Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-16

the officers, would be willing to leave until
Gen Otis had regulars enough to take
their places.
Il know this, not from talking with Off
GERS, but from talking with the men them
selves Before l left I made it point to
talk with the enlisted men of the Oregon,
Kansas, California PENNSYLVANIA Ne
braska and Minnesota regiments, and they
all said the same thing. l was particularly
interested in what the Minnesota men
said. in view of the action of Gov. Lind,
which was known in Manila almost
soon as it was known here. Why, the men
in that Minnesota regiment are the most
eager fellows for fight you ever saw. The
regiment was stationed within the walled
city. doing provost duty. Some of the
men on guard there We're so anxious to get
into the fighting that they left their posts
and stole out on the firing line. OF course
they were severely reprimanded for this,
but it shows their spirit. Just before l left
London received a cable signed by officers
and privates of several volunteer regi-
ments, asking me do to what | could to
contradict the impression that the volun-
teers In the Philippines want to come home
at any cost. The dispatch stated that the
volunteers would not leave until Gen. Otis
said he had enough regulars to go on with
his operations.
Cause of the InsurrectiOn.
Now a word as to the insurrection and
the insurgents. There is an insurrection
and there are insurgents under arms in the
Philippines today for four reasons. First
The insurgent army was reorganized and
equipped by Aguinaldo primarily to assist
the Americans in their operations against
the Spaniards. They had notion. natural
ly and rightly enough, that when the Span
iards were driven out they would be left to
set up government of their own. That
was one notion or what would happen
when the revolution should have ended.
'Second-When they found that they had
INDUCED a wroIg notion, Spanish civil OFF,
Gals who We're to lose their jobs and other
Span:ards were especially active in inspir-
ing the natives with fear and hatred for the
Americans. These SpaniardS told the Fill
pinos the most horrible stories of lynchings
in the south, and assured them that what
the Americans did with their own citizens
they would do with the FilipnoS. They
pictured us as the most barbarouS of ma
tions and the natives concluded that If they
were to live at all they must fight for their
lives against such terrible invaders.
"Third-The delay in signing the peace
treaty gave the Fiiipinos new courage.
Every speech in Congress against the
was reported at Aguinaldo's headquarters
tWenty-four hours after it was delivered.
Agents Of Aguinaldo in this country, who
are still serving him by the way, sent re-
ports of these speeches to the Filipino jun
ia at Hong Kong, who forwarded them by
boats to Aguinaldo. By him they were
spread through the insurgent army, and all
the, natives got the notion that, if they only
kept on fighting, they would gain their lib
erty through their friends in the American
Congress.
an instruction and of insurgents in the
Philippines today is the work of some of
our citizens outside Congress. The Htera-
ture of the anti-mperialists was sent to
the Philippines, according to the general
understanding there, for the purpose of
arousing a feeling of discomfort among the
volunteers. If that was the intention then
the pamphlets might better have been kept
in this country. 1 happened to be with a
volunteer regiment the morning the first
consignment of pamphlets was delivered
Those volunteers who were not enraged
that American citizens should be guilty of
such work laughed at the text and made all
kinds of fun of the writers and dissemina-
tors.
The Seditious Pamphlets.
But some of these pamphlets found their
way to Aguinaldo's headquarters and that
gentleman saw their value to him in an in
slant. He had them translated and dis
tributed throughout his army and among
the natives generally. Nothing could have
given them more aid and comfort The
rank and file of the army was called upon
to witness the feeling of their friends in
America, and encouraged to fight on; since
final victory was almost within their grasp
And they fought on. There are those in
the Philippines who believe that the lives
of many American soldiers might have
been saved had it not been for these pam
pallets.
But in spite of all these obstacles. most
or which we have set UP ourselves the end
l think. Is in sight. The Filipinos will give
up, so those more competent to judge than
| believe, when the main body of Aguinal-
90 army Is met and thrashed This was
Otis notion from the beginning and he has
worked unswervingly to carry out this plan
From the reports / have read of the
operations since left there I believe that