The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1902-06-20
The Policy OF Despotism.
Continued from 1st page)

' non VNNSpI III iiSibhu'
The men who make the inquiry are
told that they are assailing the honor
of the American army. How do the
defenders of the American army meet
the question? BY denying the fact?
No. BY saying that the offenders have
been detected and punished by mill
tary power? Some of these facts were
reported to the War Department more
than var ago. SO far as | can find
there have been but two men tried for
torture to eXtort information. They
were two officers who hung up men by
the. thumbs, and they were found gull
ty.
But what we are talking about is
the torture committed in the presence
| OF numerous witnesses for the pur.
pose of eXtorting information, and or
ders from High authority to depopulate
whole districts, and to STAY all inhab-
itants. including all boys over ten
years old
Is it denied that these things have
been done? Is it denied that al
though you are still on the threshold
of this inquiry, ana have only called
such witnesses as you happen to find
ten thousand miles away from the
scene that these things have been
proved to the satisfaction OF the ma
jorlty of the committee, and that no
man has yet been punished, although
they were going on considerably more
than year ago? Now, how do our
friends who seek, will not say to de-.
fend, but to eXtenuate them. deal with
the honor of the American army?
Why, they come into the Senate and
say that there have been other cruel
ties and barbarities and atrocities in
war.
When these American soldiers and
officers are called to the bar our
friends summon Nero and Torquemada
and the Spanish Inquisition and the
sheeted and ghostly leaders of the Ku
Klux Khan and put them by their side.
That is the way you defend the honor
of the American army. 1t is the first
time the American soldier was put into
such company by the men who have
undertaken his defense.
1t has been shown, l think, in the
investigation now going on that the
secretary of the province of Batangas
declared that one-third of the 100000
Of the population of that province have
died within two years = 100000 men
and women. The Boston Journal an
eminent hefubfican paper and most
able supporter of the Imperialistic pol
icy, printed on the Sd of May, 1901, an
interview with General Bell given to
the New York Times in which he
says that one-siXth of the natives CT
Luzon have either been killed or have
died of the dengue fever in the last
two years. | suppose that this dengue
fever and the sickness which depopil.
lated Batangas is the direct result Of
The war, and comes from the condition
of starvation and bad food which the
war has caused.
If this be true we have caused the
death of more human beings In the
Philippines that we have caused to
our enemies, including insurgents in
the terrible Civil War, in all our other
wars put together. 2
The General adds:
"The loss of life by killing has been
very great but ! think not one man
has been slain except where his death
served the legitimate purposes of war.
1t has been necessary to adopt what
in other countries would probably be
thought harsh measures, for the Fill
Dino is tricky and crafty, and has to
be fought in his own way"
Where did this order to make Samar
a bowling wilderness originate? The
responsibility unquestionably, accord
ing to the discipline of armies in the
field rests with the highest authority
from which 1t came.
Now, all the cost all these young
men gone to their graves all these
wrecked lives, all this national dishon.
or the repeal of the Declaration of IN
dependence, the overthrow of the prln.