The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-09
SLOW PROGRESS IN LUzoN.
AN INTERESTING SUMMARY.

/
AN INTERESTING SUMMARY.
The Territory Controlled by tho Amer
ioans-A Republican Paper Throws
Light on tho Situation.
The Chicago Tribune prints sum.
mary of the situation in the Philippine
islands from it's special correspondent
Richard Fl. Little. The letter, which
is dated Manila, September Ia, says:
| "Here are some figures, made seven
months and half after our campaign
against the Filipinos began. Say 1T is
five milos to hngeles-we hold posses.
sion OF the railroad up to that point.
We can fairly claim possession of the
land q half mile on each side OF the
track. We have possession Of the wa
gon road, and let us say, d half mile
on each side from San Fernando
through BacolOOr to Santa Rita, eight
miles, with four miles TO Guagua. We
have q road from Mololos to Balianag,
II miles northeast. We can claim II
square miles here.
1--WE have Manila, out 40 far as the
water works, five miles away. That
gives us, say, 20 miles around the city:
"Then we have the road and q halt
mile each side down 18 miles to linus.
Then We have Calamba and some other
points on the lake that General Lawton
captured before he was ordered back
These towns are not approached by
road, but by boat across the Laguna de
Bay, and we only control the land tney
stand on.
"Adding up our total possessions we
find we have 1T square miles.
1.-THE island of Luzon contains $4,000
square miles.
>"Outside Of Luzon the resurrection
seems to be growing. The Insurgents
hold ports in Mindanao, the largest is
land to IuzJn in the Philippines, Hnd
said to be incalculably rich in gold and
silver mines, iron and copper ores, and
other minerals, besides possessing won.
derful forests Of hardwood. No Amer
, leans have dared venture there as yet,
as General Otis has sent no troops to
the island. Englishmen and Germans
: : arc prowling about tho island getting
, all the concessions they can. 1t Is said
several prospecting parties are at work,
"General Otis reports conflicts be
tween tho 'robber bands and Amer.
. lean soldiers in Negros and Cebua. The
. Nineteenth, the Eighteenth and the
~ third infantry are now In these islands
= lighting the robber band, who dig
trenches and occupy towns and max.
-, night attacks after the fashion Of the
= insurgents In Luzon.
i "A late report from Ccbua Is tha
u some 1000 robbers wero menacint
~ our forces and u collision was immi
=" nent
~ T., 1.-The next campaign Is goiLg to b'
- different from the last. We will ge
u out of tho Hut, open country into noun
| a.; inl/ /1,t loI
" we co not end the war here we viii
o. have to carry it into the high, rocky
- ribbed mountains of Luzon.
20 "It will be no violation Of state sc
:. cret to say that tho first object of tn
~ next campaign will be to get the res
'n of the railroad from the hands OF tn
~ insurgents. The insurgents ought t,
~ be firmly convinced by this time tha
We want the Manila and Dagupan rail
road, as we nave fought along that lin
seven months. They know we want it
and they also know that we are goins
10 to get it, for they are already tearin,
H. up tho track, burning tho ties, ant
bnryinH the rails north Of Angeles.
1.-The country cast Of the railrOat
Is north of Angeles to Dagupan, is mucl
H. liko it ie south of Manila, except high
or and broken. West of the railroat
IN are high mountains that will offer the
81 insurgents better opportunity to re
o treat and escape than they had in the
is low country. With the taking OF the
le railroad we will have cut of tho pro
~ ~ vinces of Zambales, Paggasinan, Tarlat
~ and Pampanga, and Bataan, from tht
q main part OF the island, ant. xrsI ia,
III claim to good doal more ecu Hntry thai
the precise amQNGtS' of real estate or
~ which our arRy Is now camping.
- " IRON -,,na railroad AQOiOallO
= Amy can hardly retreat anywhere but
's nOthward across the mountains to thu
n fertile valley OF the Rio Grande dt
8. Caguary. The walled city cannot un
., derstand why the army has SC niucl
q trouble with the railroad. When tn,
oflicers in the field notify the wallet
20 city that the rails have been torn III
ID from the section Of track just captured
10 and that the tics have been burned
~ ordor to fix It, So after a few mile
u, Of railroad Ia captured the soldier
III have to scatter up and down the tract
10 and go mining for steel rails. Tn
l, insurgents bury the rails I've or al:
IN feet deep. They observed that tn,
O. Americans located the rails by sound
t. ing with crowDar, 80 they resorte,
et to the expedient Of putting layer o
O. ties over the rails. To replace tn
* burned tlc5 tho quart2rmastors rs depart
'd mont wero forced to use planks, tw
boards, each two inches wide bein.
Ia nailed together for tics. The side
~ track, wherever possible all the wa,
le back to Manila, was jerkod up, carried
lp north and put down whore the rail
ts could be found.
10 The American army is badly ir
Il, neod Of railroad tics and steel rails.
ot Another great need OF the army II
'r light draft steamboats, for use on the
le many rivers and lakes Of LuZon. There
's Is hardly q place in the world whore al
10 army could use river steamers tt
o greater advantage. The Rio Grande
y the Chico, tho Rio Grande Pampanga
70 tho Agno, the Btcol and the Pasig al
flow through fertile and densely popu
D. lated valleys and offer means to tht
" army Of bringing up supplies and swift
o ly transporting large bodies Of soldier,
10 that would be invaluable were 1t utii
) lied.
O. From what can be learned from