The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-05
WILL RESIST
AMERICANS BY
ARMED FORCE
Otis Is Watching Him
Closely.
MAY BE A PRISONER NOW
REPORT THAT WAR IS ON AT
MANILA.
REPORT THAT WAR IS ON AT
MANILA.
Cipher Dispatches Received From the
Philippines Have Created the
..t Widest CONSERVATION in
Administration Circles,
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Jan. A.
Administration circles we're
thrown into CONSERVATION by the
receipt of a dispatch from Gen
eral Otis tonight giving the de-
tails of plot among the Fill
pinos, under the leadership of
Aguinaldo, to resist American
control in the Philippine Islands
by force OF arms if necessary.
Owing to the reticence of the
officials little beyond that limited
at above can be learned regard
ing the contents of Otis dispatch.
That it was deemed of great i'm
portance is evidenced by the fact
that upon its receipt at the War
Department it was ordered inn
mediately Transcribed from the
cipher and taken at once to the
White House for submission to
the President by General Corbin.
At the War Department it was
ordered asserted that Otis had
Aguinaldo under surveillance,
but at what point the dispatch
didn't set forth. 1t was given as
an opinion, however, that the in
.surgent leader is at MaloIos,
where he had called the inSurgent
Congress to meet on Thursday,
which is to-day in that longitude.
Why, if Aguinaldo's influence
IS feared or if he is believed to be
melting the natives to insurrec-
ton, he is not under arrest, is not
explained. In fact, it is believed
by army officers that Aguinaldo
has been arrested and that the
revolution or instruction against
American authority is really on,
and that this portion of Otis dis
patch is being withheld from the
public.
There is much gossip in mill
tary circles regarding the ability
of Otis and Miller to hold their
own against the insurgents if in
reality an uprising has occurred.
In a dispatch last night Otis ex-
pressed the utmost confidence in
being able to cope with Agui-
naldo's army should a conflict oc-
cur and said his force was large
enough to meet any emergency.
His sending the First Califor-
MIA Regiment to reinforce Miller
at Iloilo is taken here as proof
that reports of the size of the Fill
ipino army on the island of LII
zon have been exaggerated.
General Otis has now at Manila
10000 men, and it is regarded as
certain that he would not have
reduced his force if Aguinaldo's
army had been larger than his.
The insurgents suffered great
ly in effective strength through
the capture by Dewey of the
steamer Abbey: with 100000
stands of arms and ammunition
for Aguinaldo.
1t is not denied here that Agui-
naldo has plenty Of men, but the
War Department is counting as
effective, in the event of a clash,
only those who carry rifles.
When a military official was
asked tonight: how many men
Aguinaldo had in the vicinity of
Manila he said:
ct is pretty hard to tell where
the army leaves off and the mob
begins
Ifany notice was received from
Otis up to midnight that he had
issued his proclamation to the
Filipinos it was not made public,
and at the War Department.
when told that The Call had
cable to the effect that the proc
lamation had been made, it was