Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-26
ECHOES OF THE WAR.

That irresistible magnet or will-o'-the-
wisp OF the fortune hunters -Rold-is held
up as an attraction OF the Philippines. II is
claimed that gold is to be found in the
Islands In paying quantities. There is no
mention OF silver mineral. AS Uncle sam
has definitely fixed upon the gold standard
II Is argued that we cannot let go the gold
bearing strata of the islands, cost what Il
may. Some shallow opponents OF expansion
snceringly insist that the coming Philippine
state, L. 5. a., Is a gold brick They are
right Enough gold is to be found there
to make genuine gold bricks Lieutenant l.,
A. Curtis OF the Twenty second infantry, in
a letter to a Wisconsin friend, predicts
Klondike rush 10 the islands as soon as peace
again occupies its proper perch. lie says
there Is no doubt OF gold being found in
the streams of the Islands Of Mindanao and
Cebu. This would indicate" he writes,
that the gold deposits in the interior are
far richer. Mlndanuo bids fair to be the first
island tha. will become the home OF Amer
leans across the sea. New countries begin
with a population of gold hunters. Then
farmers and traders to supply the gold hunt,
ers follow them and finally the country fills
up with population following varied pur-
! suits This has been the history OF our own
mountain states and will be the history of
Mindanao.
ut was the attraction OF gold mines that
built up our Pacific states. II the gold
| mines OF Cebu and Mindanao prove to be
| what is predicted the Philippines will have n
| large American population within a genera
ton. Gold will carry them into the south
| ern islands. An industrial population will
follow the argonauts. Merchants, planters,
eXploiters, drawn by the security that an
American population in part of the group
| will create, will flock into the islands of the
north, the islands where an American in
dustrlal population will probably never live,
| owing to native competition
But gold is not the only tale OF the
mineral wealth OF the Philippines There is
an abundance Of copper, coal and iron. The
Spanish never explored the group. They
were jealous OF letting people Of other ma
tions do it. With the thorough exploration
! that will come with the American occupa-
( tion wha. results can we not predict IL the
| promises of the first little cursory eXamina-
! ton arc at all fulfled?'
Mrs. Funston, the wife of the general who
| has just returned from Manila, says that
| living there is not so bad as it is painted.
! MY most exciting experiences" she adds
| came whenever an engagement was in
| pIDSItSS. III MANILA we were IN telcgrNDnlc
communication with those at the front l
would stay at the operators elbow for hours
| at a time, shudderng with dread, horriaed
when the news was flashed that meant sor-
row ard mourning in Kansas and elsewhere
| the news of some poor fellows death on the
| battlefield. One could not bear up manv
more months under so terrible a strain as
| that was"
Rev. Peter MacQueen, whose anti i'm
perialistic articles on his Philippine expert
ence have lately got him some attention,
once got into an odd difficulty with a
brother Congregationalist, according to the
New York Commercial Advertiser "He
was,' it says, lone of committee of two
sent by the Boston Athletic association to
present to the king of Greece suitable gift
in commemoration OF the Olympian games
a few years ago. While in Europe he went
| to Turkey, and on his return said in some
newspaper interviews some very unpleasant
things about his church's missionaries IN
| that country. He was quickly called to ac-
count by his church and got out of the
trouble by denying that the interviews ever
took place.
A Manila correspondent Of the Chicago
Record speaking of the departure of the
Kansas twentieth regiment, notes the
curious thing that when the men turned in
their arms most of them turned in Mausers
when they were charged with Springfield
rifles on the books of the regiment. They
had captured the Mausers from the Fill
pinos
Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee, who is at the
head OF the woman army nurses. and is ar
assistant to Surgeon General Sternberg has
the rank OF first lieutenant and is entitled
to wear shoulder straps indicative OF heI
rank DIR. McGee has the distinction of
being the only woman officer in the United
States army service