The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-04-27
WA .LIINGToN NEWS AND VIEWS.


Wasbinoton April s,-(Sfaf Correspondence 1.-The
presidents action in dissoving the Smith court martial and
then immediately reeouyenng il in way ihat WIZ Pae
the result Of its work entirely IN his hanas oosS po
sariy that the investigation OF erueltes IA n .p
pines will he any more searching than they would have neeh
had the court been allowed proceed in the usual way
Since the democrats particularly those on the senate Gov"
mce on the Philippines have brought out so many START
ling facts with reference to the manner IN Whch inc as
are treated b. United States troops Roosevelt has been
made to understand that the public intensely interested
and that it wants justice done no matter what the
consequences As a result presidents court has been
convened for the purpose Of trying General smith, Inc oe
wishes make the public understand that me-
personally taken charge of the whole matter thinking
perhaps that the aforesaid public will Immediately come to
the conclusion that in such hands the thing can not nu
be well handled OF this is an open question: put
the evidence adduced before the court is to be sent
here for review there is possibility that the people VIII
be given chance learn just what is going on in
our foreign in the Pacific than the testimony
be reviewed by General Chafee at Manila in the
regular way
Attaches of the war department make secret of the
fact that they have grave fears for the future of numerous
officers in the Philippines 1t is believed probably with the
best OF good that the trial OF Smith will involve
other officers and that before the investigations are con-
cuded series of uuhard of erueles and ourages will be
brought to light and will the effect of causing the
punishment possibly the retremento large number of
the who in command of the United States troops
stationed in the islands The is expected to try all
officers charged with allowing their soldiers to administer
the cure and there is believe that most of
the officers who participated in the Samar campaign will
be called on to answer to charges
Army officers in general deploe the strong instructions
cabled Chailee by the department recently They
say that such the department is pursuing
will result in dscouraging the who conducting
the campaign in the Philippines and that therefore the
work that will be done in the future will not be effective
as has been in the past
Nothing could plainly show the depths of degrade
ton which have descended since began dabble
in imperialism a result OF the long continued reign
of the republican party than does the opinion of
officers here at home In plain words their argument is
that the who in charge of the army in the Philip
pines should be allowed do just they please practice
whatever erueos may them, kill and burn
and to make wdernesses' fast they We
learn quickly Americans and it that that portion
Of us which is handling the campaign against the brown
of the Pacific islands has learned with unusual facility the
bloody lessons cruelty and outrage are popularity
supposed to have gone with the middle ages the
martial bring what officers here think they will bring
or the great American public will perhaps be brought to
realization Of the fact that the nhuman practices Of re
British soldiers in the Trausvaal the unspeakabc practices
in the concentration camps, have parallel in our own
possessions, INDUCED in by our own troops
IT, military authorities here alege it impossible to
carry on the Philippine campaign without resortng such
british treatment as that pemited-pcrhaps orderedby
Smith Waller Glenn Sinclair and the others. what an ad-
Vltpal 'odu Oh oooy ana shame, OF nhimanty and dcga
daon must the republican partythc influence which is
primarily responsible for alake up Can bear the
burden OF responsibility; Can it make any satisfying ex
PLANTATION Of its course 1t will make sort of cxpana-
ton of course hut will it satisfy the people VIII it con
tain any reason for the continuation Of republican rule 1t
ProbEbly will not
From the standpoint Of the democratic party and Of
the people unfortunate feature Of the proposed in
vestgaons is afforded by the fact that it NAV be difcIt
IN net tn The tCtt ,of ,l.
which have been told frequently here Of late 1t is
pointed out that material Witnesses being in the arrv
themselves and therefore, dsncned to testify against their
suPeFors or theT brother officers the may be- will
adopt plan OF action which will make it next to impossbc
Tor the real facts TO be gotten at Then many witnessed
are evian6-some Of them soldiers who have been r,s
tered out OF the sedviccand a martial has no an
lhoTiy IN the "ay OF compelling the attendance OF civilians
"Ae some sucA witnesses may feel disposed attend the
court matas and give their testimony it is reasonable %
suppose that the large majority OF them will desire to tc.
out of the matter entirely and as they arc not subject "a
INC processes OF military court they will have no trouble
m CONG as they please IN the PTemiseshat is those of
them who are in this country In the Phnpines und
this existing order OF things the military authorities assume
an authority which is almost despoc and the nresder,
OF coArt nar'a wishes to compel the attendance Of
e"'Sn witness or to compel that witness talk he will
doubtless find some Of doing So
loNcye., this feature may not cause oroa, do,i e
trouble In OF the recent sdvices copcer,;r, a.
manner IN which the water cure" administered l.
stated that an officer becoming tired OF the continued Oh
stInany OF native who declined to give up his boo or his
r'hs or his life or some such trife ordered out the ,
detail TO administer the water cure" This Uoud SEEM -
indicate mat IN all well regulated commands there is detail
% soaelS especially trained eurists and II this he
really the case there will be- or should be no tronh -
hnang plenty Of witnesses who right there in the Islands
who are hedged about by military restrictions and b
therefore fully amenable all processes issued by m,a
! court. y H'i''aFy
4 Il
FL.
FRIENDS OF the administration are irving N d,, e.
line between cFuees paeticed in the wav Of reni s
acts committed by the natives and needless crueIt in
vo"Pe' the natives to diylge information which our
administration apoogists attempting TO make ,h 49,