BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-05-10
Gen. SDlih S Orders.
PRESIDENT INCLINED TO BE-
LIEVE THEM JUSTIFIABLE.
Recalls Gen. Miles's Methods in
Ouelling Indians Points to Gen
eraI Order 100 Signed by Lin
coin in 1863 and Approved by
Hague Conference-Unnecessar
Cruelty, However, to Be Punish
ed Severely.

Not xithstanding the cry against Gen.
Smith for his severity in the suppression
of the inSurrection in the island of Sa-
mar, the President will sustain Gen.
Chaffee in the Use of the most vigorous
war measures for the restoration of
o eace in the archipelago. He has read
carefully all the military reports regard
ing the campaign in Samar, and has
approved all the orders that have been
transmitted from Washington regard
ing that campaign He is as desirous
as any member of congress that the
army in the Philippines shall not be rh-
necessarily cruel, but he does not pro-
pose to Judge Gen. Smith or any other
American officer by insufficient or I'm.
reliable reports. He believes that the
surrender of Gen. Gueverra, the ins11r-
gent leader who continued the fight
after Gen. Lucban had surrendered,
practically ends the insurrection in that
part of the Philippines and justifies the
war measures adopted by Gen. Smith.
In his last order to Gen. ChaAee, di-
recting him to make full investigation
of all the charges against Gen. Smith,
the adjutant general said
GThe President desires to know in
the fullest and most cirCumstantia1 man.
ner all the facts, nothing being conceal
led, and no man for any reason favored
or shielded for the very reason that the
President intends to back up the army
in the heartiest fashion in every lawful
land legitimate method of doing its
work. He also intends to see that the
most rigorous care is exercised to detect
and prevent any cruelty or brutality,
and that men who are guilty thereof
are punished. Great as the provoca-
tion has been in dealing with foes who
habi.ually resort to treachery murder
and torture against orr men, nothing
Ecan justify, or will be held to justify,
he use of torture or inhulnan conduct
OF any kind on the part of the Amea
can Army"
The President indends to stand by
those Instructions and he will, if It be-
comes necessary, punish fully and severe
lily any American officer guilty of con,
duct not justified by the articles Of war
and the general order No. 100, framed
by Stanton and signed by Lincoln in
1868, and adopted by The Hague peace
conference.
If Gen. Smith or any other officer in
the Philippines has issued orders or con-
Quoted campaigns not justified by that
general order, under which the army is
acting, he will Ibe punished But the
President will decide that questi On
rhen the court of inquiry now sitting
at Manila has finished its Investigations
as TO the conduct of Gen. Smith in Sa-
mar and reported the facts.
The President is loath to believe that
Gen. Smith has used unjus. .iiable meth
|ods or that he has done that which has
mot been done before by American Of
hcers in campaigns against savage foes
in our own country. To several men
who have called on him asking if he
was conducting a Christian war in the
Philippines he has replied that he has
never regarded war as a part of Chris
tian ethics, but necessary evil to an
end in view. That end must be OBJ
tanned by methods which promise the
least cruelty to n-combatants. EIet
called attention to the campaign against T
the Apaches in the southwest, where
the orders were not to take prisoners
but to kill all Indians found on the
warpath. He aljo reminded them of
the fact that more than one Hundred
women and children were killed in the
fpht at Wounded Knee when Gen.
Miles cleared up the Sioux troubles in
the northwest. He promised that if
the critics Of the army will bring anyE
report Of such condition as that inl