The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-12
SECRETARY ROOTS LATE ADaIs.
SION.

While Mr.. Roosevelt. the president of
the United States and the commander
n-chief OF our armies, its publicly AZ
hitting that "cruelties were COMMITTEES
here and there" by our forces on the
native FilinOs, the war department IS,
after frequent and denia!s.
admitting that there had occurred d
disgracefuI case OF torture by Ameri-
can army officers and soldiers of a
Roman Cathrolic priest in order to
make him disclose where he had Sc
GREETED a trust fund. Captain Brownell.
h chief actor in this atrocity. result
ing in the death OF the victim. finds.
according to our humane war depart
nent officials, that he had failed,
through oversight. to make a report OF
the affair. because. for south, it was 4
matter Of such slight Importance. 1t
was a matter too trivial to be made thu
subject Of an official report by the Off
Ger in Immediate charge.
Because this cold -blooded murder by
most horrible means was considered a
matter too trivial for report by Cap
tain Brownell. it is claimed as a tri-
umphaI v~indication Of Secretary Root
in his contention that the treatment
Of the Filippinos was always humane.
OF course. IL the secreary's suborii-
mates do not report their murders n
fortunes how is the secretary of war
in his office in Washington to find them
cut? If his subordinates do not report
such facts to him ne Is not called upon
TO give credence to them when reported
by outsiders, no matter on how sub
stantial evidence they are based. 1t is,
as seems to be the rule of the depart
ment. the duty of the head of that de-
partment to pronounce as false, ami
stick to the declaration, no matter what
positive proof TO the contrary may be
brought. all charges OF cruelty, torture
and murder by officers of our army
unless the officers against whom
such charges are brought make an
official report declaring themselves
guilty of such a trOcious acts.
The men who have made these
charges are among the most honorable
In our land-such as Carl Shurz and
Charles Francis Adams. Still their
statements and the evidence on which
they are based are ignored because of
h lack of confession of Captains
BrowndfI and Glenn an dother minor
officers OF the army.
The fact that Secretary Root did not
know before that Father Augustine
was murdered in a most horrible man.
ner by American soldiers under the
orders of an American army officer is
no excuse for him. He shOuld have
know it. And what makes it worse
for him. and what makes him a parti-
ceps criminis or at least an accessory
after the fact is that after his atten-
tion was repeatedly called TO the crime
and evidence of it furnished him he not
enIy refused to investigate it and bring
the guilty to justice. but tried to shield
them to prevent the truth in the
cases beirg brought to light. He made
himself a party to the crimes by at
tempting to shield the perpetrators.
Not Secretary Root alone. but the
whole administration have been guilty
Of this endeavor to conceal crime and
shield the perpetrators. They have
been unearthed at last by those mel
who haye formed Il society to see that
right and justice should be lone to
the Filininos. These men have brought
such i~ndisputable evidence before t.
American people of infamous crime
committed In the Philippines that Sec
rotary Root has at last been forced to
take cogniznce Of them. One of the
consequences is that Major Glenn has
been again ordered court-martialed for
his cruel conduct and more such trials
are looked for. Major Glenn was trie|
one upon what were called trumpet
mp charges" and acquitted.
If many more such disclosures are
laid before the American public and
forced upon the attention of the war
secretary he will probably be more
careful in the future bou testifyinG
to the "'unexampled humanity" of our
soldiers in the Philippines.