The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-24
A MATTER OF NECESSITY
An Offensive Campaign Must Be
Started in the Philippines.
THE FLOWER OF THE ARMY
Six Thousand More Troops Used to In
dian Fighting Are on the Way to
Manila-Osis Has Serious
Problem to Solve.

Washington, Feb. 23.-The war de-
partment has arranged to dispatch fur
ther reinforcements to General Otis. The
regiments selected are the 9th infantry,
now at New York, and the 9Th infantry,
now at San Antonio, Texas. 1t is ex-
pected that the transports taking them
will be able to leave San Francisco by
| March 13.
BY that time General Otis will have
received all the reinforcements now
afloat and bound for Manila, save those
on the Sheridan, which sailed from New
| York last Sunday. This will give him
5000 more troops, made up of the flower
of the United States army regulars,
tried in Indian service the most of them
| Injured to the Cuban climate in its worst
aspects, having participated in the cam
paigns there during the last wet season.
Every report that comes to the war
department goes to convince the Off
cials that an offensive campaign must
be Immediately assumed in the Philip
pines. This is no longer a matter of
chance, but of necessity, against which,
the officials say, no sentimental consid-
erations can stand
In their opinion, the lives and health
of the American troops now in the
neighborhood of Manila depends upon
| the initiation of such a campaign
| General Otis report of the big fire in
Manila yesterday and last night while
| agreeing closely with the press reports,
makes mention of rather formidable
demonstration by the insurgents near
| Caloocan, the scene of some of the heav-
| lest fighting succeeding the first en-
| gagement with the insurgents. on the
| 18th. This is taken as an indication
| that the rebels have not yet been thor
oughly impressed with the strength of
| the American arms, A disquieting fea-
| ture noted in the press. reports is the
| presence of small bodies of armed in
| surgents within the American out
| posts, possibly an evidence that our
| lines are too far extended and too thin
around Manila. 1t is realized that it
will be necessary to sweep the country
clear of all hostile elements. The task
will be difficult one, because of the
resemblance of the Filipinos to one an
other, which would make it hard to
distinguish between a non-combatant
! and an out-and-out rebel. A most seri-
Gus problem confronts General Otis in
the protection of Manila and suburban
towns from fire. not only from the
treacherous character of the Philippine
rebels, but also because the outside
houses are of the flimsiest bamboo, hung
with mating screens. Even the floors
are made of bamboo strips separated SO
as to allow the free circulation of air.
1t is within the power of almost any
person to set fire to these houses from
without or within in few seconds,
and as they are closely built the raw
| ages of single fire in a quarter so
closely constructed might easily reach
the half-million dollar point mentioned
| by General Otis. The foreign quarter
| is of better construction, but still in
| cludes many of these light bamboo
| houses, which the older residents seem
| to find cooler than houses of more solid
construction. The walled town, which
the insurgents threaten to burn to-
| night, is said to be of substantial con-
| struction and probably is more easily
| defended against such an attempt than
any other section of the town. The Off
| cials here say that if the rebels continue
| this sort of tactics in Manila, disregard
ing the rules of war and jeopardizing
| the lives of women and children and
| foreigners who are not involved in the
war, General Otis will be under the
| necessity of making a house to house
| inspection and summarily disposing of
| all suspicious characters.