The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-07


hiked, past partcIple hlked.
There can be no doubt but a new
word Is needed in the English language
70 express the action Of getting through
the soft, succulent rice felds and over
the little One-foot high bikes or rice
paddles, through cane fields, through
swamps and bamboo Tickets. SO the
American soldier hikes over the pad
dies and through the rice fields. II
cost our column 10 wounded and fiYe
dead to get up here. More than that
number Of the enemy's wounded or
dead were seen by one man. and many
OF their wounded and dead as well GER
talnly have been carried away, so It Is
probable that their Losses were two or
three to one. The wounded OF the en-.
envy were cared for as our own, and an
that could be brought up were sent 70
the hospital. II we hold the advance
the cost may only be considered the
price Of victory, but Il Will be too much
II we fall back to our old base. 1t Is
probable that we VIII go on at once
about five miles further, 10 Angeles, 10
which point the railroad can be con-
structed and a new base established
there.
The rainy season" so far feared ana
much dreaded Is nothing more than j
"bugaboo." What there Is OF the ratny
season would be the worst at the pres.
emit time. 1t is said to begin May ara
last to December l. This time Is IN
the middle Of that period. 80 1t must
present some marked characteristics.
There was rain for four or hVe days
before this movement began. and Ill
though r was rather tough "hlking" It
is well within the range Of military pos
slbllIty. And with a railroad line with
towns every few miles as a theatre OF
operation. the rainy season Is as good
as the dry one. There Is not the heat
that Is met with In the dry season, Tor
II was so hot last spring as reliable
officer told me, that he saw the buttons
of the soldiers blouses melt and run
out Of shape. Truly they were rubber
buttons, but It takes quite a number
OF calorifc units to melt rubber.
II 1t does rain and the soldiers get
wet, the temperature Of the atiqespnere
as rule is so warn that ne suileIs oh.y
a comparatively slight Inconvenience.
The insurgents do not expect US 70 OPP
crate during the rainy season, and are
not prepared for an aggressive cam
paign at the present time.
The General Situation.
Let me tell you the truth about the
general situation here, and only the
truth-that know to be the truth. 1t
ia here like 1t was in Cuba, almost i'm
posslble to get information from sta
tIstIcal sources, for the Spaniard was
not a -statistIclan. He was great
record maker; a great compiler OF hB-
ures. and he spoiled great deal OF pa
per in executing even the simplest pro-
cesses. hut all the reliable Information
or correct figures he collected, he Kept
for Individual use, and preferred TO
have the public mlslnformed. Why,
the best military maps left by the
Spaniards do not even show accurately
the towns on the railroads running
from Manila to Dagupin. The obserNa-
ton OF one Individual throughout one
season, so far as weather Is coneerneu,
cnn not be given as complete ana hnal
for nil seasons. A general officer late
" returned from Luzon gives In pop,
Mar journal OF July a positive ana
final description OF the rainy season. l
referred the account to a ranking ON.
GER who has been here and In the held
since February OF this year and he
boldly stated that anybody who set up
that, account as u description OF TINS
Season was badly mistaken
believe fully In the wisdom and the
policy of crushing the rebellion on these
Islands. Whatever may have been the
original design, the following conse-
! 0uences that brought us up to the con-
sIderatIon Of the question Of American
sovereignty in the Philippines need not
be discussed here. There - but one
thing 10 do now. and that Is TO con-
| tInue the war until the Islands are SUD-
jugated to American sovereignty. be-
| Aeye too that II Is something OF
"whlte mans burden" and that part
I of the cost OF this war will be debt to
! civilization. A war need not be prose,
| cuted with a merclless vengeance ana
no quarter. for determination, Dut war
is war, and by widely known ana e%-
perienced authority war is hell;
/ Humanitarian war" Is TO me dillIculI
conception. 1t must certainly 3e soHng 70
| thing like a cold fire or hot Ice. II
such a. war Is to be prosecuted, why
moi arm our soldiers. with soft rubber
| clubs, and convert our artillery into
| large and powerful atOmlZers for the
! protection OF ahaestheRtZlng sponges,
| so that the enemy might be painlessly
| overcome and afterwards recuscltated,
instead Of being killed.
What War Is.
have seen FIVE wounded, bleeding
FllIpInos begging for POGO agad, dying
from wounds inflicted by American
bullets. Is that humanitarian war?
But have seen long lines OF most per-
fectly and deliberately constructed
trenches hidden In bamboo Tickets IN
| which lay concealed in walt for the
| American soldier, the armed tiilpinos'
SO that the first warning OF the pres
/ ence of the enemy was volley that
might be fired with the most carelui
and deadly aim. Is that humanitarian
war? The white mans burdenis heaVy
enough as It is, so why wrap II with
barbed wire and make II heavier by d.
| rectinR the most difficult and unnatural
| manner in which It Is to be carried :
/ War should be carried on with the IN
tention Of denying the enemy ev-
cry advantage he may possess or strive
\ to attain, Any principle OF humanitar-
| Ianlsm that can be applied to war, can
! only cover the treatment Of the wound
nd and prisoners. We have for an en-
emy. n treacherOus, unprinclpled foe.
who always fights us with every adj
vantage that defensive tnctics gives
and with every violation Of principle
that Is profitable. The insurgent
when pushed too closely, changes his
clothes and become an amigo ana
| when passed on the Touu hs an Hti'ih"'
he goes back to his house digs up ms
cup and waits pntlently for eanother
shot nj the "Amerlcano." saw n
wounded Filipino the other day lying
just beyond the trench, that had given
US some trouble and who was recognize
ed by n soldier as an amigo" who
had been In San Fernando few days
before, and the guileless fellow prompt
~ contested when accused. and then
wanted to be taken back TO San Fer
nnndo. II we are to Bubiugate these
people by waging war against them
let It be war that robs them OF SO