
practical warfare of sort forced upon
our soldiers by the character of the
enemy with which they cope. He calls
attention to the magnificent record of
Major Waller as marine officer who
had distinguished himself for gallantry
and good judgment in Egypt and
China. General Smith. he goes on to
say, entered the service Cf his coun-
try as an Illinois volunteer during the
civil war. On San Juan hill, leading a
bsttalion of the Second infantry, he
was shot through the chest. but fought
his men to the close of the battle be-
cause, he explained, he had $50 re-
cruits In his command and he was de-
termined to make veterans of themi
General Order 100"
Mr.. Bonsal says: General Order
1C0,' was the answer when l asked
General Smith how he had succeeded
And l enforced 1t to the letter. OF
course 1 understand why the insur-
gents hate me. II Is because / have
knocked them out. II that order had
been uniformly enforced throughout
LuZon there would not even be the
ghost of a rebellion today. Inhuman?
l think not. If it was not too severe
for our own people at home during the
civil war 1t is not too severe for these
Malays.'
These lines are not written in de-
feLse of what has happened, but in
explanation. Major Walters point was
well taken, and every conscientious,
truth-telling officer will bear out his
statement that the fighting in southern
Samar after the Balangigan massacre
was not what goes by the name of civ.
flized warfare. 1t was simply the
slaughter and determination whenever
the opportunity presented of those on
both sides who were capable of bear
In arms, and venture to say that SIM
liar conditions have produced like re-
suits everywhere, even upon the hu-
name and self-restrained American
soldier, whose behavior during the
China campaign was our pride and the
admiration of all foreigners Mr..
BOnsall cites the revenge taken after
the slaughter of Americans in the
Alamo as an instance in point.
Assassins, Not Heroes.
The Malays who belonged to the
band OF Juan Calernos and played the
part of amigos while preparing to
strike our soldiers from the rear, are
not comparable to the heroes of our
Revolution, who did their fighting with
their faces to the foe. For treachery
the Caiernos desperadoes were liable
to death under military law, and when