The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-19
REFUTE PARKER'S FIGURES.
HIS ESTIMATES or THE COST OF
THE PHILIPPINES WRONG.
washington Onicials at Loss to Know
How lie Learned That We Have spent
s0sO. DOC, OOO-Taft Preparing New
Answer to the Candidates speech.

Included officials here are unable to figure
init total Of the expenditures OF the United
states on account of the Philippines that
anproaches anywhere near to the $3.50 900 600
which Judge Parker has twice charged the
Administration with spending in and Tor the
Islands
Even with the cost of the war with spain
added to every penny which has gone out
NJ the public treasury on their account since
.he Philippines came into possession Of this
Government, the aggregate falls far below
Judge Parker's astounding estimate.
The records are open and could have
been obtained by Judge Parker at the ex-
pense only of little time. Officials are
unwilling to believe that he took advantage
Of the opportunity to do so; otherwise he
would not have fallen into an error so
gnevous In their opinion he must have
accepted the statement of some unreliable
partisan whose knowledge OF the subject
was altogether erroneous.
A communication transmitted to the
Senate by Elhu Root, then Secretary OF
War, in 1902, shows that from May, 1898,
TO April 80, 1902, the expenditures under
the War Department on account OF the
Philippines were $l69, e53,5l2, with labili-
ties of S473,073, or a total cost OF approx
mstely $4,000, 900. This total charges
TO the Philippines every dollar spent for
paw, supplies and services, much of 1t on
account of the war with Spain, including
the transportation of troops.
Add TO this the total cost of the war with
Spaiu sell 900, 900, and the result il SAL Co.,
600, but Judge Parker could hardly have
intended his aggregate of $3.50 100000 to
have included that sum. Even with all
the naval expenses from tho time OF the
war with Spain to date included the total
EXPENDITURES would fall several hundred
million dollars below Judge Parker's
figures.
Judge Parker probably included the
$50, 900 900 paid to Spain as compromise
settlement in lieu Of this Governinents
refusal to assume the bonded obligations
Of the Philippines contracted by Spain
and the 81, O00,O0O distress fund voted by
Congress in the same spirit that caused 1t
to relieve the volcano sufferers in Mar
Unique, the hurricane sufferers in Porto
Rico and the starving soldiers or the Cuban
revolutionary army.
To this may be- added ss.397, 9s5, being
the total of all items appearing in United
States appropriation bills which could
be charged in any way to the Philippines.
This amount includes the cost of the naval
for troops, naval station, etc.
1t will take some time to secure an accur-
ate compilation OF the amounts of money
expended by this Government in and for
the islands, but it may be accepted with
confidence that the showing, even giving
Judge Parkers statement the most liberal
construction, will be $500. 600 900 below the
amount which he has twice told the Ameri-
can people the Philippines have cost. the
second time in the face OF secretary Taft s
figures to the contrary.
D Mr.. Taft declined again to-day to give
an interview in answer to Judge Parker,
on the ground that he preferred to make
his responses as Judge Parker had made
the original statement, on the stump. A
made on account Of the Philippines is being
prepared for the Secretary, and he will
use the official figures contained in speech
to be delivered when he resumes his cam
More astonishing even than the state
ment Of Judge Parker that the Philippines
have caused an expenditure by the United
States of $3.50, 600 was his additional
assertion that they had also cost 2O0,-
600 lives. In his speech at Troy last
among the United States troops in the
Philippines-his figures being taken from
the official retords-as 1924 officers and
men up to June 30 last, and to this total
he added 900 members of the constabulary,
There is difference of i945o0 between
the official figures and those of Judge
Parker, who could easily have ascertained
that the total number Of American officers
and men sent to the Philippines was 120,4ss
or 1852 less, than the fatalities among
them reported by Judge Parker.
Il is assumed here that Judge Parker
must have known that the number of
troops sent to the Philippines was much
less than 100000, and that he therefore. in
Guided in his total the number of Filiplnos
who lost their lives during the insurrec-
ton
The Filipino losses will never be accur-
ately known and even the reports of engage
merits made by American officers are be-
lieved to be greatly exaggerated estimates
Of the casualties among the insurgents.
Young officers were prone to be liberal in
this regard when reporting sklrmishes IN
which they were engaged. but the figures
furnished by them will be used by Score
tary Taft in his response to Judge Parker.
II is said that the totals given in these
reports will not be more than IS, 600 SO that
the aggregate loss on both sides for the
entire period of fighting was only about
20 600 or 10000 less than Judge Parker's
exclusive figures.
In order to get anywhere near the 100000
slaughter mark it will be necessary to include
about l25,OOO Filpinos who died of cholera
during the only epidemic of that disease
In the islands since the American occura-
ton The number of American soldiers
who died Of cholera and other diseases is
included in the army casualty list. Add to
this 1875 900, the losses among the United
States forces from all causes and the
literally estimated losses among the insur-
rectionists and the total still leaves about
5000 corpses unaccounted for by any one
eyceNt Judge Parker.
With the improved sanitary regulations
which the United States Government hasput
in force in the Philippines, cholera has rrac-
tcallv disappeared from the islands. Dur
fg tho Spanish re Sime there were cpid emics
which produced far greater mortality among
Spaniards and natives than in the single
instanc" whore the plague ravaEed the
archipelago during the existence OF Ameri-
car authority. It is hardly believed here,
however, that Judge Parker will, il he
sho ID decide to furnish bill of particulars,
Insist that the deaths among the natives
ifom cholera were chargeable against the
lnit'd States.
While Secretary Taft was Governor of
me Philippines Simon Luz, the native
Governor ~ Patangas Province, reported
nat there had been n great falling of in
the population Of the territory under his
Ilr> LECTION. The Philippines Commission
got IN" idea from LUIS statement that this
falling of had been due to death, and Brig
ven J franklin Bell was ordered to make
an IN 'stiCatiou. He found that on ac-
count e tho activity Of the irsurrectionists
y rHiaocas manv natives had left there