White Savages at War

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 27, 2 July 1903, Page 1

White Savages at War

On reading the official report of General Miles on the conduct of American soldier-savages in the Philippines one is tempted to ask,, in the language of Truthful James :

' Ts our civilisation a failure ? Or is the Caucasian played out ? ' The orgies of savagery carriod on systematically by ' Glenn's Brigade ' and other military brutes are on a par with the Kishineff atrocities and the Bulgarian horrors that roused Great Britain to such magnificent indignation over five-and-twenty years ago. They con-

Biat of wholesale plunder, robbery awl massacre of nrieoners and gtoides, extortion, looting and desecration of churches, wilful and senseless damage and destruction of ecclesiastical property, cold-blooded murder of unoffending persons (even children not being spared), and the systematic and callous infliction of torture, including whipping to death, roasting alive, and the application of the deadly agonies of the ' water-cure.' Officers, to their everlasting shame, have been the ring-leaders in those deeds of blood and plunder. Here is a sample extract from General Miles's report : 'At Colbayog, Samar, it was reported that several men in that district had been subjected to water torture. I saw three men who had been subjected to this treatment. One was the president* of the town, Mr. Rozales, who showed me long deep scars on his arms, which he said were caused by the cords with which he was bound cutting into his flesh. The second man was named Jose Borje, and the third was Padre Jose Diaznes, who stated that he was one of the three priests who had been subjected to torture by the troops under Lieutenant GJaujot, Tenth Cavalry ; that his front teeth had been knocked out, which was apparent ; that he was otherwise maltreated and robbed of 300 dollars. It was stated that these priests were taken out to be killed and were only saved by the prompt action of Major Carnngton (First Infantry), who sent out for them Lieutenant Onujox, was tried, and was given the trivial sentence of three months' suspension from command, forfeiting 50 dollars per month for the same period. His pleading guilty prevented all the facts and circumstances being developed.'

We have had Geneva Conventions and codified International Laws of War since the sackings and massacres of Badajos, San Sebastian, Tripolitza, and Belgrade. But the Lord of Misrule is even still the lord of war. Scratch a Russian and you'll find a Tartar, and the demon in a man or a battalion or a regiment often works out in war-time — as it did in the Chinese crisis and in the Philippines— through the thin veneer of manners and observances that frequently pass muster for ' civilisation.' We have grave doubts that war, as conducted by Christian and civilised countries, can be called either Christian or civilised.