New-York tribune., 1906-03-27
AN OBJECT LESSON IN SAMAR.

Governor Curry and his comrades are safe.
BY virtue Of their agility in running, swimming
and concealing themselves in the jungle they
escaped treacherous murder. Some Of their es-
cort were less fortunate. Sixteen or the con-
stabulary were killed or wounded or are miss
ing This loss and the peril to Governor Curry
and the others were not due TO any rash, pre-
cipitate or aggressive conduct on the part OF
the American authorities. There was no seal
ing a mountain peak and storming crater, as
at Mount Dajo. On the contrary, there were
precisely the tactics which the austere critics
of the American army have so vehemendy
urged should have been pursued at Mount Dajo
but were not. There were negotiations looking
TO a surrender of the outlaws, which were ap-
parently successful. The Pulajanes agreed TO
surrender and came into camp, Ostensibly for
that purpose. Then, obviously with precOn-
ceved intent, in the very moment Of surrender
they made a treacherous and murderous rush
upon our officers.
We are waiting patiently for some OF the
Rhadamanthine critics aforesaid to point out
that this was a great deal better than the pro-
cedure at Mount Dajo. We are listening for
their exulting chuckle as they show how con-
clusively this incident proves that they were
right, and that If our people at Mount Dajo had
only solicited and accepted the surrender of men
who would not surrender all would have been
well without blOOdshed We are also awaiting
some indignant protests against the hideOus inhu-
manity Of the intention, attributed TO the Amer
lean troops and TO the loyal Filipino, TO hunt
down and eIterminate this band Of outlaws.
When men misuse the white flag and attempt
murder under pretence Of surrender are they
not entitled to the highest peace at any price
consideration? Surely, the heart of the anti
imperialist world must beat true to those gal
liant Pulajanes who so nObly employed both
reachery and murder in their patriotic strug
Gle 10 maintain the rights OF outawry!
The fact is. this incident, like not few that
have preceded il, indicates Tire arduOus and
perilous nature Of our work in establishing law
and order in the Philippines, and emphasizes
the necessity of giving a large degree of dis
cTetiOn to the men at the front and the folly
and injustice of condemning our civil and mill
tary officials Offhand for acts which at a dis
tance of thirteen thousand miles are not fully
understood and have not yet been fully ex-
planned and which are not upon the face Of
them exactly in accord with that repose which
stamps the caste of We're de We're" It is all
very nice and humane for an American critic
sitting snug and SNUG at home, to condemn
American soldiers in the Philippine jungles for
shooting outlaws instead of serving warrants
upon them and taking them to court In auto
mobiles. But il is different when you're in the
jungles Of Samar or Jolo and are being rushed
by a crowd Of bOlOmen who pretended to surren-
der Just for the sake Of getting chance to split
your head. We do not exult in the killing of
any man. In any circumstances the taking Of
human life is a dreadful thing But If men
must die, we would rather they should be Fill
pino outlaws than honest Americans. And
when murderOus outlaws In arms refuse to
surrender, as at Mount Dajo, there seems to be
no other course than to kill them-and to Judge
from what occurred at Magtaon, we don't know
but that it is better for them to refuse to sur
render than TO pretend to surrender.