Evening star., 1902-05-06
DEFENDED TIE ARMY
SENATOR LODGES STIRRING
SPEECH ON PHILIPPINE BILL.
UC
Mr. Rawlins RepliesIsaying That His
Attack Was on the Administrators
Policy, Not on Troops.

Lodge continuing his address on the Phil
tppine government bill until nearly that
hour. He commanded the attention of the
Senate. The floor and gallery of the
chamber were crowded throughout the time
he was speaking. Many senator's congratu-
lated him when he had concluded.
After The Stars report of the Senate
proceedings was closed yesterday afternoon
Mr.. Lodge declared that only half of the
story Of cruelty and torture in the Philip
pines had been told, and he desired to tell
the other half, because the honor of the
American name was deeply concerned.
While the American people deeply lament
the loss of the brave men who fall in
battle. they do not complain except when
those men are foully and cruelty murdered.
Atrocities Of the Filipinos.
Mr. Lodge then quoted from the records
many instances of atrocities committed by
the Filipino insurgents upon the American
troops. Men had been. captured as pris-
oners Of war and had had their ears cut
off. their intestines cut out and their bodies
otherwise horribly mutIated. Others had
been driven into streams and, while drown
ing, had been shot. Still others had been
buried alive. Reading from statistics fur
niShed by the authorities in the Philippines
he showed that hundreds of natives had
been assaulted and mutfiated because they
sympathized with the Americans. The sta
tistics showed that the number Of natives
thus treated aggregated 442 He pointed out
that sfxty-seven municipal officers friendly
to the Americans had been assassinated and
forty had been assaulted and mutilated.
He closed his speech saying: I'VE are
told that we had no friends among the
Apparently the insurgents thought
there were enough friends to make up that
awful roll Of assassination. l have heard
torrents of sympathy for the insurgents
fighting against the flag and the authority
of the United States but not one word of
sympathy for the Filipinos, men of the
same race, who are friendly to us and
who asked only to live in peace beneath our
flag.
HAS 1t come to this, that 1t is crime to
be friendly to America. and that the men
who die and are cut down and mutilated
because they are our friends are to have
no sympathy! No great divine has yet
thundered in his pulpit in behalf of these
men. Their lives were as dear to them as
those Filipinos who were aiding the insur-
gents, and they were our friends. There
are more of them there, and l say that
whatever else may be true or false. If we
get out of those islands and leave these
friendly Fiipinos to fates like that we are
unworthy Of the name Of great nation. |
1t would be a greater tnfamy than any
cruelty that has ever been proved. Those
people trusted US. They have been mur-
dered for u.s. Those who survive and live
under our protection are entitled to that
protection still. think that when we are
over the hostile Filipinos we
may turn aside for a moment and shed a
tear for those who gave up their lives be-
cause they were our friends.
Justice to the Army.
II did not arise to defend An the remotest
way any cruelties practiced upon help |
less prisoners. I regard - them. as 1
have said over and over again, as bitterly
as any one can. But as have listened to
this debate 1 confess I have felt shocked
beyond measure at the attacks made upon
the American army. 1t is not a republican
army; it is not a democratic army; it Is
the army Of the United States. Their honor
is our honor If they5haSe done wrong.
let us punish it. DON'T iSt us condone a
single proved offense Don't let a single
man proved guilty escape. But let us, OH
let us. be just, at least. to our own. Let
us remember, when we judge, that living
here in sheltered homes, far from the
sound and the trials Of war; let us remem-
Der not only their sufferings, but their
temptations, their provocations. their trials. |
When We condemn Waller for shooting |
treacherous guides when we think of that |
little band Of his that struggled through !
the wilderness of Samar, where no Span |
lard had ever gone. and came out on the |
other side deirious with sufferngs, so that |
he was reported when he first reached |
Manila to be out of his mind-let us re- |
member the circumstances ere we con-
denim. Think of those five or six hundred |
pOSlS scattered all over lnOSe lSldnOS, III |
tie squads of fifteen or twenty men, under |
the command very often Of a sergeant or
q young lieutenant, perhaps just out from |
West Point. or who has graduated from
people apparently friendly. The first thing |
this boy in command the sergea mt knows |
is that one of his men has been assassi- |
mated in the night.
The Provocations
"Ah, Mr.. President. these are the things |
that have hardened their hearts and made
them feel that there Is treachery among
them. There Is but one testimony as to
their treatment Of the friendly natives.
Soldiers and officers alike treated them as
we should expect Americans to treat peo- |
pie of that kind, generously and humanefy. |
No, don't seek to defend any cruelty, but |
do want to have justice to the American |
army. l want the country to know, when |
it reads of crueltfes to hostile Filipinos, |
what the provocation has been: I want !
them to think of what our men have suf-
fered and endured. l do not wish to be
put in the position of defender Of cruel |
ties. If I must make my choice. then |
am for the friendly natives. the friend of |
America, against the man in arms against
her, and 1 for the American army |
against the insurgents.
Il don't like to hear that army assailed |
as 1t has been assailed. 1t Is our army; |
its glory Is ours and We cannot tarnish that |
glory Without tdTnlSnlUS the glory or the |
country and the fame of the country |
abroad.
1.-THE scheme has been to raise this cry |
Of cruelty in the Philippines in order to |
make it react upon the party in power. The |
American army ought not to be subject to |
experiments like that. 1t Is not made to |
be the foot ball Of politics, and what 1t |
does or does not do ought not to be used to |
raise up or pull down any political party |
1t is the army Of all of us. When justice |
Is done; when the guilty have been pun
ished Of proved offenses; when the whole |
story has been made up-ah Mr.. President, |
when that day comes 1 believe that after |
all that has been said aRFdllit the denuncia- |
tion that has been heansd uQon our troops |
and our officers has fallep into silence we |
shall find that in the history Of the country |
the record Of that army sg1eafiling with vic |
tories from Trenton to Manila, will shine |
brightly in the annals Of tho republic when |
those who yillify it are lhYtgnoteless blots
When Mr.. Lodge had cPnc1fded his speech |
he was surrounded by mahy Of his col
leagues. who extended ID him warm con-
upon his effort. Twice in the |
eourse e OF his speech the affssries burst into
The conference report BIZ the omnibus
claims bill was agreed tefRtitthflout Rsttthfl comment.
Mr.. Rawlins ReDies Briefly.