Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-06-05
THE PRESIDENT
At ARLINGTON
Thousands of Veterans in At
tendance to Hear His
Address.
TALKS OF THE PHILIPPINES
Their Future Can he Determined Upon
Only After They Have shown Their Ca
pacity and Power for Self Government
Knows Not When That Day WIN Come

Washington, May 31.-Decoration
Day was observed here yesterday per.
haps more generally than ever before.
The announcement that President
Roosevelt would deliver the Grafton
at Arlington brought to that historic
people, among whom were numbered
thousands of veterans who journeyed
into the cemetery to honor the men,
DRY of their comrades who had died in
their country's cause. or who, having
survived the struggle of 1861 and 1898,
had passed since into the great be-
yond. The local arrangements were
in charge of the department OF the Po-
tomac. and included parade of all
the G. A. R., and other patriotic or
ments and graves and addresses by
men prominent in the affairs Of the
government.
Following are extracts from the
address delivered by the president:
Must Care for the West.
while fully acknowledging our du-
ties to others, need We forget our duty
to our own country?
to us as the Atlantic; as we grow in
power and prosperity so our interests
will grow in that farthest west which
Is the immemorial east.
This should no more be a party
question than the war for the Union
should have been a party question"
Cruelty Was The Cause.
These younger comrades Of yours
have fought under terrible provoca-
ton from very cruel and treacher-
GUS enemy. Under the strain Of these
provocations | deeply deplore to say
that some among them have so far
forgotten themselves as to counsel
and commit, in retaliation. acts OF
cruelty. The fact that for every
guilty act committed by one OF our
troops. hundred acts of far greater
atrocity have been committed by the
hostile natives upon our troops. or
upon the peaceable and law abiding
natives who are .lendly to us, can not
be held to excuse any wrongdoer on
our side. Determined and unswerv-
ing effort must be made. and is being
made, to find out every instance 1T
barbarity on the part of our troops,
to punish those guilty of 1t. and to
take, If possible, even stronger meas
ures than have already been taken
to minimize or prevent the occur
ence of all such instances in the fu-
ture."
Lynchines Not Noticed.
From time to time there occur In
our country to the deep and lasting
shame of our people, lynchings car
ried on under circumstances of inhu-
man cruelty and barbarity-a cruelty
infinitely worse than any that hss-seen
committed by our troops in the PHI
ippines: worse to the victims, and
far more brutalizing to those guilty of
II. 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 haunting
the brother about the mote In his.
Understand me. These lynchings
afford us no excuse for failure to stop
cruelty in the Philippines. Every eff
fort is being made. and will be made.
to minimize the chances of cruelty &C.
curing.
Keep in mind, cruelties in the
Philippines have been wholly excep-
tiopal. and have been shamelessly ex-
aggerated."
Under That Same Order.
THE rules of warfare which have
been promulgated by the war depart
ment and accepted as the basis Of
conduct, by our 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 destruc-
tive of all forms of cruelty would be
to show weakness where sternness
is demanded by iron need. But all
cruelty is forbidden, and all harsh
ness beyonu what is called for by
need. Our enemies in the Philippines
have not merely violated every rule
of war, but have made of these VIC
lations their own method of carrying
on the war. We would have been JUS
titled by Abraham Lincoln's 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 innumer-
able acts of forbearance."
Future Of Philippines.
I'VE believe that We can rapidly
teach the people of the Philippine is
lands not only how to enjoy but how
to make good use of their freedom;
and with their growing knowledge
their growth in self-government shall
keep steady pace. When they have
thus shown their capacity for real
freedom, then. and not until then, will
it be possible to decide whether they
are to exist independently OF us or
be knit to us by ties of common friend
ship and interest. When that day will
come Il Is not In human wisdom now