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

and days and nights of agony. and al
need lay down their lives In remote
tropic jungles to bring the light OF civ
ilization into the worlds dark places
The warfare that has extended the boun.
daries OF civilization at the expense Of
barbarism and savagery has been for
centuries one of the most potent factors
in the progress of humanity. Yet from
its very nature 1t has always and every
where been liable to dark abuses.
1T behooves US to keep a vigilan:
watch TO prevent these abuses and to
| punish those who commit them; but II
because OF them we finch from finishing
! the task on which we have entered. we
show ourselves cravens and weaklings,
unworthy of the sires from whose loins
We sprang. There were abuses and TO
spare in the civil war. Your false
. friends then called Grant a butcher
and spoke OF you who are listening to
me as mercenaries. as 'Lincolns hire
lings.' Your open foes-as In the re.o-
lution passed by the Confederate Con-
gress in October. 1ss2-accused you. Mt
great length, and with much particular
ity, Of 'contemptuous disregard OF the
ussges Of civilized war e. subjectinx
women and children to 'banishment. i'm
prisonment, and DEATH OF murder of
'rapine, OF 'ontrages on women of law
less cruelty VI 'perpetrating atrocities
which would i've disgraceful TO savages:'
and Abraham Lincoln was singled out
for especial attack because of hfs spirit
Of barbarous ferocity.' Verify. these
men who thus foully slandered you have
their heirs today in those who traduce
our armies in the Philippines, who fix
their eyes on individual deeds of wrongs
SO keenly that at last they become blind
TO the great work Of peace and freedom
that has already been accomplished.
The Soldiers Sacrifice.
Peace and freedom-are there two
better objects for which a soldier can
fight? Well. these are precisely the OBJ
jects for which our soldiers are fight
Ing In the Philippines. When there is
talk Of the cruelties committed in the
Philippines remember always that by
far the greater proportion OF these cru
elites have been committed by the In
surgents against their own people-as
we'll as against our soldiers-and that
not only the surest but the only effec-
tual way Of stopping them is by the
progress OF the American arms. The
victories OF the American army have
been the really effective means Of put
ting stop TO cruelty In the Philippines
Wherever these victories have been
complete-and such is now the case
throughout the greater pai b.. the ISL
ands-all cruelties have ceased, and the
native is secure In his lie. his liberty.
and his pursuit Of happiness. Where
the insurrection still smolders there is
always chance for cruelty to show it,
self.
Our soldiers conquer; and what Is
the object for which they conquer? To
establish a military government? No.
The laws We are now endeayoring to
enact for the government of the Philip
pines are to Increase the power and do
main OF the civil at the expense OF the
military authorities. and TO render even
more diflcult than in the past the
chance OF oppression. The military
power Is used to secure peace, in order
that il may itself be supplanted by
the civil government. The progress O..
the American arms means the abolition
of cruelty, the bringing OF peace. and
the rule of law and order under the civil
government. Other nations have con-
quered TO create irresponsible military
rule. We conquer to bring just and re-
sponsible civil government, TO the con-
quered.
Freedoms Banner Borne by Army.
But our armies do more than bring
peace. do more than bring order. They
bring freedom. Remember always that
the independence of tribe or COM
may, and often does. have moth
ing whatever to do with the freedom OF
the individual In that tribe or commun-
ity There are now in Asia and Africa
scores of despotic monarchies, each of
which is independent. and in no one of
which is there the slightest vestige OF
freedom for the individual man. Scsnt
indeed is the gain to mankind from the !
Independence of q blood stained tyrant |
who rules over AFFECT and brutalized |
slaves. But great is the gain to human |
ity which follows the steady though |
slow Introduction of the orderly libertt. |
the abiding freedom OF the indi. |
vidual, which is the only sure foupda-
ton upon which national independence |
can be built. Wherever in the Philip |
pines the instruction has been definite |
ly and finally put down. there tho indi- |
vidual Filipino already enjoys such FREQ !