The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-27
TOHAVEFREEH HAND
Congress May Leave Philippine Question to
the President.
TO SETTLE AS HE THINKS BEST
Nothing to be Gained by Congressional Action Until After Subjugation
of the Ph1ippinos-The War Nav Last a Long Time-The Philip.
pinos Doomed to Observation-Disclosures of Suppressed
Health Reports by War Department Offcials-Por.
to Rico and the Hawaiian Islands to be Dealt
With by Next Congress.

or negro races on a level of equality,
and there is no marriage between them.
Such races cannot withstand the dis
eases Which the white man carries with
him n succumb to them very rapidly.
For these reasons / believe the Philip
pinos are destined ultimately TO disap-
pear. We are firmly intrenched in the
Philippines and have at present no in
tention of loosening our hold. Our SOL
diers stand the climate remarkably
well. l have received a number of let
tiers from Manila and the cases of sick
agreeable, though, and after a few
months begin to pail upon the appe-
tite."
OUR LOSSES IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Indignant denial comes from the war
department officials of statements that
the health reports from Manila are
suppressed and the statistics of killed
and dead from injuries and disease, as
announced in the weekly bulletins sent
by General Otis, are tempered with.
From the time General Anderson's
first military expedition landed near
Cavite, nearly n year ago, to the
present time there have been but 364
deaths from disease, according to the
official statement prepared by the de-
partment, although the total strength
Of the army in the islands during this
period has approached 10000 men. Dur
ing this time, 1t is claimed, but SO men
have succumbed to wounds, which is
regarded as q remarkable record, con-
sidering the large number of injured.
1t is alleged that even should the de-
partment desire to keep the public in
ignorance of the true situation, 1T
would not be practicable, as the death
of soldiers would be sure to he COM
municated to their homes by some one.
General Otis death report not only
gives the James of the dead, but the
disease from which they died, and in
the death list of 1854 are included those
who persisted from wounds in battle,
as we'll as those drowned in the fights
along the water front. The total is
interesting compared with that Of the
men killed outright in the fighting of
the past four months, during which
time the actual warfare with the ma
tives has been in progress.
PROFITED BY CUBAN EXPERT
ENCE.
In this period the killed in the Philip
pines number 226, out of an average
of about 1000 men engaged. 1t would
seem from these figures, compared with
the losses suffered in the Santiago
campaign, hat some remarkable i'm
p~rovements have been made in caring
for the troops, when 1000 men died in
Cuba from disease and only 260 were
killed. Not only has the medical de-
partment been vastly improved, but
there have been no failures on the part
Of the commissary and quartermaster's
departments, such as disgraced them
in the Cuban campaigns.
The utmost solicitude has been shown
by the president in the welfare of the
troops, and he has insisted, since the
SufferingS entailed on General Skaters
army by neglect and incompetence,
that there should be no repetition Of
those Incidents. The health Of the
troops in the Philippines has been
maintained the army surgeons say, not
as a matter of chance, but through the
most determined scientific efforts for
the prevention of disease ever made in
tropical countries.