The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-19

of the American Forces viii Be
Prepared For ANY Ruse On the
Part of the Insurgents.
+ \ 4 = \ = =
= Manila, May 19, 10 a. m =
\ The Philippine commissioners y
\ to confer with the American y
4 commissioners regarding sur =
\ render, arrived last night at y
= Manila today.
y The people of Manila are con- =
\ fident that the insurrection is =
+ ending. =
4 = \ 4 4 y
Washington, May 1S.-General Otis
cabled the war department today as
follows:
Manila, May 1S.-Adjutant General,
Washington: Insurgent cabinet and
Aguinaldo are in the mountains twelve
miles north of San Isidro, which they
abandoned on the 18th inst. They viii
SeIu a GOlillulSSlDn lOllOIOh ~ Stth
terms of peace. Majority of the force
confronting Macarthur at San Fsrnan-
do has retired to Tarlac, tearing up two
miles of railway. This force has de
creased to about $500. Scouting parties
anddetachments are moving today in
various directions. Kobbe with Solum-
bia on Rio Grande. Great ma jority of
inhabitants of provinces over which
troops have moved are anxious for
\ peace and are supported by members
of the insurgent cabinet Aspect of
affairs at present is favorable.
OTIS"
Believes the End at Hand.
War department officials are firmly
convinced that the end of the inSur-
rection in the Philippines is at hand
and that the insurgent cabinet and
Aguinaldo who are TO meet General
Otis tomorrow. viii succumb to the in
evitable and surrender. Their forces,
il is said al the department, are evil
eently SO demoraIized by the persist
ent advance of the Americans that
they are ready to accept peace on The
best terms they can obtain. Driven
northward to the foothills of the noun
tains, as they nave been, their fleeing
ana scattered forces, diSiHtegrated and
disheartened. no longer can be made TO
face our victorious advance.
Less than Il week ago General Luna
Was reported just north of San Fer
nando, while General MacArthur's
troops are concentrated, and in the
neighborheOd of BacOlOr with about /
5000 rebels. Today General Otis re- /
ports that the remnant OF his force (
about 1000, have withdrawn TO Tariae |
over twenty miles from San Fernando. |
1t is probable the remainder of this !
force moved east and Joined the main :
body of the insurgents which aban- /
uOngn San fSiHrn and ~ :, 4
the point from which Aguinaldo is now +
sending his commissioners TO sue for /
peace. /
Prepared For a Rise.
II this Is a ruse to gain time which
none of the officials at the war depart
ment believe, it Will avail them moth
ing as the Americans will utilize the
period during the negotiations in recon
noiterinS the country ahead of them
preparatory to the resumption of ape-
latlons the minute the negotiations fail
Secretary Alger said that the situa-
uon was most encouraging, and that ii |
was apparent shat the Filipinos realized
the strength of the United States and
saw that resistance would mean eXter-
mlnation for them if they persisted in
defyinS authority. Speaking of the part
taken by the volunteers in the Philip
pine campaign, the secretary says that.
instead Of wishing to be home. they
would not nave missed it, as il was an
event in their lives, especially as the
hard fighting has been crowned with
success. The secretary believes the
commission which Aguinaldo is send
ing to General Otis viii accept any
terms proposed by the United States.
What Aguinaldo Expects.
1t is not clear to the officials here
what concessions Aguinaldo expects to
mob
the flBI approval of the president and
his cabinet, has repeatedly declared
that he VIII consider nothing but the
unconditional surrender of the insur-
gents as necessary preliminary to any
negotiations for a cessation of hostili- ]
ties. II is possible the willy insurgent
leader believes that he may make terms
for the special benefit of himself and 4
his cabinet. and il is even possible that :
he has an idea that the United States :
may be willing to reimburse him liber- !
ally for the surrender ~ his army
II is suggested that Aguinaldo is q
merely holding out for his own interests
in this matter. now that the Filipino :
cause is lost. and Will demand safe con-
duct out of the Philippine islands for
himself and u few of his chosen friends.
with sufficient money to ena- /,
BILE them 10 live in exile for a reason
able period.
The dispatch Of two battalions of the y
Twenty-third infantry yesterday to :
Jolo. the principal town in the Zulu :
archipelago, is the fourth military ex-
pedition detached from the main body
Of our troops. The Zulu archipelago is
a group of small islands extending in a
like the Aleutian islands. T
south of the Philippines. There are no :
insurgents. as far as known, in the !,
Zulu group The population of the II
islands consists Of aborigines, Chinese
traders and negroes. .
Strength of the Forces. j
There is no absolute information at Z
he war department concerning the \
present strength Of the American forces n
lnder Macarthur, Lawton and Kobbe. 8
which have been operating against the S
Insurgents north of Manila. The num- \
Der of men, if each organization were I
Up TO its maximum strength. would be !.
6 800, but ii is doubtful If their strength p
otals LOCO men, MacArthurs troops. Y
except one regiment, are volunteers. Y
All -of KoDbe's men are regulars re-
emily arrived. Three of the six regi-
nents under Lawton are also regulars.
There is one radical difference be-
ween the volunteer and regular organ h
cations. Losses in the former are per- f.
nanent, while the gaps in the ranks of II
he regulars are being constantly filled S