The age-herald., 1902-05-02
Washington Day by Day

Washington, May 1.-(SpeciaD-"We will put fringes on Sherman's March to the Sea" Is phrase quoted in this place three weeks ago as having been written by an army officer in the Philippines to a personal friend In Washington.
 The letter was confidential. but the quoted phrase was repeated to me. with permission to make public use of 1t, the name and rank of the writer being with held. It was written just after General Smiths order was issued to kill all na- lives over ten years of age" and was re- ceived here previous to the publication of that order in this country.
 The feeling against Smith and the en- tire conduct of the American war of op- pression and extermination In the Phil ippines Is growing daily more bitter in and out of Congress. A Republican mem- Der in the House denouncing Smith and his officially-a methods of slaugh- ter was loudly cheered by many Republi- cans, as we'll as all the Democrats. Even the President and Secretary Root are said to be most uneasy, while fear has taken possession of their leaders in Con- gress. Apparently a great storm Is about to break. and we may witness some extra ordinary scenes in Congress.
 General Smiths terrible order against Filipino children lover ten years of age" is based upon General Order No. 100, is- sued in 1863 to the Union army to guide 1t in its efforts to subjugate the South-the order upon which Sherman relied in his ever-infamous march from Atlanta to the sea. But careful reading of this order fails to disclose any warrant for the murder of children by the quick method of shooting them. In the main Sherman endeavored to slay Southern children and their mothers by starving them to death. Perhaps after all, Smiths order to shoot children was more merci- full.
 None of us need be surprised if some member of Congress, in denouncing the monstrous cruelty to the Filipinos, de- votes some attention to Sherman's mon- strous cruelty to our own Southerners.
 Indeed none of us need be surprised at any violent outburst In Congress. The atm osphere of both houses is charged with dynamite forces. and there Is no use guessing at what may happen, for any thing imaginable is possible just now.
 Freddie Funston has found one defend- CT in Congress, a Kansas jayhawker named Curtis. This Hon. Mir. Curtis Is young man, lawyer, and Republican who has been in Congress ten years, dur ing which time he hasn't gathered any noticeable amount of wisdom.
 At the outset want to say that the people of Kansas are proud of the brave, the daring General Fred Funston," said Mir Curtis and somebody applauded him probably one or more of his Kansas col leagues.
 There need be no doubt of the pride of Kansas. The Kansans are also proud of John Brown, so proud, in fact, that they named one of the counties which MT. Curtis represents Brown, in honor of the ''hero" of Harper's Ferry and other dis graceful episodes Old Johns soul is al- legged to be "still marching on," and his follower, the Hon. Charles Curtis of Brown County. is babbling on, saying that if little rreddie Funston were a Democrat he'd now be a candidate for President-precisely what the Kansans wish to make of him as a Republican. There is no disposition to criticize the army in the Philippines as an army. Sol- diers must obey. Criticism is leveled at the War Department, the commanding gener- als, and the dsgraceful system" or policy" under which the army is com pelled to kill children, and brides and bridegrooms at marriage fetes.
 Upon this point, Congressman Williams of Mississippi speaks strongly "Just so long as we pursue this policy" said MT.