The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-19
HOTEL LOBBY GLEANINGS
JUDGE ID. p. BALDWIN, OF LOGANS-
POST, AT SPENCER HOUSE.
He Talks of the Army and the New
Presbyterian Creed-Other
Hotel Stories.

Judge D. P. Baldwin, at the Spencer
House, said to a Journal reporter last
night:
War at its best is cruelty. Even among
civilized nations and conducted according
to civilized usages General Sherman pic
turesquely called 1t hell The question
is, When civilized is engaged in a
with barbarous people, shall they for
bear methods which only barbarians will
heed?' In a war with Germany for our
army to use water cures would be an
unspeakable outrage. But with Malay saw
ages such methods may be indispensable.
The good housewife when she is routing
out swarm of vermin does not hesitate
good kindly souD to use scalding hot water
or barbarous quicklime. General Smiths
order (Which was probably never designed
TO be literally executed) was a desperate
remedy for a desperate state of things.
He could get under the hides of a brutal
people in no other way than by a threat
of retaliation. Sometimes in war reprisals
(for example, water cureS) must be made
in kind. The French army did not hesitate
TO destroy the glorious summer palace of
the Emperor of China Zone of the great art
treasures of the world) to teach that brutal
people that they must not murder or tor
ture peace messenger. During own
civil war we occasionally had to shoot or
hang an innocent Confederate prisoner as
a retaliation for some abuse. and no one
ever seriously questioned its rightfulness.
Another point. 1t is not attacking the
army to make known and to discuss the
rightfuness of such facts as the forego-
ing In the 'Recreations of an ex-PTesdent'
General Harrison takes up the question of
how far a in the midst of a war may
rightfully discuss its origin and conduct.
He fully justified Senator George F. Hoar
in his continuous opposition to our Philip
pine policy And so with John Morley
and his fellow liberals protest against the
Boer war. Although opposing Chamberlain
and Salisbury, and the government, from
start to finish, the English Liberals are in
no sense Ito use one of our slang terms)
'copperheads In fact, half of the civilized
world sympathiZe with the Beers
1T is always an unpopular thing to OPP
pose the administration when engaged in
a war. But if just criticism could be sup
pressed upon the plea you are helping the
enemy, SIR we should never have any
reforms of abuses Suppose that the drum
head court which, here at Indianapolis IL
legally sentenced Mlligan to DEATH had not
been denounced by the Democrats and
appealed from we should have had the sad
and dangerous precedent established of the
military overriding the civil power in
perfectly loyal State.
at is easy TO cry out you are attacking
the army, raising a fire in the rear but
this is no answer to the exposure and refor-
nation of real abuse"
Concerning the new Presbyterian creed
Judge Baldwin said:
For years this great church has been
trying to throw off the heavy burden of
the Westminster creed adopted $50 years
ago. While the liberals were in majority
the anti-revisionists up to yesterday had
outwitted them at all points. But the new
creed now just reported is a gracious con-
cession as we'll as surprise to the revision
lists. The terrible old doctrine of infant
election and damnation is mot without pro-
tesD eliminated, and the whole new creed
pitched upon the key of Gods love and not
of His sovereignty. The spirit of the new
creed is so admirable that revisionists will
overlook the retention OF the myth of
Adams fall and the outgrown dogma of
everlasting punishment. With the adoption
of this new creed this splendid church be-
gins new lease or life. 1t is no longer a
body of the elect by the elect for the elect
but a real church, whose cornerstone is
Gods love for all mankind and whose pur-
pose is life of good deeds"