The times., 1899-07-15
SATURDAY, JULY Is. 1899.
The Demand in the Orient.

Every development in the Philippine sit
uation is conspiring TO show the Admin
istration the utter folly of longer attempt
ing to conceal from the nation the mill
tary difficulty with which we are con-
fronted. Aguinaldo's latest proclamation
sounds a note of confidence which is
stronger than the insurrectionists have
yet employed in giving voice to their hope.
The volunteers returning from Manila
show by the extent of sickness in their
ranks that they have been doing much
harder work than has been indicated by
the War Departments rigidly censored
bulletins recounting their yalor in the
trenches and in the desperate charges
they have had to make TO dislodge the en-
eny. In none of the volunteer regiments
now being withdrawn from the firing line
and started home is there an effeetive
lighting strength of more than three hun
dred men. The other eight or nine hun
dred men of each regiment that went TO
the Philippines a year ago have either
been killed in battle or died of wounds or
disease, or are sick in h !, or are be-
ing carried on the company morning re-
ports as unfit for duty. This condition rep-
resents one of the most unusual situations
- in the history Of war. The thin ranks of the
returning volunteers indicate an amount
of hard work TO which no troops anywhere
else in the world have been subjected. Prac-
s-tfcally not day since the outbreak OF hos
tiliues last February have any of our SOL
p diers in the Philippines had an hours rest
= from the intense nervous and physical
strain OF campaigning. except those who
have succumbed TO the unusual hardships
and have been placed on the sick list.
This hard work would not have been
imposed upon them if there had been a
sufficient military force to cope with the
situation. For this it would be unfair
and unjust to specifically charge anybody
with responsibility. At first We had to
encounter a situation in the Philippines
which the wisest statesmanship could rot
have foreseen. But there can be no pos
sible excuse for longer continuance OF the
policy which has rendered the army now in
the Philippines Inadequate TO its task When
General Otis gets the re-enforcements
now being prepared for him he will have
an army not appreciably larger than the
one he has had in the field for two months.
This means that every man in his COM
mand will have quite as much work TO do
next autumn, when active operations are
resumed, as has been imposed upon the
army under his direction during the past
six months. Indeed. 1t is not impossible
that the work viii be heavier and harder
than that which has been done by reason
of the fact that Aguinaldo's fighting force
is constantly growing stronger in numbers
and efficiency
In view of such certainty, why should
the Administration persist in its piece
meal policy of handling the insurrec-
tion. The President need not be afraid
the country would not endorse the utmos,
effort he might make to crush the Malay
rebellion at one blow. as he could do by
sending to the Philippines an army OF
such size as TO remove all doubt from the
situation. He has the authority OF Con-
gress TO enlist and organize thirty-ive
thousand volunteers for a term OF two
years. Why should he hesitate to cxer-
else this authority at once? He cannot
hope to longer conceal the real situation
in the Orient or its demands. In fact, the
severe censorship placed upon all news
has utterly failed to do that The
people are aware of the situation and it!
demands And they want TO see it net
with yigor and directness. None of the
military authorities in the Philippines
with the alleged but doubted exception OF
Major General Otis. have estimated oul
need OF less than fifty thousand soldiers
Some of them. notably Generals Lawtor
and Hale have placed the estimate at on,
hundred thousand. The nation would
gladly and enthusiastically respond to thu
highest estimate if only the Presiden
would give the word
Fishing by Machinery.
This has basn called ~ - x -,