The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1898-12-29
TOO LATE TO
PREVENT 1T
Washington Officials Believe Otis Will
Demand the Surrender of llOilO
Into His Hands, and If the Rebels
Refuse, Enforce His Demand.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2S.-There is
great deal of anxiety in official circles
here over the recent events at Ilollo.
Two official dispatches have been re-
ceived by the etate and war departments
but it is impossible to gather from them
accurate knowledge as to the conditions
there. 1t is not even possible to learn
whether the insurgents or American
forces have taken the place.
This morning United States Consul
Pratt, at Singapore, cabled the state de-
partment: "Iloilo taken 26th. Spanish
fed to Borneo." This threw the officials
into deeper doubt than before. The
American expedition which left Manila
to go to Iloilo, consisting of 1000 troops
and the warships Baltimore and Callao,
would scarcely have had time to reach
Iloilo by the 26th. So the inference is
that the insurgents are in possession of
the town.
Color is lent to the belief from the fact
reported in one telegram that the Span
iards had retreated to a strongly forti-
fed town On the island of Mindanao.
This does not agree with Pratt's state
ment that they had fed to Borneo. The
fact that the Spaniards have retreated at
all is construed as indicating that the
town had been abandoned to the insurg-
ents.
Officials at the war department still
decline to make public Otis telegram of
yesterday, but there is no doubt he is
meeting with great difficulty in his ef-
forts to secure the release of the Spanish
prisoners held by the Filipinos. It be-
gins to appear clearly that a considera-
BILE element among Filipino leaders,
probably a majority, are disposed to use
the unfortunate prisoners as basis for
negotiations with the United States,
naming their release conditional upon
certain more or less important conces-
slons demanded by them.
Just before noon cablegram was re-
ceived from Otis which confirmed the
fears of the officials as to happenings at
Iloilo. Otis stated that the Americans
reached that place too late, the insurg-
ents having taken possession of the city
on the 25th, thirty-nine hours prior to
Captain Potter's arrival. Aguinaldo's
flag floats over the city.
Otis Gays the Spaniards have evacuat-
ed all the stations in the southern islands
except Zamboango and Mindanao, by
orders, they say, from Madrid. Otis
expects no further word from Iloilo for
four days, owing to lack of cable COM
munications. It IS presumed Otis will
demand surrender of Iloilo into his
hands, and this demand may at once
raise the issue between the insurgents
ond our own government of the posses
sion of the islands.
The province of Iloilo is set down in
official directories as having a population
of 472, 600, and is the second seaport
city IN Importance in the Philippine
group.
The Spanish have chosen a strong
place for the concentration of their
troops in the town of fZamboango, which
is strongly fortified and possessed OF
considerable natural strength from de-
fensive point of view. 1t is not doubted
they will be able to maintain themselves
for an indefinite time against the insurg
ents, presuming they are not cut of