The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-20
On Familiar Ground.

~ matter of course, the results
n of last weeks opera tons in the
Philippines have directed at
tention to the fact that, unfortunately,
our troops are compelled to fight on
ground which it had been hoped was
finally contested many weeks ago.
Last Wednesday morning the news
papers printed graphic accounts of the
engagement of General Lawton's conf
mand with large force of Filipinos,
this fight occurring in the province of
Cavite, near Bacoor and almost within
sight of the scene of Admiral Dewey's
earliest operations-indeed, the en-
gagement was precipitated by the in
surgents who landed d heavy guns
charge within the boundaries of the
navy yard at Cavite. A little later,
last week, news came of a sharp en-
gagement near San Fernando. In this
fight the First Montana took a con-
spicuous part. Both engagements were
admirably fought by our troops; in
both instances the insurgents got much
the worst of it.
dents is that the natives are found
to be in effective fighting force not only
at the very gates af Manila but, as
well, in more distant stations over
which our forces have swept, winning
some of the notable victories that dis
tinguished the campaign weeks ago.
The point is that these engagements
of last week are a sorry comment on
the censored" dispatches and the
"doctored' war news that have been
served up in Washington for the use of
the American public.
Several months ago, out of the region
where the fighting was severe last
week, our forces, by the testimony fur
nished in Washington, had sent the
Filipinos flying to the mountains, so
hopelessly whipped that there was not
the slightest fear of their return to
the fray. These invented tidings were
the basis of the Washington bulletin
sent out weeks ago announcing that
Secretary Alger was anticipating daily
the final surrender of the islanders and
that President Mckinley had every
reason to believe that the war would
end within a week.
The fact is that these Filipinos are
constantly breaking out in a new place,
or appearing in force on ground over
which our troops had fought their way
| successfully. Several weeks ago the
Standard quoted from the private, cor
respondence of two well-known Mon
| tana soldiers the statement that upon
| this country is the necessity to garri-
son the towns and provinces which we
have successfully invaded and that,
otherwise, the islanders can keep us
fighting for an indefinitely-lo time
That is undoubtedly true; but the as
surances from Washington headquar-
tiers have been, until few days ago,
that the talk about the need of large
Philippine force is all bosh
We all remember that, at the outset,
the administration knew" that ten
thousand soldiers were too many for
| our Philippine necessities-that was be-
fore the announcement of the presi-
dents intention to make the conquest
of the natives. The Standard has not
| the exact figures at hand, but it will be
| found that not less than forty thousand
| officers and men have been dispatched
| to Manila, and, until the recent sailing
| of one or two regiments, not one thou
sand troops had returned to the United
| States.
| Up to date, we command precisely
| the Philippine territory that is within
| range of our guns. OF course, we have
got to carry this thing to its finish; re-
cent events are in glazing illustrate ton
of the folly of inventing wrong news
for the people and sending out I'M
founded reports and expectations and
hopes to the American public.