The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-31
ARLINGTON
CEREMONIES
CONTINUED From First Page

you did your work in war and the way in
which when the war was over you turned
again TO the work OF peace. In war and
( in peace alike your example VIII stand as
the wisest OF lessons 10 Us and our chill
dren and our ehildrens' children.
Just ar this moment the army OF the
I United States led By men who served
among you IN the great war. is carrying
/ to completion small but peculiarly try
( ing and difficult war in which IS involved
not only the honor Of the hag but the
triumph Of civilization over forces which
stand for the black chaos OF savagery and
barbarism The task has not been as Diff
fcult or as important as yours. but. oh.
my comrades. the men in the uniform OF
/ the United States. who have for the last
| three years patiently and uncompiainingly
champl0ned the American cause in the
/ Philippine islands. are your younger
( brothers. your sons. They have shown
/ themselves not unworthy OF you. and they
! are entitled 10 the support of all men who
( are proud of what you did.
{ These younger comrades CT yours have
fought under terrible difficulties and have
received terrible provocation from a very
/ the strain of these sprovocations deeply
] deplore TO say that some among them
have so far forgotten themselves as 70
counsel and commit. in retaliation. acts
of cruelty. The fact that for every guilty
act committed by one Of our troops hun
| dred acts Of far greater atrOcity have
been committed by the hostile natives
upon our troops. or upon the peaceable
and law-abiding natives who are friendly
10 US. cannot be held 10 excuse any wrong
doer on our side. Determined and IN
syerving effort must be made. and is be-
ing made TO ind out every instance OF
/ rarbarity on the part OF our troops. TO
punish those guilty Of it. and 10 take,
/ if possible. even stronger measures than
have already been taken 10 minimize or
prevent the occurrence Of all such in
stances in the future.
From time to time there occur in our
/ country. to the deep and lasting shame OF
our people lynchings carried on under
circumstances Of inhuman cruelty and
barbarity-a cruelty infinitely worse than
any that has ever been committed by
our troops in the Philippines; worse to
the victims. and far more brutalizing 10
those guilty of it. The men who fail 10
condemn these lynchings. and yet clamor
about what has been done in the Philip
pines. are indeed guilty of neglecting the
beam in their own eye. while haunting
their brother about the mote in his In
derstand me. These lynchings afford us
no excuse for failure to stop cruelty in
the Philippines. Every effort Is being
made and will he made. 10 minimize the
chances of cruelty occurring.
But keep in mind that these cruelties
in the Philippines .have been wholly ex-
ceptional. and have been shamelessly ex-
aggerated We deeply and bitterly regret
that any such cruelties should have been
committed. no matter how rarely no
matter under what provocation, by Amer
lean troops. But they afford far less JUS
tifcation for a general condemnation or
our army than these lynchings AFFORD Tor
the condemnation Of the communities IN
which they have taken place. In each case
il is well 10 condemn the deed. and 1t is
well also 10 refrain from including both
gujItv and innocent in the same sweep
ing condemnation.
In every community. there are people
who commit acts Of well-nigh inconceiv-
able horror and baseness- II we fix our
owes only upon these individuals and upon
their acts. and if we forget the far more
numerous citizens OF upright and honest
life and blind ourselves TO their countless
deeds Of wisdom and justice and philsn-
thropv. it is easy enough to condemn the
community. There is not city IN This
land which we could not thus condemn II
we fixed our eyes purely upon its police
record and refused TO look at what 1t had
accomplished for decency and justice and
charity Yet this is exactly the attitude
which has been taken by too many men
vritb reference to our army in the Philip
mines: and it IS an attitude both absurd
and cruelty unjust.
..-rbs r,,les Of warfare which have been
PROMULGATED by the war department ana
accented as the basis Of conduct 5y our
troops in the field are the rules laid down
by Abraham Lincoln when you. my hear
crs. were fighting FOR the union These
rules provide. OF course, for the Just ses-
eritv necessary in war. The most &C.
strtlctive Of all forms q cruelty would &c
10 show weakness where sternness = de-
rnauded bv iron need. But all cruelty IS
forbidden and all harshness beyond what
is called for by need. Our enemies IN the
Philippines have not merely violated
c,-e-,- r,,le of way. but have made ~ these
Violations their only method Of carrying
On the war. we would have been justified
IN, Abraham Lincoln rlies q war n IN
fritelv greater severity than has been
shown. The fact really is that or war
fare IN tho Philippines has been carried
on with singular humauity- Or every
act ~ cruelty ~ oar men there have
leen fnnurnerabIo acts = forhearauee.
rrarnanimity and generous Kindness
These are tho qualities which have char
acterizcd the war ar r whole The cruel
ties have been wholly exceptional on our
part
..The euaty are % ~ punishei, bat n
rurirhine them Iet those who sir ~
e.ss AZ rome zho walk deiicafeir and
live fr The sof. places = The earth. re-
r-ar-isr alec ~ do fhara common justice.
Let not The erortless and the untenp'oi
rsn 1veruuch ~ strong mon who With
hiaod ard sweat face years - iph nd
s4v4 ana nIghfs % agony. and ~ need
l--- to1n fhsf- IsTes in remote frpic
frinelass a. brins the ieht - e-ftAza-
ton irfo she world dars Eisrfs ne
warfare THAT has extended the t0nn-
d,ries ~ civilizations a. The expense -
ba-hs,ssrn and savarsrr has been f9T
cersurss = one - the m0zt potf1i faciars
81 fAe progress - h1uznifT Fet fru
~ e4rr ratars o. hsz sfeaTs snd eFfrs-
vrere hee1 iisSga - dark ahuHeE
~ t.eaaores us - keep q vlTlaat Hatch
~ p~erea. tness abuses ard - puHlsh
.,,.z. --f~ commit ths-- tlf r. h1csgee