St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-06-03


there were, and are, bad men, as there
are in civil and military life at home.
No one can deny that under the Impulse
of passion and excitement and anger oy
reason of atrocities that had been per-
petrated upon American soldiers, things
were done that never would have peen
done in calmer moments, and IN other
environments, though these things nave
been magnified out of all proportion'
Hardly daily newspaper comes TO your
homes without telling of atrocities cru,
elites, barbarities, assassnatlons and
murders here in the states that surpass.s
in enormity any with which am iamii-
lar in the Philippine Islands. With US
here they become everyday matters. we
are hardened to them by their frequent
recurrence. We read OF beatings ana
to1tures inflicted upon wives by nus
bands, of children burned and tormenteo
by vicious and hard-hearted parents, OF
old people slowly strangled to compel
them to disclose the places in which their
wealth is hidden id order that robbers
may obtain their hard earnings. YET
when deplorable event has occurred in
the Philippine Islands from substantially
the same causes, or from infinitely greater
provocation, certain class OF our people
have felt bound to magnify it; to discuss
every distressing detail, and to brand
our army as being composed OF cruel and
bloodthirsty ruffians. The army IN the
Philippines is the army OF the United
States transferred temporarily to the
Philippines. 1t is made up Of the younng
and strong men who come from the hills
and the valleys and the workshops OF
| our country. Your own neighbors are
there. Men from this village are there.
| Young Arnold from Summer street, now
lieutenant in the regular army, is there.
| Capt. Lawton, whose family have been
| residents of this town for years, was one.
Col. Woodruff, who prepared for West
| Point at our Academy was one. The
army was made up of the same kind
OF men that made up the army of the
United States during the civil war. You
know who those men were. They were
you and men like you. The army Of the
United States from 1861 to 1865, and
the army of the United States from 1898
to 1908, was composed of brave and
patriotic men, who were ready to sur
render their lives at the call of their
country.
You are entitled to, and have received,
the admiration and gratitude that comes
from loyal and patriotic service. Those
who have served in the Philippine Islands
are entitled to, and will receive like
measure of praise and gratitude. In
measuring the sacrifice which those who
have served in the Philippines have made
it must be remembered that they were
serving in a tropical country, unde,
climatic conditions entirely new to them
in regions presenting the greatest diff
culties for campaigning, and were con
tending against an enemy cruel and as
trocious, and ignorant of the laws o
civilized war. The great wonder is moi
that occasional acts of cruelty were
practiced by American soldiers, but thai
far more instances OF that kind did no
occur. In my judgment, there never wa
war, ancient or modern, in any coun
try, among any people, civilized or bar
barous, which was, on the whole, wage(
with greater humanity, kindness and for
bearance, than was the war waged il
the Philippine Islands by soldiers of tn
United States army. 1t is pleasure tt
me to bear this testimony, because be
lieve it to be true, and every American i
profoundly interested in the reputation
and glory of our army. You will like
wise be especially interested in the tao
that nearly all the officers who came t.
high commands in the Philippine Islaud
we're men. who, like you, served their ap
premiership on the bloody fields OF tn
civil war. While some of those WHIT
came to the front in the Philippin
Islands, and have received rapid promo
ton for gallant and splendid service, lik
Gen J. Franklin Bell and Gen. Funston
are still young men, and while few Q
them were graduates OF our great mill
tary academy at West Point, yet, mos
OF them were men who came, as you did
from the walks OF civil life into the arm
OF the Union; but, who, after Appomat
tox, continued in the service of the regu
lar army. and perfected themselves in tn
art of war by diligent study, aided b.
practical training and experience. Dur
ing the three years that l have been il
the Philippines, the generals who hav
been commanders of the division of tn
Philippine and military governors of tn
islands have been heterogeneous Nc
Arthur, Chaffee and Davls-splendid speci
mems OF our citizen soldiery, who receive,
their first baptism OF fire in subordinat
positions in the civil war. The other grea
commanders in the Philippine Islands
| m ha roll or, II.
that great fighter, Gen. Wheaton, Ger
erals Young, Sumner and Bates--were a
graduates of the same school in whic
you members of the Chamberlin Pos
were fellow pupils. In these distinguish
ed citizens OF our country you surely tax
pride, not merely because they are spler
did specimens of American manhood, bu
likewise because they, with you, Tough
the great fight for the preservation {
our Union.
} ln this connection, you will perhap
: pardon me for INDUCING in a little locs
pride in the part which our own believe
: state has borne in the Philippines. Pra,
tically, so far as our knowledge of til
, Philippine Islands went, our Dewey dis
covered them. The gallant Col. Lis
: combe, who after brilliant service in til
Philippines, laid down his life in China
was one OF our own sons. While Twas i
J the Philippines, the provost marshall c
J the city of Manila was Col. Willoston, {
, Vermont. The chief commissary of til
! army OF the division of the Philippine
/ was Col. Woodruff, OF Vermont. TIL
+, chief quartermaster of the division of th
, Philippines was Col. Miller, of Vernon