The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-16
Direct Testimony
as TO Philippines,

1r o A New York Sun reporter, on
Saturday, John Barrett, of Port
III land, Ore, who served through
u out the Cleveland administra-
tion as United States minister to Siam
and since his resignation OF that post
has been present in the island of Luzon
as student of Philippine conditions,
gave, upon his return home, an instruc-
tive interview. Said he: From what
I know of the conditions in the Philip
pines and what / have heard of the
conditions here, / am fully persuaded
that the solution of the Philippine
problem is giving much more concern
to persons here who know little about
it than to persons in the islands who
know all about it, Let this
be understood: There is not an
officer of our army or navy and not an
enlisted man in our army or navy who
does not believe-who does not, in fact
know-that the plan for subduing the
islands and bringing them under Amer
lean control, formulated by General
Otis and Admiral Dewey, is the correct
plan and Will be successfully carried
out They have no more doubt of this
than they have that they are in the
Philippines and not in the United
States.
General Otis is regarded as an ex-
tremely able and painstaking officer,
careful of the smallest details and al
ways sure of his ground before he
moves. The Filipinos didn't have this
idea of him at first, and because they
didn't they stood up and fought. 1t
didn't take them long to find out, how
ever, that whatever Otis planned, his
men carried out. and little obstacles
like armed Filipinos didn't seem TO
hinder the execution of those plans in
the least When they learned that, they
fought less and ran more. That's why
our troops have had a sort of cross
country chase OF 1t for over a month.
OF Admiral Dewey the natives have al
ways had a different notion. He gave
them an object lesson in what he could
do in the way of fighting when he sailed
into Manila Bay and shot the Spanish
fleet fun of holes. Since then he has
been feared and respected more than
any man who ever set foot on the is
lands. And the respect for him is not
confined to the natives. II perYades
the American army as well. Whenever
along the lines the men on guard
spruce up and rather strain a point to
salute him. The first soldier that gets
an answer to the salute spends all his
time off duty for the next few days
telling about how he got salute from
the Admiral. With all this attention
and all the honor which he knows his
| countrymen at home have accorded to
| him, Dewey hasn't the faintest symp-
| tom of swelled head. He puts on no
| fuss and feathers, except TO be always
| Immediately dressed, and he is al
| ways most courteous to everybody. His
| health Is not of the best, but he is by
| no means a sick man. The strain upon
| him has been great and he shows the
| effect Of II, that's all. One thing is not
| generally known here, perhaps. Every
! officer of Deweys fleet has been away
| somewhere. to Hong Kong or elsewhere
| since the ships unfurled their battl,
! flags a year ago. Dewey hasn't beer
anywhere. He has not left Manila Bay
since he sailed in, and IL is no won
der that he has grown gray. Rightly ol
wrongly, the impression prevails In the
Philippines that, II plenary powers had
l been given to Dewey In the very be.