West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-07-28
Anti Imperialists Send
Letter to the Pres
ident.
REVOLVING OUTRAGES CHARGED,
In NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Population
From One District Perished, Accord.
ing to Official Report, Says Letter.
Killing Wounded General Practice.

Lake George, N. Y, July 2S.-At a
r1eeting of representative antrim
, erialists held in New York city last
spring a committee was appointed to
investigate army conditions in the
Philippines. That committee has
since then been prosecuting its in
quiries. President Roosevelt's recent
review Of the court martial of General
Jacob H. Smith seemed to the COM
Inittee to demand some reply. and at
meeting just held at Lake George an
cpen letter to the president was
adopted. The letter was signed by
Charles Francis Adams, chairman;
Carl Schurz, Edwin Burritt Smith.
Moorfeld Storey and Herbsrt Welsh.
1t praises his action in the Smith
case and says in part:
1.-The inquiries We, as a commit
lee, have made, necessarily imper-
feet, have yet been sufficient to satisfy
us that General Smith and Major Wal
Ter we're not the sole culprhs, nor
should they suffer In the character OF
s, apegoats.
Claim .outrases Not Exceptional.
I'm your review Of July IA you say
that these cases were exceptional.
Your means Of information on this
Joint should unquestieHably be in
tnitely better than ours. Meanwhile
it is always to be borne in mind that
me side only of this painful story has
been heard, and that side only in part
The testimony of representative Fill
pinos has been iealously and sys'
tematically suppressed. J6Sicial and
impartial examination on the spot has
| cen denied, or pronounced imprac'
ticable. In the present case, occa
sionally and by accident merely, have
fragments of information come to
general neutrality-suspicious. glimpses
only have been permitted to reach the
Lublic eye. To our minds, they indi'
cate Enthusiastically condition OF
great and general decentralization. OF
This the findings of the court martial
referred to afford conclusive evidence
as also do the published orders OF
commanding officers, and the repre-
sentatives of provincial, governors"
The letter then discusses the kill
and burn" order and says:
LAS the not unnatural result OF
military operations so inspired, an
official report indicates that out of a
total population in a single district OF
coo. 900 not less than 100000 persisted.
Clearing of Higher Officers Significant
The letter then alludes to the water
cure saying that the first reports OF
it's practice met with deaials, while
evidences before the senate Philip
pine committee proved conclusively
that this and other forms Of torture
had been used, and adds:
where inquiry revealed the sys
tematic use of torture by subord
mates, the officer in responsible com
nlund is pronounced free from blame
on the ground that his praiseworthy
absorption in other duties of his posi-
ton was so complete that such trivia
incidents failed to attract his notice
Such a finding is certainly suggestive
Finally, every severity known tt
| the state of war--praetices which
have excited the special reprobatfol
If the American people when report
I'd as features Of the hostilities ii
| Cuba, under the Spanish regime, o.
| in South Africa during the Boer wa
have been of undisputed and fire
| auent occurrence in the Philippines
T1om the early beginning Of opera
tions there it has been the genera
practice, if not actually the order, t
| kill those wounded in conflict.
Ready to Prove Charges.
I'm like manner, as respects concen