Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 May 1902 — SENATE WANTS FACTS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SENATE WANTS FACTS

WOULD TURN SEARCHLIGHT ON PHILIPPINE WAR. Democrat* Declare Majority Party I* Seeking to Cover Up the Truth— Smith’* Infamous General Order *• to Damar Denounced by Sibley. The Democrats In the Senate Wednesday accused the Republicans of a desire to suppress the facts as to the situation in the Philippines. The charge was indignantly repelled by Senator Lodge, who declared that the Republicans desired the fullest information. The debate was heated and continued for two hours. It came over a resolution offered by Senator Patterson of Colorado directing the Secretary of War to order by cable Maj. Gardener, now in the Philippines, to come immediately to Washington to appear as a witness before the Philippine committee. It was whil<? speaking in support of this resolution that Senator I’atterson made the charge that an attempt was being made to suppress information. Senator Lodge, in denial, declared that •uch an attempt would be inconceivably stupid. All parties, he insisted, were anxious for the fullest information, but he and others contended that it would not be advisable to cable to the Philippines, for Maj. Gardener would be here in time to appear before tlie committee. Mr. Allison said he was satisfied that Maj. Gardener would reach Washington long before Congress adjourned and there would be ample time to get his testimony in the regular course of events without calling on the authorities to cable him to come at once. General MacArthur', Testimony. Maj. Gen. MacArthur before the Senate committee on Philippines explained his statements that chaos would result ■hould independence be given the Filipinos and the United States forces be withdrawn, by saying that the people of

the Philippines, being less prepared for self-government and administration than any of the Latin-American republics at the time of their emancipation from Spain, their own unaided efforts to accomplish self-regenera-tion would in all

probability prove abortive. The people of the Philippines, the General said, have rudimentary ideas and aspirations, and are therefore in an essentially plastic condition which, the tuitionary control of the United States, would, in his opinion, admit of a rapid molding of the body politic into consistent, self-supporting commonwealth. American withdrawal from the Islands would, in his opinion, result in the permanent failure of republican institutions In the East and a fratricidal war which would continue until suppressed by some exterior force. Gen. MacArthur denied that there has been any unusual destruction of life in the islands. “The destruction,” said he, “is simply incident to war •nd, of course, embraces a small percentage of the total population, which is dense.” By a strict party vote the committee refused to subpoena Maj. Cornelius Gardener, Aguinaldo, Slxto Lopez and Mablnl. The question of sending a subcommittee to the Philippines to continue the investigation was passed over. Smith I* Scored. Representative Sibley (Pa.) created something of a sensation in the House during the general debate on the agricultural appropriation by severely denouncing Gen. Jacob 11. Smith for the orders he issued in the Samar campaign. He declared that Gen. Smith was a disgrace to the uniform he wore and expressed the hope that the President would strip him of his uniform within forty-eight hours. Mr. Sibley’s speech was enthusiastically applauded by the Democrats and was received with some evidences of approval on the Republican side. The speech was considered the more remarkable in that it came from a Republican who left the Democratic party on the issues raised by the Spanish war, and who has since been an ardent expansionist. Mr. Williams (Dem., Misa.) indorsed what Sibley had •aid.

GEN. MACARTHUR.