The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-06-10

men who are proud of what you did.
These younger comrades of yours
have fought under terrible difficulties
and have received terrible provocatiOn
from . very cruel and very treacherous
enemy. Under the strain OF these prov
ocations deeply deplore to say that
some among them have 80 far forgotten
as to counsel and commit,
in retaliation, acts of cruelty. The fact
that every guilty act committed by one
of our troops q hundred acts OF far
greater atrocity have been committed
by the hostile natives upon our troops,
or upon the pescesble and law abiding
natives who are friendly to US, cannot
be held to excuse any wrongdoer on our
side. Determined and unswerving ef-
fort must be made, and is being made,
to find out every instance Of barbarity
on the part of our troops, to punish
those guilty of 1t, and to take, If pos
sible, even stronger measures than have
already been taken to minimize or pre-
vent the occurrence of all such in
stances In the future.
Phariseeism Denounced.
Is it only in the army Of the Philip
pines that Americans sometimes do
acts that cause the rest Of America re-
gret? (Cries Of ''Oh, no! no!'')
From time to time there occur In our
country, to the deep and lasting shame
of our people, lynchings carried under
on circumstances OF inhuman cruelty
and barbarity--s cruelty infinitely worse
than any that has ever been committed
by our troops in the Philippines; worse
to the victims, and far more brutalizing
to those guilty of it.
The men who fail to condemn these
lynchings. and yet clamor about what
has been done In the Philippines, are
indeed guilty Of neglecting the beam in
their own eye. while taunting their
brother about the mote In his.
Understand me. These lynchings
afford US no excuse for failure to stop
cruelty in the Philippines. Every ef-
fort is being made, and will be made, to
minimiEe the chances Of cruelty occur
ing.
Shameless Exaggeration Practiced
But keep In mind that these cruelties
In the Philippines have been wholly
exceptional, and have been shamelessly
exaggerated.
We deeply and bitterly regret that
any such eruelties should have been
committed, no matter how rarely, no
matter under what provocation, by
American troops. But they afford far
less justification for general condem-
nation of our army than these lynchings
afford for the condemnation of the COM
munities In which they have taken
place. In each case it is we'll to con-
demn the deed, and it is well also to re-
train frOm including both guilty and
innocent in the same sweeping condem-
nation.
In every community there are people
who commit acts Of we'll nigh inconcei-
vable horror and baseness. If We fix
our eyes only upon these individuals
and upon their acts, and II we forget
the far more numerous citizens of up
right and honest life, and blind oursel-
yes to their countless deeds of wisdom
and justice and philanthrophy, it is
easy enough to condemn the community.
There is not city in this land which
we could not thus condemn If we fixed
our eyes purely upon its police record
and refused to look at what it had &C
complished for decency and justice and
charity. Yet this is exactly the atti
tude which has been taken by too many
men with reference to our army in the
Philippines, and it Is an attitude bott
absurd and cruelty unjust.
Under Lincoln's Rules Of Warfare.
The rules of warfare which have
been promulgated by the War De
partment and accepted as the
basis of conduct by our troop.
in the field are the rules laid down by
Abraham Lincoln when you, my hear
ers, were fighting for the Union.
These rules provide, of course, for the
just severity necessary in war. Tht
most destructive of all forms of cruelty
would be to show weakness wher,
sternness is demanded by iron need
But all cruelty is forbidden, and al
harshuess beyond what is called for b.
need. Our enemies in the Philippine
have not merely violated every rule O
war. but have made of these violation
their only method OF carrying on th,
war. We would have been justified b.
Abraham Lincoln's rules OF war In in
finitely greater severity than has bee
shown.
i A War of UnexampIed Humanity.
| The fact really is that our warfare i
the Philippines has been carried o
with singular humanity. For every &C
of cruelty by our men there have bee
innumerable ACTS of forbearance, mag
, nsnimity and generous kindness. Thes
are the qualities which have chara'
terized the war as q whole. The crue
ties have been wholly exceptional O
our part.
:, The guilty are to be punishedi but
r furnishing them. let those who sit {
3 ease ct home, who walk delicately an
{ live in the soft places OF the earth, r
t member also to do them common ju
q tica. Let not the effortless and the ul