The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-05-31

commit, in retaliation, acts of cruelty.
The fact that for every guilty act COM
nitted by one of cur troops hundred
acts of far greater atrocity have been
committed by the hostile natives upon
our troops, or uIon the peaccable and
law-abiding natives who are friendly TO
US, cannot be held TO excuse any wrong
doer on our side.
Determined and answering effort
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 il, and to take. IL possible,
even stronger measures than have al
ready been taken to minimize or pre-
vent the occurrence of all such in
stances in the future.
Lynchings Worse Than Inhumanity.
4 our, country, to the deep and lasting
shame OF our people. lynchings carried
on under circumstances Of inhuman cru
city and barbhrity-a cruelty Infinitely
worse than any that has ever been CON-
mitted by our troops in the Philip
pines; worse to the victims. and far
more brutalizing 10 those guilty of 1t.
The men who fail to condemn these
lynchings, and yet clamor about what
has been done in the Philippines, are
indeed guilty of regiecting the beam
In their own eye while haunting their
brother about the mote in his. Tn
derstand mo These lynchings afford
us no excuse for failure 10 stop cru
81. L.
is being made, and will be made. to
minimize the chances OF cruelty occur
ring.
But keep In mind that these crueltiea
in the Philippines have been wholly ex-
ceptional, and have been shamelessly
exaggerated. We deeply and bitterly re-
greet that any such cruelties should
have been committed. no matter how
rarely. no matter under what provoca-
ton. by American troops. But they
afford far less justification for the gen
eral condemnation of our army than
these lynchings afford for the condemna-
ton Of the communities In which they
have taken place. In each case 1t is
we'll to condemn the deed, and Ii is we'll
also to refrain from including both
guilty and innocent in the same sweep
ing condemnation.
In every community there are people
who commit acts Of well-nigh incon-
ceivablc horror and baseness. IL We fix
our eyes only upon these individuals
and upon their acts, and IL we forget
the far more numerous citizens OF up
right and honest life and blind our
selves to their countless deeds of wis
dom and justice and philanthropy, it is
easy enough to condemn the community.
There is not a city in this land which
we could not thus condemn IL we fixed
our eyes purely upon its police record
and refused TO look at what IL had ac-
complished for deCency and Justice and
charity.
yet this is exactly the attitude which
has been taken by too many men with
reference to our army In the Philip
pines: and It is an attitude both absurd
and cruelty unjust.
Rules of War Laid Down by Lincoln.
1.-THE rules OF warfare which have been
promulgated by the War Department
and accepted as the basis of conduct by
cur troops in the field are the rules laid
down by Abraham Lincoln when you.
my hearers. were fighting for the Union.
These rules provide, of course, for the
just severity necessary in war. The most
destructive of all forms OF cruelty would
be TO show weakness where sternness
is demanded by iron need. But all cruel |
ty is forbidden, and all harshness be- |
yond what is called for by need. Our |
enemies In the Philippines have not /
merely violated every rule of war, but |
lave made of these violations their only |
method of carrying on the war. We |
would have been justified by Abraham |
Lincolns rules OF war in infinitely |
greater severity than has been shown.
The fact really is that our warfare in |
the Philippines has been carried on with .
singular humanity. For every act OF
cruelty by our men there have been in
acts OF forbearance, magnan-
unity and generous kindness. These are
the qualities which have characterized
the war as q whole. The cruoltIes have
been wholly exceptional on our part.
Need of Temperate Judgment.
THE guilty are TO be punished: but In
furnishing them. let those who sit at ease
Al home, who walk delicately and live
In the soft places of the earth. remem-
Der also to do them common justice.
Let not the effortless and the untempt-
ID rail overmuch at strong men who,
with blood and sweat, face years OF toll