Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-31
TAXES 4 GLOOMY VIEW.
Present Aspect of the Campaign
Against the Tngals of LuZon.
Bunalo Express UcpO

In view OF the virtual Acknowledgement
both from Manila and from Washington Of
tho necessity OF calling for the $4,000 addi-
tional troops authorized by act of congress
in order to have force which can
conduct a more thorough campaign in the
Philippines next fall the following COM
ment on the operations OF this spring by the
London Army and Navy illustrated is in
teresting: 80 1t seems that the Spaniards
though wrong about many things, were not
far out in their estimate of what would
happen to the Americans in the Philippines
They said that when the wet season came
round the new masters Of the island would
find that they had won all the battles, but
that the Filpinos had won the campaign.
This seems to be pretty much what has
happened. After long string OF engage
ments, in which Aguinaldo and his men
have been constantly beaten and the Ameri-
cans have been steadily advancing the sec
ond have found that they had to evacuate
most of the places they had occupied, while
the first are back in the position In which
they were when the fighting began. Now,
put rs you please, this Is failure and 1t
promises badly for the future. The Ameri
can government has been told by its gem
erals that 100000 men will be needed to
occupy the archipelago effectually and the
estimate seems by no means excessive"
In ordinary circumstances tle foreign view
OF military operations, when based on a suf-
fioient knowledge of facts and not based by
national prejudces, is more apt to be fair
than that OF either party actually engaged
in war. Americans, however, can
hardly permit themselves to believe that the
case is quite so bad as is here represented.
We have not given UP everything we con-
quered We have entirely cleared the
suburbs of Manila of the enemy. We have
occupied the railroad line as far as Calum
pit, about thirty-four miles north from
Manila, and we hold the Pasig river up to
Laguna de Bay. We have established gar
risons in Panay, Negros and Cebu, three of
the principal southern islands. We have
all the prestige of repeated victories in the
field and the natives all the Encouragement
of constant defeats.
Nevertheless, it must be confessed that
so far as the campaign was expected to
crush the rebellion by one or two swift
sharp blows, 1t has been failure-so much
of failure, in fact, as to cause the prac-
tical abandonment Of that idea by those
who held it. There are probably very few
even CT the war party who now think that
the Filipinos will be subdued by one or a
dozen victories. The cry for more troops
indicates the adoption of another plan.
There are troops enough in the Philippines
now to defeat and scatter any insurgent
army Aguinaldo can assemble and there
will be even after the volunteers are sent
home. The reason why more troops are
needed Is that the country must not merely
be marched through, but effectually occu-
pied with strong garrisons in every town.
Lawton has proved that a column of 5000
or 5000 men can march wherever it pleases.
On account of the transportation difficult
ties such a force is probably more prac-
tical than much larger army would be.
But in order to keep a column OF that size
moving and secure the fruit of its labors
1t must have reserve to draw upon so
large that it can detach a battalion or a
regiment at every town it seizes and still
keep it's numbers at the front always full.
This is the plan which the Spanards tried
In Cuba, though they carried it out with
less energy and intelligence than the Amer
leans would do. However, the important
point is that such a program means not
few months of glorious war and then
the privilege of welcoming our soldiers
home with honors. but years of petty, toll
some, disheartening campaigning, great
hardships and expense and little honor.