Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-01
ECHOES oF TUE MAR.

There must be greater attractions In Ma
! nla than Americans at home have read o.
/ Possibly the climate is not as warm as II IS
pictured. Certain reports from the seat ot
war filtered through Washington suggest IT.
resietible gaiety in Manila and frosts In the
interior. To one or both must be due the
inquiry ordered into number OF cases OF
soldiers who have shot themselves. acci-
dentally, of course. in the hands or fe-t.
There is a suspicion abroad that the wounds
were inflicted for the purpose OF getting
back to Manila and escaping the anx cites
of the chase, or as a means of Danish ng
cold feet. Whatever the cause the military
authorities are determined to put stop
to sef-inflicted wounds
A. G. Robinson, correspondent OF the
New York Evening Post in the Philippines,
has completed a tour OF the Islands ana
records his impressions in series OF letters
to that paper. Writing in reference to- the
future of the Moros, he declares they must
be held and regarded as wards OF the gov
ernment. No other course, in honor, SEEMS
open The Moro, II left to himself Will be
a Moro for a thousand years. With proper
handling something may be done for him.
What Rajah Brooke has done for his peope,
and what the North Borneo company has
uOut luI IT'S ptbplti Nut Nhi'tu htp'So 'i''
well do for those of Mindanao and Sulu,
for whom It is now responsible. 1t will
cost money, and there will be little hnan-
cal return for many years, but something
may be won of honor and the worlds re-
spect.
ITO accomplish the latter, one thing Is
absolutely essential. The point cannot be
too strongly emphasized. There should be
no politics about 1t. There should be no re-
warding OF political servitors by send ng
them out as governmental agents, as In
dian agents were sent to the tribes In the
west. The MorCs should be left in the hands
OF the army We have scores of army men
whose experience with the Sioux, the
Apache, the Cree, the Modoc and the Ara
pahoe has given them just the training
required for the work to be done in Minda-
mao and Sulu. The foundation which has
been so admirably laid by General Bates
may we'll stand for years as the basis for
the work OF his juniors who will come after
him.
'The other course, the Indian agent the
poltical-vulture business, will inevitably
lead to endless cost in life and in money.
We may leave the Tagal and the Visayan
to more or less OF the working out OF the
own salvation. The Moros must be ca ed
for, and the course is now open and plain
for a simple and happy solution of that part
of the Philippine problem
In public address in San Francisco, Tues
dav of last week. Chaplain McKinnon made
tho sweeping assertion that all the lootlng
done in the towns OF Luzon was by Chinese
natives and camp followers, and that the
articles brought to this country by American
soldiers were taken from or purchased OF
the looters. The chaplain did not see all
that was going on, consequently his aver
ment applies to the First California, in which |
he oficiated Correspondent Harry A. Arm |
strong CT the Chicago Record tells OF |
raid on the town of Rosario by General |
Schwan's troops in which few looting in
cidents happened: "Looting was permitted |
without reprmaud,' writes Armstrong |
with the exception of houses that were
occupied, there was scarcely shack that
wac not visited. There was one officer,
whose name will ever remain unwrtten, who
went into a nipa hut. On the wall was a
camcsa or gentleCnan's shirt, OF the kind |
worm by the Filipnos. The officer took this
from the peg upon which it was hanging.
Beneath there was a silver watch, open face,
and running. The shirt was quickly hung
back and the officer looked around to see
If any one was looking. By this time several
men not bearing commissions were climbing
the bamboo ladder to the door. 1t would |
have been bad precedent to set, the TAX
ing of anything before the eyes of the
soldier. So the officer waited until the men
should go away But they did not go.
fellow officer called from the street and
invited the gentleman who told the story to
go down the road little way on business
connected with the command. The officer in
question complied, but when he had gone
past two houses made an excuse that he
must return for a moment. When he reached
the hut no one was there. Neither was the
watch nor the shirt. One resident had a
coed library. There were books Of travel,
history and some fine Biographies and maps,
The soldiers could not carry them away, so
they started their camp fires with them.
Tho soldiers dressed in all the fnery OF
tho Filipino fop. They wore silver buckles
in their hats"
Chaplain Chadwick 81 the fated Maine pays
this touching tribute to "Bill Anthony,
dead by his own hand: Anthony spent his
lifo in the army and the marine CorDS He