The Mena star., 1899-08-10
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Light Thrown Upon the Situation
 in the Islands.
THE TERRITORY HELD BY AMERICANS
Insurgents In Possession of Three-Fourths of the Rolling Stock of the Railroad, Are We'll Armed and Learning
 How to Fight.

Chicago, Aug. 5.-I'he Tribune's spe- cial correspondence from Manila, un- der date of June 26, says;
 The next campaign can hardly begin sooner than November although the country may dry up enough toward the middle of October 10 per- init the American troops to take the field then. The American army during the rainy season can hardly be expected to do anything more than hold what it has gained and prepare for the next campaign. The ground to defend Is not very great
 On the south of Manila we have linus, about 8 miles away where the Fourth and Fifteenth infantry, with several guns from the Sixth artillery, are stationed This territory gained only within the last two weeks by the hard fighting at Paranaque, at which even the rattle of the rifles could be heard in Manila We hold the road that runs to linus through Paranaquc and Bacoor every inch of which was only gained by hard fighting and which has to be closely guarded all the way to linus by troops in trenches and massed in two three companies at the vil- lages and bridges Northward the farthest point in the control of our soldiers is San Fer nando 41 miles from Manila on the railroad. The railroad is i49 miles in length in all, but the insurgents control all the track between San Fernando and Dagupan, the northern ter minal of the road. The insurgents are in pos session of three-fourths of the rolling stock. They have 27 of the roads locomotives, while the Americans only have four. The rest of the rolling stock is also distributed between the two parties in like ratio.
 The Americans hold Canabanda east of San Fernando, ten miles They hold all the towns along the railroad. of course, to San Fernando and Balinag. seven miles east of Pulilan. Re ports continually come from Balinag that the town is entirely surrounded by the enemy and is about to be carried by assault, but Col. Page and the Third infantry have so far driven the rebel back with disastrous loss every time they have assaulted the town and he declares he can hold it for an indefinite time, although his posi- tion there is by no means an easy one Sup plies and mail can only be carried over to Bal fnag from the railroad under an escort of not less than i50 men, who are invariably attacked somewhere along the road, both going and con- ing The insurgents have their intrenchments drawn well around both San Fernando and Bal inag and their ontposts in sight of the American outpests.
 The country north of lBalinag that Gen. Law tons troops marched over to San Isidor had nll to be evacuated, owing to the lack of troops to garrison the captured towns and will have to be retalxen afresh when the next campaign opens.
 The insurgents are continually receiving fresh supplies and arms. AtParanaque a week ago they astonished the hesAmercans by bringing out some modern field pieces that they had ob- tained somewhere. Heavy shipments of arms AfS oatu ~ " Sohn1dHtiN diilNink iEol Jdpdl and Australia and 1t is said, even from our own country. Cartridges picked up in the nsurgent trenches bear the trade mark of big manufac- turing firm in the United States
 The insurgents have three factories where they manufacture cartridges and other muni- Hons of war If they were kept on the run they would have no time SC to equip themselves that they could return after every defeat better able tc fight than theywere before. They are learn Ing things in every encounter with the Ameri- cans The papers in Manila have continually referred to the fadt that the rebels were prone to shoot too high, and they seemed finally to have learned the Iesson and now they are get ting their shots wal down and showing great improvement in marissmanShip.