The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-30

Inc DluS aIdueS lulo
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troops hundred 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 to us,
can not be held to excuse amy wrongdoer> on
our side. Determined and answering effort
must be made, and Is being made, to IND out
every instance of barharity on the part OF our
troops, to punish those guilty. of it, and to
take, If possible, even stronger measures tn an
have already been taken to minimize or
prevent the occurrence of all such instances
in the future. e.. 49,. .>.- .:~~-.s
The Shame of Lynchings. -:
From time to time there occur in. our
country, to the deep and lasting shame OF our
people, lynchings carried on under clrcum-
stances 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 to those guilty Of it. The
men who fail to condemn these lynchngs,
and yet clanor about what has been done IN
the Philippines, are indeed guilty of neglect
ing the beam in their own eye, while taunt-
ing their brother about the mote in his. I'm
derstand me. These lynchings afford us no
Philippines. Every effort is being made
and will be made, to minimize the chances OF
cruelty occurring. q. =. g..
But keep in mind that these cruelties in
the Philippines have been wholly exceptional
and have been shamelessly exaggerated. We
deeply and bitterly regret that any such
cruelties should have been committed, nc
matter how rarely, no matter under Wha'
provocation, by American troops. But they
afford far less justification for a genera
condemnation of our army than these lynch
ings afford for the condemnation OF the
communities in which they have taken place
In each case it is we'll to condemn the deed
and it is we'll also to refrain from including
bota guilty and innocent in the same sweep
ing condemnation.
In every community there are people whit
commit acts of well-nigh .inconceivable hor'
ror and baseness. If we fix our eyes only
upon these individuals and upon their acts
and if we forget the far more numerous citi-
zens of upright and honest life and BLIND
ourselves to their. countless deeds Of wisdom
and justice and philanthropy, it is cas-!
enough to condemn the community There is
not a city in this land which We could moi
thus condemn if we fixed our eyes purely
upon it's police record and refused to lool
at what it had accomplished for decency ant
justice and charity. Yet this is exactly the
attitude which has been taken by too man!
men with reference to our army in thu
Philippines; and it is an attitude both absurd
and cruelty unjust.
Lincoln's Rules: of War;. a..
The rules of warfare which have been pro
mulgated by the war department and &C
cepted as the basis of conduct by our troops
In the field are the rules laid down by Abra
ham Lincoln when you, my hearers, wer
fighting for the union. These rules provide
Of course, for the just severity necessary II
war. The most destructive of all forms o
cruelty would be to show weakness wher
sternness is demanded by iron need. Blu
ell cruelty is forbidden, and all harshnes
beyond what is called for by need. gu
enemies in the Philippines have not merel
violated every rule Of war, but have mad
OF these violations their only method of car
rying on the war. We would have been jus
tilted by Abraham Lincoln's rules of war II
infinitely greater severity than has bee
shown The fact really is that our warfar
In the Philippines has been carried on witt
singular humanity. For every act of cruelt
by our men there have been innumerabl
acts of forbearance, magnanimity and gen
erous kindness. These are the qualitie
which have characterized the war as whole
The cruelties have been wholly exceptlona
on our part. .C~ .@,5~s-,* = - =
The guilty are to be punished, but in pun
fishing them let those who sit at ease a
home, who walk delicately and live in tn
soft places Of the earth, remember also t
do them common Justice. Let not the Ell
fortress and the interrupted rail- overmuch a
strong men who with blood and sweat fac
years of toll and days and nights of agony
and at need lay down their lives in remot
tropic jungles to bring the light of civiliza
ton into the worlds dark places. The war
fare that has extended the boundaries Q
civilization at the expense of barbarism an
sayagery has been for centuries one OF tn
most potent factors in tho progress OF hu
mainly. Yet from its very nature 1t has al
ways and everywhere been liable to dar
abuses. =: : 1.-.-- +.:-~.-.s..' =, = =
It behooves US to keep a vigilant watch t
prevent these abuses and to punish those VIII
commit them, but If because of them W
finch from finishing the task on which W
have entered, we show ourselves cravens an
weaklings, unworthy of the sires from who's
loins we sprang. There were abuses and t
spare in the civil war. Your false friend
then called Grant q butcher" and spoke Q
you who are listening to me as mercenaries
as "Lincoln's hirelings: Your open foes
as in the resolution passed by the confederat
congress in October, 1s62-accused you, a
great length, and with much particularity, 2
'cont emptuous disregard of the usages G
civilized war;" of subjectng women; an
children to Punishment, imprisonment an
RACES on wornen,'~ of "lawless cruelty" Q
RACES on women of lawless cruelty c
-'perpetrating atrocities which would be dis
graceful to savages,'' and Abraham Lin col
was singled out for especial attack becaus
Of his spirit of barbarous ferocity. Verify
these men who thus foully slandered .syo
have their heirs to-day in those, who tradue
our armies in the Philippines, who fix ,thei
eyes on individual deeds Of wrong so keen1
that at last they become blind to the grea
work Of peace and freedom that has alread
been accomplished.
Objects of the Philippine War.
Peace and freedom-are there two better OF
jects for which a soldier fight? Wei
these are precisely the OBJECTS for which GU
soldiers are fighting in the Philippines. Whe
there is talk of the cruelties committed /
the Philippines, remember always that by IA
the greater proportion of these cruelties hay
been committed by the insurgents again.
their own people-as well as against OF
soldiers-and that not only the. surest b
the only effectual way of stopping them j
by the progress Of the American arms. TIL
victories OF the American army have bee
the really effective means OF putting ste
to cruelty In the Philippines. Wherever thes
victories have been co1nplete-and such Is no
the case throughout the greater part of tt