The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-14

| military comm issions, or probably
| three-fourths of them for murder. OF
those, not more than 200 have been ex-
ecuted; the sentences of the others have
been committed to imprisonment for a
number of years, and others for various
reasons have been allowed to go free,
as for instance, sometimes when poor
ignorant wretches have been ordered by
some chief to assassinate somebody,
they have been tried and convicted, and
the commanding general, with very pro-
per humanity, has allowed these men
to go free. knowing that they were
merely the victims of a system they
had nothing to do with; so that did
the most of our hanging a little higher
up, which was the proper thing to do
applause and cries of That's right"
"Sure.')
AS TO HANGING AMERICAN
TRAITORS.
Several months ago two private sol
diers of the Twenty-fourth United
ted States army, Joined the Filipinos
and fought with them. They were cap
tured and brought before a military
commission, or a general court martial,
were executed-for giving aid and COM
fort to the enemies of the United States.
These men were poor. ignorant sold
iers men who were probably misled. or
were induced to do what they did
through over-indulgence in native in
toxicants and could not probably be al
together blamed for what they had
done. They had not great opportuni-
ties for a proper understanding of the
situation, and I venture to say that
there are a great many men in the Uni
ted States who have done more harm
with their pens. and more harm with
their mouths, than these men did with
the Krag-J orgensen rifles that they car
ried to the enemy
1 do not want to say anything brutal
but as 1 say, the army feels bitterly
about this business. / have no quarrel
with the man who thinks that we should
not at first have taken the Philippine
Islands. 1 have no quarrel with the
man who thinks a whole lot of things
but who does not say too much about
it now; but all those men who have
been writing and talking about this
thing and keeping this warfare alive
and in the field today-I say that
would rather see any one of these men
hanged-hanged for treason, hanged for
giving aid and comfort to the enemy
than see the humblest soldier in the
United States army lying dead on the
field of battle. applause and cheers.l
WHY NOT WAIT UNTIL ARMS ARE
LAID DOWN?
Those of us who have served with
these humble men, these magnificent
soldiers, these faithful fellows. feel for
them in way that others can scarcely
understand.
And now, if you will pardon my very
rambling remarks, for you will under
stand that 1 have talked entirely with
out any adequate preparation, 1 will re-
peat the request that l made before:
Let us keep still about this business
till the war is over and the government
of the United States is firmly establish
ed in the Philippines. and then let US
get together and fight it out among
ourselves; whether we will allow them
to go entirely, whether we will give
them autonomy, or whether we shall
hold them down with an iron hand.
(Applause-)
NOT FIT FOR PROCUREMENT.
1t cannot be said that these people
are fit for self government; it is per-
fectly ridiculous to imagine such a
thing OF course they clamor for it,
and of course when l say that they are
not fit for self government 1 do not
mean that they are not fit for some such
government as has been given to them
under Judge Taft, but mean absolute
independence. OF course, as / said be-
fore, they clamor for it; and people say:
why don't we do with them as we did
with the Cubans? Promise it to them
and then let them have it,
If you had a 4-year-old child that in
sisted upon playing with a red-hot po-
kerr would you let him have it2 Now.
I think you would argue with him for
a few minutes, and then, if he still in
sisted, / think you would take him into
the bedroom and spank him until he got
over the idea
No, there is no comparison between |
the Cubans and the Filipinos as far as |
their capacity for self government is
concerned. 1 don't lie awake nights adj |
miring the Cubans, and I know them !
pretty well. but it cannot be denied |
that the Filipino insurgents have not /
and never had among them such men |
as that magnificent Maxine Gomez, |
such a man as Garcia, or such a man |
as Lacret and dozens of other insur- |
gent chiefs; such men as Palma, who |
was one of their leaders in the rebel |
lion of '68.
These men will see that Cuba is /