Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-21
Seeks to Curse, but Forced to
Bless American Expansion.
PROPHET SCHURMAN
INSURGENTS NOT MOVED BY
PATRIOTIC NATIONAL SPIRIT.
They Form, Not Nation, but Mur'
der Organization, Like Indian
Thugs or Persian Assassins.
NO. II.

NO II.
President Schurnan represents General
Chaffee as testifying that the Filipinos 'all
have their hearts set on independence and
that through the war waged since 1899 by
the ''insurgent' robbers and murderers of
their helpless sfellow-countrymen the weld
ing of these diverse peoples into a common
nationality had been consummated." Cen
eral Chaffee in making the statements upon
which Schurman relies to establish this
twentieth century miracle was reviewing
the findings of a military commission In
certain cases of fendish, treacherous, sys-
tematic murder of Filipinos, who were
friendly to the Americans, by a gang of
native assassins, disbanded insurgent SOL
diers. who had deceived the American au-
thorities at the town of Tay-Tay in Luzon
and secured appointment to the local Of
fees Nominally they served the Ameri-
cans, actually the insurgents. They caused
a reign Of terror among the Filipinos of
Tay-Tay by the murder of all who failed
to render prompt obedience to them. Some
of their victims were buried alive.
This system of treachery and double
dealing toward Americans and of intimida-
I1On Dy torture or ASSASSINATION OF their
fellow-countrymen existed, in General
Chaffee's opinion, at other places in the
archipelago. The result was to subdue
thoroughly the average Filipino, man of
few and simple ideas, accustomed to the
chiefs rule of force, and to cause him to
yield himself blindly to the threatening
native bandit, who filed him with terror,
and to become disloyal to the Americans,
I,o 10 rjb cd
to the Filipino brigands as well as to the
support of the local native government in
stituted by the Americans, and he kept
silent about the real character of these con-
spring officials and their crimes. On the
basis of indications of this widespread tech
nical disloyalty Gen. Chaffee declared:
History affords no parallel of whole peo-
pie thus practically turning war traitors
and in the genius of other people was
ever found such masterful powers of secre-
cy and discrimination: but it is needless to
say that no powerful state was ever erected
or ever can be erected upon such immoral
and unenlightened foundations"
Not Race of War Traitors.
AS Solomon said in his haste that "all
men are liars" so General Chaffee in his
just Indignation, generalized with equal
haste in respect to Filipino characteristics
and sweepingly pronounced them as a peo-
pie war traitors" The fact that many
natives were murdered for loyalty to the
Americans and that with others the treach-
cry of silence was secured only through
the reign of terror which had been estab-
lished indicates that there was no uniyer-
sal or deep-rooted disloyalty. General
Chaffee has been summoned as a witness
by Schurman even as against himself. and
his evidence must be accepted as a whole.
In the same case In which he used the
words above quoted he further said:
1.-THE number of peaceful men who have been
murdered in these islands at the instigation
of the chiefs, while impracticable of exact
determine ton, is yet known to be so great
that to recount them would constitute one
of the most horrible chapters in human his
tory. With respect to their chiefs, the
commanding general has therefore no other
recourse than to invoke the unrelenting
execution of the law upon them and to ap-
peal to the intelligent and educated among
the Filipino people to aid him by renewed
efforts to end reign of terror of which
their own people are the helpless victims"
OF course, a whole people cannot be sus-
pected of sincere devotion to system
which constitutes "a reign of terror among
them and causes the massacre of count
less unoffending native victims.
The truth is that as early as the first
months of 1900, when L visited the archi-
pelago, the distinction between the intimi-
datOrs and the intimidated among the Fill
pinOs was clearly defined and the necessity
was obvious of more vigorous treatment
of the bandits who lurked in the forests
and mountains. and who robbed nd mur-
dered In cowardly fashion hundreds of their
own defenseless countrymen and an occa-
sional straggler among the American SOL
diers A severe policy was demanded, both
for the protection of the peacefully inclined
| Fiipinos and for the Strengthening of the
American party among the natives When
Fllplnos In arms were captured at this
time they were in most cases merely dis
armed and set free, and a Filipino in white,
whose gun might be hidden close by. was to
be accepted without question as an amigo
| The average Filipino whose controlling de-
sire was life and peace, and to whom. as
General Chaffee says, "the law of the land
is and always has been the law of terror )"
could not be expected to refuse snbn,is.
sion to those who would rob and murder
him If he resisted in order to sustain those
who would not protect him if he adhered
! to them and would not hurt him if he on
posed them.
Not Patriots, but Robbers and Assas-
sins.
-, ho"cNSl, ItIeTdl CndH6e'S generaliZa.
tion We're accurate, and all Filipinos as
artraitors" were murderousiy trea cherous
Ike the torturers and assassins whose cases
he was reviewing, no argument would be
derived therefrom for the immediate Inde-
pendence of a Filipino republic As Chaffee
himself says: mo powerful state can ever
be erected on such immoral and unenlight-
ened foundations" Dlsloyalty to the Ameri-
VnIt1d of hl
Filipino nation. The spirit Of nationality
is not discernible either among the native
intimidators or intimidated. Concerning
the Fiiipinos In arms Schurman has ex-
pressiy testified that they were Influenced
| not by patriotism but the spirit Of brigand-
age and lust OF military power. The Fill
pinos who were intimidated into silence con-
corning the bandits and into rendering Sc
cret aid to them were '.war traitors' not
from love Of country but from fear OF GER
tain of their countrymen. the alternative
| from nominal disloyAlty to the Americans
| being burial alive or some other horrible