The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-27

was informed that it was common talk
at the places where officers cOngregated
4 that such transactions had been carried
on either with the connivance OF ap-
& prevail of certain commanding officers
1t is however, most gratifying to state
that such atrocities have been con-
demned by such commanders as Cen
erals Lawton, Wade, Sumner. Lee, Bald
win and others.
Il found that with certain officers the
impression prevails that such acts were
1 justifable and I felt it my duty. in or
| der to correct such erroneous and dam
gerous impression and to prevent the
/ posi- bility of such acts being committed
/ in the future which must impair the
good name of American arms and bring
discredit to our service for all time. to
address to the division commander the
! following letter of Instructions
Then follows an order addressed to
the commanding general of Philippines
under date of February %. 1903, in
which General Miles calls attention to
the reports of atrocities and directs that
any orders or circulars of personal in
struction which would inspire. or Ell
courage any act of cruelty be annulled.
The order says that the excuse that
the unusual conditions justify the meas
ures herein condemned are without
| foundation
Continuing his report to the secretary,
/ General Miles directs attention to the
acts of recommendation by General Bell
and claims that they were in direct VIC
lation of law He says that the law
was also violated in handling and buy
ing large quantities of rice which was
sold at a profit. The people who were
in the RECOMMENDATION camps We're, says
| General Miles, considered prisoners of
war but We're compelled to buy food
from those who held them at a large
profit General Miles characterizes this
as unprecedented. He speaks of the
magnitude Of the transaction, which in
volved y million pounds of rice and
other supplies at a cost of $306,320- He
| says that an extraordinary feature of
this transaction is the action which
was disapproved by a division comman-
4 der who assumed command and who
/ turned the matter over to a civil auth
critics and that it has been carried on
under an act of the Philippine commits
sion"
/ a reply to the foregoing portion of
the report has been prepared by Judge
Advocate General Davis in a letter to
the secretary of war, in which ne says:
The incidents which are set forth
in the enclosed special report have
been made the subject of special inves-
legations; in some instances these
have been conducted by courts martial
and their findings and sentences have
been duly promulgated in orders; in
others the inquiries have been entrust-
ed to inspectors, or to officers deslgnat-
ed for that purpose by the command
! ing general in the Philippines Where
administration action has been called
for as a result of such Investigations,
/ it has been taken by the proper mill
tary commander, if the parties con-
tinued within his jurisdiction; in other
leases the matter has been submitted
to the department with a view TO
resort TO such punitive remedial or
/ ders as were deemed appropriate. and
these representations have resulted IN
4 a number of court martial trials AS
TO some phases of these inquiries the IN
yestigatiOnS are not yet complete ana
a reference of the papers to the Phlllp-
pine islands or officers who are now
serving in the United States has been
necessary Whether the necessity for
ianv further administrative acton, IN
addition to that already taken WIN pe
/ disclosed as a result Of such investiga-
ton can only be determined when IN
spection reports are received at the
department
General Davis explains that the m
ouiries are especially difficult because
the incidents complained of were not
/ made known at the time and officers
and soldiers of the volunteer army nave
been named to be discharged.
He discusses at some length the DIS
tlibution of rico in the provinces u
Batangas and Cavite, which is a matter
that has been considered in the depart-
ment. It is explained that in order &c
restore civil order and to provision the
people in the concentration camps Il
was determined by General Bell with the
approval of the commanding general
-tt@A ~---~esef-
by the subsistence department the lat
ter to be reimbursed by the military
government. Upon this point General
Davis says:
THE measures resorted to We're die
tated by military necessity: they were
undertaken with the approval of the
local military commander and were cal
culated to meet an emergency Of i'm
pending famine in such a way as to re-
lieve actual distress without Dauoerlz-
ing the native population and without
casting the burden Of their SUPPORT
upon the insular treasury when public
order had been restored and the prov
inces relegated to civil control As the
distress increased after the military cc-
cupation had terminated and the de-
mand for relief continued without sub
stantial abatement the balance Of profits
accruing from the sales of rice by the
military government was transferred 70
the insuIar treasury and applied by the
civil government TO the relief of the
widespread distress occasioned by the
prevalence of cholera and famine in the
provinces OF southern and southeastern
Luzon-''
General Miles strongly recommended
that beef on the hoof be supplied to the
troops in the Philippines. This portion
Of his report was referred to General