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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1902)
w n " The Commoner. Vol. a, Nbi7i 10 -mn roports on tho subjoct, It is safo to say that slnco May 1, 1898, ovor $375,000, 000 haB boon oxpondod by this govern ment in the Philippines. THE WEEK AT WASHINGTON. ' On May 7 Sonator Hoar introduced a now isthmian canal bill, leaving to tho prosldont tho selection of a routo. Tho amondment to tho sundry civil bill postponing tho St. Louis exposi tion until 1004, was adopted by the sonato on May 5. Tho Indian appropriation bill passed tho house on May 7. This bill in cludes an appropriation of $100,000 to tho Omaha Indians in Nebraska. Tho trial by court-martial of Gen eral Smith at Manila ondcd on May 3 and tho gonoral opinion is that he will bo acquitted of tho charges against him. On May 3 tho prosldont sont to the sonato tho nomination of H. Clay Evans to bo consul general at London, as successor to Mr. Osborn, who died thoro rocontly. H. G. Squiers, secretary of tho lega tion at Polcin, has boon selected by the prosldont as minister to Cuba, and Gonoral F. S. Bragg of Wisconsin is lo bo consul gonoral at Havana. At the suggestion of Captain Dayton of tho cruiser Chicago, Secretary Moody has authorized that ofllcor to convono a court of inquiry to examine into tho mattors connected with tho arrest and imprisonment of four ofll cors of tho Chicago at Vonico. On May 4 public memorial services were hold ovor tho romains of tho lato Representative Amos J. Cummlngs of Now York, in tho house of represen tatives. Tho exorcises were very Im pressive, almost tho ontlro member ship of tho house and tho sonato be ing present. On May 8 tho democratic congres sional committee organized at Wash ington by adopting a resolution au thorizing tho chairman, Representa tive Greggs of Georgia, to appoint a campaign committee of eleven mem bers, six of whom shall bo members of tho congressional committee. On May 5, President Havcmoyor ot tho sugar refining company, gave tes timony beforo tho sonato committee on Cuban relations. Ho explained the reduction in prico of his product, and declared that it was not done with tho idea of forcing beet sugar out of tho market or of discriminating against the Cuban product. Tho chief justice of the United States supremo court on May 5 rendered opinions in two test cases, affoctlnfe tho transit of Chinamen through this country to other countries. The opinion affects forty or fifty Chinamen who have been detained at San Pruu cisco for tho past four or five months, aud these must go back to China. On May 7 tho house began consider ation of the bill admitting Oklahoma, Now Mexico, and Arizona Into tho union as states. Opposition was made by republicans of the house on tho claim that they are not yet ready for statohood, and an amendment is pro posed consolidating Oklahoma and Indian territories into one state. Recent reports from Gonoral Chaf fee in the Philippines are to tho effect that ho will press tho charges made by Major Gardener in order to ascer tain the exact truth. Ho has also or dered General Smith to instruct his troops to forbid tho practice of the so:called "water euro" on tho natives, and that "natives are to bo treated In such manner by United States forces that said treatment cannot bo criti cised In any way." The war department received a ca blegram from General Chaffee May 3 announcing the beginning of hostili ties with tho Moros. The ultimatum sent to them was treated with con tempt and the American troops were fired on, after which they advanced and captured tho Moro forts, and Its 84 survivors surrendered uncondition ally. Anothor messago from Chaffeo roports that slnco April 16 about 1,500 insurgonts have surrendered to the Amoricans. - DEBATE IN THE SENATE. Tho dobato on tho Philippine bill was opened on Monday, May 5, by Sonator Lodge. Ho did not deny that cruelties had boon committed in tne Philippines, but said that in many In stances tho cruelties complained of woro justified undor tho circumstances. Ho argued that tho cruelties in war woro not infrequent, and quoted from ancient and modern history to Justify theso practices. Ho pointed out that thoro woro scores of instances where tho Filipinos had practiced extreme cruelty and tortures on tho Americans, and ho did not think that tho Isolated instances of tho "water euro" were sufllclont to stir up popular indigna tion. Mr. Lodge disclaimed any sym pathy with cruelties practiced upon helpless persons. Ho regarded them as bitterly as any ono could, but ho charged that the criticism of cruelties by tho democratic membdrs consti tuted an attack upon tho United States army. On Tuesday, May 6, Mr. Beverldgo of Indiana took up tho discussion of tho Philippine question in tho senate. Tho Associated press report of tno proceedings follows: Mr. Beverldgo addressed the senate to correct, as he said, an uninten tional misstatement mado by Mr. Rawlins of Utah, concerning tho ap plication of tho water euro to Fili pinos who had burned Sergeant O'Horno to death. Ho read from the testimony to show that Mr. Rawlins' statement was not accurate. Mr, Hoar of Massachusetts Inquired If It was a fact, proved by testimony, that American soldiers had tortured Filipinos until they had confessed to tho commission of crime. Mr. Beverldgo said it had been proved that tho water euro had been administered in the dreadful O'Horno case. By tho confession of the Fili pinos to whom the water cure had been given it was learned that O'Herne had been burned to death over a slow fire and that his body subsequently had been hacked to pieces. Tho confession of tho Filipinos in cluded tho location of O'Horne's re mains. Investigation disclosed those remains, which woro identified. "Was tills murder proved by any other testimony than that given in the testimony of tho tortured Filipinos?" inquired Mr. Hoar. "Not that I know of," replied Mr. Bovoridgo. "But that evidence was conclusive." Mr. Bevorldge and Mr. Patterson be came Involved In a spirited colloquy over tho treatment of the Filipinos oy tho American soldiers which was in terrupted by Mr. Carmack of Tennes see saying: "Tho conduct of American soldiers in the Philippines was uniformly kind wherever it was permitted to bo so. In cases where it was otherwise they woro driven to the cruelties by their superior officers." Mr. Beverldgo said ho was glad at this' lato date to hoar an apology for attacks mado upon tho American sol diers, and inquired if Mr. Carmack could mention moro than a single In stance where an ofllcor had ordered tho administration of torture to a Filipino. Mr. Carmack replied that he had not referred to any special order, but that the gonoral orders of Generals Bell and Chaffee indicated that In the opinion of thoso offlcors tho Amer ican troops were treating the Filipinos too kindly. Mr. Beverldgo ridiculed this answer of Mr. Carmaclc, declaring that when ho asked him a direct question he re plied in a diaphanous way of the or ders of Bell and Chaffee. The mlaor- ity senators, ho said, should confine themselves to tho record as mado and in connection with the instance of cruelty, which all bitterly regretted, thoy should in justice show that tho Filipino prisoners had received tho same food, tho samo medicines and had been attended in tho same hospi tals by tho same uursc3 as the Ameri can soldiers. Mr. Rawlins contended that every statement ho had mado in his discus sion of this' question was essentially accurate. He discussed the O'Herne case and said that tho impression no had gotten from the testimony was that tho Filipinos had been induced to make the confession suggested to them by the administration of the water cure. He resented Mr. Bever idgo's imputation that tho minority was arraigning the American soldiers. Mr. Rawlins said outrages in the Philippines were due, not to the sol diers themselves, but to the highest military authorities in the islands. The responsibility for them, indeed, was to bo placed properly at the door of the administration officials here In Washington. "Until recently," said he, "I had thought that those things were spor adic and isolated, but I have been forced to the belief that they are out a part of tho general plan of cam paign," Mr. Rawlins said one victim was tied down by American troops and sugar was placed upon his head to attract the voracious ants, common in those isl ands, and forced to give information. He declared that women and innocent children had been put to death ruth lessly by American troops. Mr. Beverldgo read at some length from the testimony taken before the Philippine committee to show many acts of unusual unkindness to Fili pino prisoners by the Americans. Mr. Turner of Washington spoke upon the bill. He declared it unwise, unpatriotic, cruel and inhuman to at tempt to make the Philippines a per manent part of the territory of the United States. Ho then criticised the refusal of the sonato committee on the Philippines to summon Aguinaldo, Mabini, Major Gardener and others. He would feel constrained, he said, if the present methods of the Philippine committee are continued to declare that it aoes not want the truth, but that it is de termined to strangle the truth as our armies under the compulsion of su perior authority are strangling liberty in the Philippines. "If any senator," asked Mr. Turner, "had conceived at the time the treaty with Spain was ponding that it would lead us Into war with the Filipinos would that treaty have received a single vote?" Mr. Turner referred to the order of General Jacob H. Smith and said that it remained for the American soldier, the highest typo of civilization, in a quarrel not having the single element of religious difference, prosecuted upon professedly numanitarian grounds, to raise his name to tho height of bloody infamy. Ho char acterized General Smith as "a mon ster in human form," who had de voted an entire province to a merci less extermination. In response to an inquiry by Mr. Dolliver as to whether any women or children had been put to death under that order Mr. Turner replied that evi dence showed that twenty men had been taken out and shot. Mr. Dolliver declared that the men had been shot not under tho order of General Smith, but upon other grounds. v Mr. Turner urged that Major Waller had pleaded the order of General'Smlth as justification for his execution of the Samar guides and had been ac quitted on that plea. Ho asserted that it would be impossible, despite the "fairy tale of amity "which constantly is being dinned into our ears," for tho United States to govern tho islands Have You Got Rheumatism? A Scientific Discovery Which Will Revolutionize the Treatment of .Rheumatism. TRIAL BOX FREE! Rheumatism tans yielded to a marvelous discovery and to-day this romedy is olTored frco to all who Buffer. Scarcely a grown person has escaped Its twinges, aud thousands havo boon so deformed and misshapen that thoy hardly look llko tholr formor selves, if you aro such a sufTorcr, sond your name MR. ABRAM I1EER of Kttiontl MltlUry Home, tarrock 4, Dijton, Olio, wrltti: OlorU Tonlo did whit tbrf doctors filltd to do. 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Houso after doctors, medicines and fcaths f nlled. 1 ho most elaborate Illustrated book ovor published on tho sub ject of rheumatism, which will tell you all about your caso, mailed freo with trial box. No man, woman, or child need suflor longer. Tho trial lox provos its 5.W..J PV0F rheumatism, and is froo to all. Address: JOHN A. SMITH, 4342 Qormanla ldg.,Mllwaukeo,Wls. without the constant presence there of a great army. Mr. Turner referred to a special dis patch which appeared in the Washing ton Post of today under date line of Lynn, Mass., and which on the au thority of Rev. W. H. Walker told of the execution of 1,000 Filipino prison ers by a battalion of American troops because there was not sufficient food for them. Rev. Dr. Walker told the story on tho authority of his son, J. B. Walker, a private in company I. Sixteenth infantry. Mr. Turnpr ani "ha ni -r.t ,..!. m.. axj uiu uui VUUUU for the truthfulness of the story, but felt that it ought to be investigated. Mr. Lodge replied that ho would in vestigate tho matter, although he felt it was utterly without foundation. Lust of dominion," said Mr. Turner, greed of conquest, overruled the sober judgment of the American officials ana drove us into this war." He strongly urged the Philippine committee to summon every witness who could possibly throw any light on it. Speaking earnestly to the com mittee he said: "In view of the bloody stain on the American enaifrn ,, a j. .... light on this situation, it will bo be cause, you dare not You cannot es- JEWELERS tAOO ... -.. ... ,. uu u.mr aaa Men 09 Mttertlm Ibia thUt SO yew cuinotee. rulljjtvtlcdirorki. IHguut pd doubU E?JUB..I.4k.,oW,,,.M,MM' CntThta Ont Md Mod t to nl with aournime.pojt oo bilrtacrttMtddriiad w will nnd tb WATCH AND CHAIN COMl'tKTK tofoubjeipma You eiitolDtbmr.t jour (xprtu oSle tod Uu rtprutnted pj I3.W nd eiprtu chirps ud (her m your Mention iltt Hinted nvn'ra y.iiivm. Addr.1. D C Otlt I Barn . nn BBiwibJm 5m l "I