Negro soldiers in Lakeland,Florida,pistol-whipped a drugstore owner when he refused to serve one of them,and then,in a confrontation with a white crowd,killed a civilian.In Tampa,a race riot began when drunken white soldiers used a Negro child as a target to show their marksmanship;Negro soldiers retaliated,and then the streets "ran red with negro blood,"according to press dispatches.Twenty-seven Negro soldiers and three whites were severely wounded.The chaplain of a black regiment in Tampa wrote to the Cleveland Gazette: Is America any better than Spain?Has she not subjects in her very midst who are murdered daily without a trial of judge or jury?Has she not subjects in her own borders whose children are half-fed and half-clothed,because their father's skin is black....Yet the Negro is loyal to his country's flag. The same chaplain,George Prioleau,talks of black veterans of the Cuban war "unkindly and sneeringly received"in Kansas City,Missouri.He says that"these black boys,heroes of our country,were not allowed to stand at the counters of restaurants and eat a sandwich and drink a cup of coffee,while the white soldiers were welcomed and invited to sit down at the tables and eat free of cost." But it was the Filipino situation that aroused many blacks in the United States to militant opposition to the war.The senior bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church,Henry M.Turner,called the campaign in the Philippines"an unholy war of conquest"and referred to the Filipinos as "sable patriots There were four black regiments on duty in the Bhilippines.Many of the black soldiers established rapport with the brown-skinned natives on the islands,and were angered by the term"nigger"used by white troopy to describe the Filipinos.An "unusually large number"of black troops deserted during the Philippines campaign, Gatewood says.The Filipino rebels oftenqddressed themselves to "The Colored American Soldier"in posters,remindins them of lynchings back home,asking them not to serve the white imperialist against other colored people. Some deserters joined the Finpmo rebels.The most famous of these was David Fagan of the 24th Infantry.According to Gatewood:"He accepted a commission in the insurgent army and for two years wreaked havoc upon the American forces." From the Philippines,William Simms wrote: I was struck by a question a little Filipino boy asked me,which ran about this way:"Why does the American Negro come...to fight us where we are much a friend to him and have not done anything to him.He is all the same as me and me all the same as you.Why don't you fight those people in America who burn Negroes,that make a beast of you.. "? Another soldier's letter of 1899: Our racial sympathies would naturally be with the Filipinos.They are fighting manfully for what they conceive to be their best interests.But we cannot for the sake of sentiment turn our back upon our own country. Patrick Mason,a sergeant in the 24th Infantry,wrote to the Cleveland Gazette,which had taken a strong stand against annexation of the Philippines: Dear Sir:I have not had any fighting to do since I have been here and don't care to do any.I feel sorry for these people and all that have come under the control of the United States.I don't believe they will be justly dealt by.The first thing in the morning is theNegro soldiers in Lakeland, Florida, pistol-whipped a drugstore owner when he refused to serve one of them, and then, in a confrontation with a white crowd, killed a civilian. In Tampa, a race riot began when drunken white soldiers used a Negro child as a target to show their marksmanship; Negro soldiers retaliated, and then the streets "ran red with negro blood," according to press dispatches. Twenty-seven Negro soldiers and three whites were severely wounded. The chaplain of a black regiment in Tampa wrote to the Cleveland Gazette: Is America any better than Spain? Has she not subjects in her very midst who are murdered daily without a trial of judge or jury? Has she not subjects in her own borders whose children are half-fed and half-clothed, because their father's skin is black. . . . Yet the Negro is loyal to his country's flag. The same chaplain, George Prioleau, talks of black veterans of the Cuban war "unkindly and sneeringly received" in Kansas City, Missouri. He says that "these black boys, heroes of our country, were not allowed to stand at the counters of restaurants and eat a sandwich and drink a cup of coffee, while the white soldiers were welcomed and invited to sit down at the tables and eat free of cost." But it was the Filipino situation that aroused many blacks in the United States to militant opposition to the war. The senior bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Henry M. Turner, called the campaign in the Philippines "an unholy war of conquest" and referred to the Filipinos as "sable patriots." There were four black regiments on duty in the Philippines. Many of the black soldiers established rapport with the brown-skinned natives on the islands, and were angered by the term "nigger" used by white troops to describe the Filipinos. An "unusually large number" of black troops deserted during the Philippines campaign, Gatewood says. The Filipino rebels often addressed themselves to "The Colored American Soldier" in posters, reminding them of lynchings back home, asking them not to serve the white imperialist against other colored people. Some deserters joined the Filipino rebels. The most famous of these was David Fagan of the 24th Infantry. According to Gatewood: "He accepted a commission in the insurgent army and for two years wreaked havoc upon the American forces." From the Philippines, William Simms wrote: I was struck by a question a little Filipino boy asked me, which ran about this way: "Why does the American Negro come . . . to fight us where we are much a friend to him and have not done anything to him. He is all the same as me and me all the same as you. Why don't you fight those people in America who burn Negroes, that make a beast of you . . ."? Another soldier's letter of 1899: Our racial sympathies would naturally be with the Filipinos. They are fighting manfully for what they conceive to be their best interests. But we cannot for the sake of sentiment turn our back upon our own country. Patrick Mason, a sergeant in the 24th Infantry, wrote to the Cleveland Gazette, which had taken a strong stand against annexation of the Philippines: Dear Sir: I have not had any fighting to do since I have been here and don't care to do any. I feel sorry for these people and all that have come under the control of the United States. I don't believe they will be justly dealt by. The first thing in the morning is the no profit use only