The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-07
MERRITT TALKS OF THE FIGHT.
BELIEVES THE ATTACK WAS PLAN
NED BY AGUINALDO.

FilipinOs Do Not Understand For
bearance and CONFERENCE.-The
isfied Their Military Organization
VIII Scarcely Survive This De-
feat-PiO de Pillar Their Best Sol
dieF-When Conquered the Natives
VIII Respect Superior Force.
New York, Feb. 6.-Gen. Wesley Merritt,
in an interview to-day on the Philippine
outbreak. said:
THAT the attack on our lines should
have been made at night is what one would
expect from the tutelage of the Filplnos
in war, that of the Spaniards. Night attack
is a favorite operation of Spanish COM
n1anders, and during the time that the in
surgents were besiegng Manila, before
our movement against the city actively
began, the two antagonists used to shoot
literally at each other in the dark, and
during the day remain inactive. The chiefs
of seml-civilzed forces from the Khalifa
to Aguinaldo. prefer a dash in the dark,
hoping to terrorize the enemy by the I'M
expectedness of the attack.
without doubt the insurgent assault
on Manila was preconceived and deliberate
That it was planned by Agunaldo 1 do not
care to assert, but of course the patent
probability is that it was, since he has
lately seemed to be undisputed In the SUI
preme. The blow which we have been com
PEELED to deliver ought now, in my judg-
ment, to be vigorously followed up The
Filipnos will quickly realize who is master
and submit.
They Respect Only Force.
Unfortunately, they are a people pecu-
liarly likely to misapprehend forbearance
and consideration. They may attribute
them to fear or weakness, and they re-
spect nothing except force, for IL is the
only thing that the Spanish ever present
ed TO their eyes that it was possible for
them to respect. All this, the English resi-
dents at Manila and colonists at all Orieu-
tai British ports at which l stopped on my
way home repeatedly told me- They pre-
dicted that the insolence and license of the
Filipinos would infallibly grow, when we
should be forced to bring home TO them
the fact that our power could not be re-
sisted. Then, il was declared they would
abandon resistance.
THE military organization of the Fill
pinos will scarcely, I think survive this
defeat-certainly not if we at once strike
hard again wherever they show front.
Their organization has always been ex-
ceedingly poor.
Their AbIest Soldier.
There is probably not an officer among
them who has any respectable knowledge
of modern military science Their ablest
soldier is Pho de Pillar, the East Indian.
and yet l doubt very much If he has ever
in his life read any of the books of the
profession. His consequence proceeds
rather from his personal qualities as a
tighter than from his ability to direct op-
eradons. His force, courage, combative-
ness and applicability inspire confidence
In his men and to the extent that he is
thus natural military leader he is dan
gerous and, from our point of view. bad
man. There is no question in my mind
that even Aguinaldo mas stood in awe of
him. 1t Is even possible that Pho de Pillar
and his faction coerced Aguinaldo into
sanctionng the assault In the latter's
communication to me he reminded me. in
excuse for his inability to accede at once
to requests made, that he had to consider
the wishes of his chiefs. He mentioned 10
names, but it was generally understood
among us that he referred principally 10
Pho de Pillar. The latter's influence. what
ever 1T may be, can be counted on as ire
cOncHdDly hostile to us.
Effects of Their Defeat.
II think we may expect that defeat a #
Manila will have disastrous effect upon
Aguinaidos authority. His supremacy has
been based upon mis- notable success in
wrestling the island from the hands of the
Spanish after we had destroyed the Span
ish fleet, and upon the importance which
he has assumed in the eyes of his follow
ers by reason of confronting us so long
with an army The feebleness of his DOW.
er having been made manifest there is
every reason to suppose that his numerous
rivals suppressed for the time, will rise
to dispute his authority.
when they have come to nothing
through fractional differences and possibly
conflicts, they viii be entirely anenable
to our guidance and rule. think They
are really docile and amiable people, with |
out much stern stuf-not pugnacious and |
irreconcilable as our Indians are :"