Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-05-30
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- General GrOsvenOr's -
;, New verb-Wheel- =
ers Great Speech. s
y Senators Playing -
a. With Fire =. =. :. =.
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nounced, ne Is likely to come back al
the general, and then the fur will fly
| and no mistake.
| An oratorical Gem.
Hon. Charles X. Wheeler of Ken.
| lucky, who voluntarily retires from
| congress next March, is one of the
brightest young men In the house. The
newspapers have exploited him widely
lis 1.-The Kentucky Hotspur." That he is
warm blooded is true, but l defy all
the COOL calculating politicians in the
land to make speech on the aggravat.
Ing Philippine business more adroit,
more just, more compact. more elo-
Quent more thoroughly American or
more sincerely humanitarian than
| Wheeler delivered In the house on the
18th day Of May. Upon it all Demo
crats-aye, oil Amcricans-can afford
to stand. Here it is in toto:
"AIr. Chairman, judges full often be-
come advocates, unfortunately, and the
bitter language Of the gentleman from
Connecticut [NIr. Hill and the gentle
man from Iowa INF. Hepburnl illus
trates the truth Of this statement most
forcibly. However, l cannot, on rather
will not, permit the opportunity to
| pass without noticing at least portion
Of what the gentleman from Iowa has
said. deprecate in no uncertain terms
the effort Of any American citizen to
make political capital out of the I'M
fortunate occurrences in the Philip
pine Islands 1t is matter that lies
beyond the partisan, whether Repub-
liran or Democrat Whether true or
false, when we discuss them, as we
shOuld-nay, as is our bounden duty
we should speak not in the hope of po-
litical advantage for this Or that side
| of the chamber.
Il cannot refrain from expressing as
constituent at the vindictive and bitter
exposition made by the gentleman
from Connecticut of the barbarous and
inhuman practices Of some of the semi
civilized Inhabitants of those unhappy
islands. He hurled it with ghoulish
glee in the teeth of gentlemen upon
this side Of the chamber as justffica-
ton for what is charged against the
American army in those Islands, con-
denim with equal sternness and severi-
ty the barbarities. If barbarities there
be. Of the Filipino and the American
soldier. 1t is not to criticise the army
but that is right that every decent,
fair and intelligent man not only
claims, but possesses When did the
army become 80 sacred that when it
does wrong an American citizen can
not criticise it?
Are we to SIT quietly by wnen un.
worthy men wearing the uniform of
their country do unworthy deeds and
not expose them?
1.-THE gentleman from Iowa asks pa
thetically what good will come from
an exposition of the barbarities that
have been committed by these vicious,
unworthy men that have been exposed
| upon the floor of this house. Sir what
good comes to civilization when the
pEOwling night thief who cllnfs your
pOrches and commits depredations on
your property is exposed and con-
dcmned? What good comes to human
the thief and all of those infamous
men that connect their names with
crimes are brought to the bar of judg-
ment and for their acts branded with
infamy and henceforth known as scoun-
drels and unworthy to associate with
decent people or with the better class
Of their kind? I in the same manner
| nj
the security of their rank set social
safety and civilization Mt DEFIANCE, not
as q Democrat, not as a Republican,
| but as m American citizen; not in con-
| demnatfon of the army, not in condem-
nation of our civilization, but us an
| humble citizen who loves justice and
is not 30 charged with bitter partisan
ship that he is lost to all sense OF pity.
Unworthy Of the Gentleman.
II condemn in unmeasured terms the
barbarities said to be practiced in those
unhappy islands by men who wear the
uniform of our country. Our country,
my country, and say my because
under the providence of God will be
here when you are gone. How fool
tsh, how unworthy, of the great gentle
man from Iowa to bubble and seek to
dodge behind the facts that there is no
official statement as to the guilt of this
tnhuman monster Smith, Not ns Re-
publican, but as president of the Unit
ed Suites, and pause here to give
him my unstinted commentator for
his manly efforts to bring justlce-not
as Republican, lbut as the chief citi-
zen of the republic-to this same 1nhu-
man monster that you say it Is unpatri-
Ot1c to criticise and condemn Is he
acting without authority? Would he
disgrace his great place OF subject him
self to the criticism of the delicate
consciences possessed by the gentle
man from Connecticut and the gentle
man from Iowa by ordering court
| martial to investigate this man upon
testimony 80 flimsy that it is unbecom-
Ing for us to mention 1t upon the floor
OF conGress3
"This Is not political question. This
Is not criticism Of the army, but It is
a criticism OF that policy which we
have warned you against that gives
the opportunity to produce the occasion
for these unspeakable acts. We point
them put to you to show you where
you are drifting. Inhumanity and bar
barity IN the Philippines will. as ger
tain as God hung the sun in yonder
heavens, culminate In inhnmanity and
barbarlty In your own homes and the
republic, II is against the system, 1t is