Evening star., 1899-04-07
PROBLEM IN PHILIPPINES
Conquest of the Islands Presents Many Diff
Gculties.
Topography is Admirably Adapted to
the Peculiar Tactics of
the Natives.

A correspondent of the Associated Press
sends the following from Manila under date
of March 4, per steamer Arizona to San
Francisco: Although the rupture between
the American and natives forces at Manila
occurred exactly one month ago today, the
conquest of the latter by the former, which
has long been conceded necessity, can
scarcely be said to have commenced as yet.
If the entire rebel force could be corralled
in any one section Of the island the work
of subduing it would be very simple and
soon accomplished without doubt But on
the Island of Luzon alone a well-equipped
army of over 1900 men has only succeed
ed in clearing the country within a radius
of five miles from Manila SO far. and no one
knows with any degree of certainty what
there Is ahead. 1t is certain, however that
the further they penetrate into the wllds of
the interior the greater Will be the diSad-
| vantage to the white troops since swamp
and jungle fighting Is the strong point of
the natives 1t is also certain that what
is to be done must be accomplished before
the rainy season, because apart from the
consideration of the health of the troops,
most of the country is absolutely impossible
! from May to October.
Uncertainties to BE Faced.
Among the uncertainties to be faced is
the force to be encountered. So far as can
be ascertained the rebel army which hem
med the Manilians within the confines or
the city for so long consisted of 10000 men,
one-third of whom were armed. Most on
these were, of course, the Tagalos, who are
the nainstay of the rebellion. If, as claim
| ed there are 100000 of these yet to meet
under climatic and territorial disadvantages,
the problem which confronted Kitchener
| was a simple one compared with that Whlch
Lawton had to face on his arrival.
OF course, there are tribes, such as the
Ilocanos whose hatred for the Tagalos
might render them useful allies, but the
question arises as to whether 1t would De
| safe to trust them with the arms necessary
| for the purpose. The lesson taught by
Aguinaldo is one that is not likely to be
| soon forgotten, and there is great danger
| in such experiments at this stage OF the
proceedings. =.
In this connection it must be borne in
mind that their education in the art OF
warfare was received in the Spanish school,
| and the Spanish. like themselves, always
| fought from cover when possible. me 1e"
brushes which our troops nave mad win tne
enemy to date have proved concluSlVely
| that the latter will not stand flank at
tack but they are quick to learn, and once
| they realize that bolting across the open
| is suicidal under the circumstances they
| will adopt the wiser course of fighting it
| out.
| Another of the uncertainties is the num-
Der Of arms which the rebels possess. That
|
| from some unknown source scarcely admits
| of a doubt but in what quantities cannot
! even be conjectured. Until few days ago
| there was every indication that the rebels
| along our whole front were using home
| made ammunition, but now smokeiess pow
| der is again being used, and, judging from
| the enormous quantity of ammunition ex-
| pended every twenty-four hours, their sup
| ply must be unlimited At every vantage
| SO far thousands of rounds of Mauser car
| tridges have been seized. but still there is
| no appreciable difference in the amount ex-
| pended from day to day.
| If their foolhardy leaders would only see
| that there can only be one outcome to the
struggle with such nation as the United
| States all would be well, but unfortunately
| for the Tagalos, they deliberately shut their
[ eyes to the truth, and those who know
| them say that nothing short Of extermina-
| ton will insure peace in the Philippines
In some respects, perhaps. this would be
| good thing for the other millions who in
| habit the archipelago, inhuman though the
| very suggestion may seem. That they are
| the sole instigators of the rebellion there
| can be no doubt, and their methods show
| that the instincts Of the savage still pre-
dominate.
Brutality of the Rebels.
| For instance, despite their boasted intelli-
| gence and humanitarianism, the Tagalos
| have frequently been seen to drive their
sacred allies into half-constructed earth
works at the points Of their bayonets, know
| ing full Well they would be shelled out
| again by the American artillery Immediate
| ly. Again, one Of their favorite means of
| decoying their foes into the open is that Of
showing a white flag. Worse still, they
have been guilty, repeatedly, of the bar
| barism Of shooting volleys at hospital am
balances, both in the open and while re-
| turning from the front. The muttlation Of
| the enemy's dead is another evidence Of
their boasted civilization.
| II our troops retire for strategical pur-
| poses q glorious victory Is heralded all over
| the country, and according to the stories
related by the natives, more Americans are
| being killed every day than have yet been
| landed on the islands. In the matter of ex-
are very prone to fall into the same error.