Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-16
AFFAIRS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Ex-Minister Barrett Describes Conditions as
BE Saw Them.
Volunteers willing to Stay Until
Encouraged by Pamphlets.

Mr., John Barrett OF Oregon, formerly
United States minister to Siam, has arrived
in New York city after several months so
journ in the Philippines. He left Manila
March 49, and returned to this country
by way Of Paris and London. In the course
of an interview in New York yesterday he
made the following statements in regard
to the conditions in the Philippines:
There is not an officer of our army or
navy and not enlisted man in our army
or navy who does not believe-who does
not, in fact, know-that the plan for sub
DUNG the islands and bringing them under
American control, formula ted by Gen Otis
and Admiral Dewey, is the correct plan and
will be successfully carried out. They have
no more doubt of this than they have that
they are in the Philippines and not in the
United States.
able and painstaking officer, careful of the
smallest dete.s and always sure of his
ground before he moves. The Filipinos
didn't have this idea of him at first, and
because they didn't they stood up and
fought. 1t didn't take them long to find
out, however that whatever Otis planned
his men carried out, and little obstacles
like armed FiNpnos didn't seem to hinder
the execution of those plans in the least.
When they learned that, they fought less
and ran more. That's why our troops have
! had sort of cross-eountry chase of 1t for
over a month.
Dewey Simple, and Unaffected.
"Of Admiral Dewey the natives have al
ways had a different notion. He gave them
an object lesson in what he could do in the
way of fighting when he sailed into Manila
bay and shot the Spanish fleet full of holes.
Since then he has been feared and re-
spected more than any man who ever set
foot on the islands, And the respect for
him is not confined to the natives. 1t per
vades the American army as Well When
ever the admiral comes ashore and passes
along the lines the men on guard spruce
up and rather strain point to salute him.
The first soldier that gets an answer to the
salute spends all OF his time off duty for
the next few days telling about how he
got a salute from the admiral.
with all this attention and all the honor
which he knows hrs countrymen at home
have accorded to him, Dewey hasn't the
faintest symptom of Il swelied head. He
puts on no fuss and feathers, except to be
always Immediately dressed, and he is
always most courteous to every body.
His health is not of the best, but he Is by
no means sick man, The strain upon him
has been great and he shows the effect of
it, that's all. One thing is not generally
known here, perhaps. Every officer of
Deweys fleet has been away somewhere, to
Hong Kong or elsewhere, since the ships
Dewey hasn't been anywhere. He has not
left Manila bay since he sailed in, and it
is no wonder that he has grown gray.
Rightly or wrongly, the impression prevails
in the Philippines that, if plenary powers
had been given to Dewey in the very be-
ginning, We would now be in full control
in the Philippines and the natives would
not now be insurgents.
Volunteers willing to Stny.
Now let me say a word about our troops
who are fighting their way through the
| Island of Luzon. Their health generally
speaking, is excellent. Those who were on
the sick list when the fighting began on
February 4 seemed to recover as If by
magic and about the only thing that has
since put them in the hospital has been a
bullet. Further than that, and l hope you
will mark THIS in, view of what is now
appearing nsSsomet newspa pers, the volun-
teers want to stay;In the Philippines until
| they can bs relieted without interfering
| with the plan of tcampaign. You should
! not gather fsom this that the volunteers do
| not want to come home. They do; but not
] a private in the ranks, to say nothing Of