Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1902 — "SEEING THINGS AT NIGHT” [ARTICLE]

"SEEING THINGS AT NIGHT”

Senator Patterson Tells of an Officer Who Sat in the “Shade” After Sundown. Senator Patterson of Colorado is a former resident of Indiana, having, like former Senator Wilson of Washington, gone west from Crawfordsville to grow up with that section and' become an active factor in its political life. As editor of the Rocky Mountain Ntws Mr. Patterson proclaimed on the morning after Dewey’s victory. In a type display that occupied most of the front page of his paper, the doctrine: “Where Dewey has hoisted the flag there shall It float forever,” or words to that effect. The nimble Colorado statesman doubtless thought the administration wculd withdraw American authority from the Philpplnes, thereby creating a first-class Democratic issue. But Editor Patterson guessed wrong. Now Senator Patterson is the leader of the opposition to the policy of maintaining American supremacy in the Philippines. That he, in common with his associates of the minority in the senate, has been hard-pressed in the effort to maintain himself in his new position, is Indicated by a somewhat amusing colloquy which took place between him and Senator Beveridge the other day, as shown by the-Con-gressional Record. Senator Patterson had been discussing American “atrocities” in the Philippines and said: “The senator from Indiana wants to know whether there was any instance but the one in which there was an order from an American officer to administer the water cure. My sole alm, I will say to the senator, is to be correct. I want to say to the senate, Mr. President, that in every instance in which the water cure was administered —sometimes to as many as 20 Filipinos, then again to 12, and sometimes to lesser numbers —in every instance an officer was in the immediate vicinity.” Mr. Beveridge—That is as near as you can get an officer—“in the immediate vicinity.” Mr. Patterson —In the Immediate vicinity, when the water cure was applied all night, commencing early in the evening and running until broad daylight in the morning, the officer in command of the troops was sitting under the shade of a tree, within less than 100 yards from where the process was being conducted. Mr. Beveridge—Great Heavens, Mr. President, sitting in the shade of a tree at night . [Laughter.] We have it at last, I am glad to say. Tn the courts, both federal and state, if a lawyer who is confused presents some half a dozen theories upon which he desires to proceed, no one knows better than the senator from Colorado that the court requires him to elect the theory upon which he proposes to try his case. Mr. Patterson —Mr. President — Mr. Beveridge—Just wait a moment. I want to get through with that officer sitting at night under he shade of a tree. [Laughter.] Mr. Patterson —Ah!

Mr. Beveridge—Mr. President, I started out with the expectation of occupying the attention of the senate for three or four minutes In a kindly way to call attention to what I said was an unintentional error of my friend the senator from Utah [Mr. Rawlins]. Immediately a diversion was required; and the senator from Colorado proposed another subject of discussion. That was taken up, and then my friend the senator from Tennessee took up another subject of discussion, and that was the American soldier. He exonerated him, and then he attacked the American officer. I then asked the senator to name the American officer, to file his specifications, and he said it was not a subordinate officer, but it was Chaffee and Bell; and yet we had Chaffee yesterday exonerated by the senator from Utah. Then comes again the senator from Colorado to the rescue and says, “Yes, there is more than one instance; there is a horrible and dramat’c circumstance of water cure given all night long until broad daylight, and during the whole of it an American officer sat within a few yards under the shade of a tree.” [Laughter.]