The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-05-23
IN OUR ARMY's DEFENSE.
ship of American Troops in
the Philippines.


That speech which Senator Lodge |
delivered few days ago in defense
of the American troops in the Phil
| ippines against the partisan attacks
made upon them will warm the
heart of every patriotic American
who reads it, even as it warmed the
hearts of those who heard it, says
the Albany Journal.
| The speaker made no attempt to
deny that insurgents had been sub
| jected to cruel treatment, but against
| that treatment he set the barbarous
cruelties practiced by the hostile ma
tives as justification. He told, for in
stance, of the terrible fate of three
soldiers who were captured and,
while they We're in helpless captivity,
stripped naked and told that if they
would eXclaim: Long live the Phil
ippine republic they might escape
| into the bush. The senator contin-
ued:
| "one of the three stood up there, naked,
in the midst OF that hostile crowd, and
| cried: Long live American" They tied |
| him to tree, and then men, women and
children stoned him to death. The other
| two lost heart and cried: Long live the
| Philippine republic!' but they were cut
to death with bolos Do you wonder that
| the American soldiers after that, went into |
battle with cries for vengeance? l am not
| here to excuse torture or cruelty, but l
cannot condemn human nature in an Amer
| lean soldier under such circumstances as
| those"
Senator Lodge said he would not in
the remotest way seek to defend
cruelties practiced upon helpless
prisoners by American soldiers, but
! he protested against attacks made |
against the whole army because of
isolated acts that may have been
committed by individual members or
small detachments.
Let us be just to the American
army" the speaker exclaimed. ct is
not republican army. 1t is not a
democratic army. 1t is our army
Don't let us condone a single offense
But let us be just, at least, to our
own. Let us remember, living here in
sheltered homes far away from the
sound and the trials of war, not only
their sutferings, but their tempta-
When we condemn Waller for shoot
ing treacherous guides, when we
think of that little band of his that
struggled through the wilderness of
Samar, where no Spaniard had ever
| gone, and came out on the other
side delirious with sufferng-let us
remember the circumstances ere we
condemn"
Coming to the partisan motives for
the attack upon the army, the speaker
said that while it had been alleged
that American troops had been guilty
of cruelty and torture inflicted upon
Philippine natives, the army had been
guilty of crime greater than cruelty
in the minds of those making the at
tack. ut has been guilty of the crime
| of success. 1t has been victorious
army. 1t has put down the insurrec-
ton, it meets now, as it met after APP
pomattoN, abuse and attack, when
Grant was called butcher" In con
clusion he said:
when justice is done, when the guilty
have been punished for proved offenses,
when the whole story has been made up, 1 |
| believe that, after all that has been said
and all the denunciation that has been |
heaped upon our troops and our officers |
has fallen into silence we shall find that
in the history of the country the record
of that army. cleaning with victories from
| Trenton to Manila will shine brightly in |
the annals of the republic, when those who |
Witty it are but blots on remembered
| name.'
The applause that came from the au-
dience while Mr. Lodge was speaking
and the congratulations which he re-
ceived from many of his colleagues
when he had finished prove that his
appeal to patriotism evoked ready and
enthusiastic response. Those who be-
lieve that partisan capital can be made
out of abuse of the men who are fight
ing under the stars and stripes to up
hold the nations honor and authority
against barbarian rebels have had their |
say. 1t remains for them to learn the |
grossness of their error They received
their first lesson from that forciblc
and eloquent speaker, that thoroughly |
loyal American, Senator Lodge.