The evening times., 1899-06-14
More Philippine Juggling.

Anyone with half an eye can see. from:
d! the way the Administration is wincing
under criticism and trying to explain away
its blunders in the Philippines that it feels
its present position keenly. Yet nothing
is done to improve that situatioS. On the
g. contrary while the devoted little army OF
Otis is wearing itself out in the trenches.
7 and in repeated sorties against the besieg-
: ing rebels, our authorities spend their
time in a deliberate attempt TO deceive the
public. and thereby to prevent a popular
!. demand for the provisional army that the
T President might not dare TO refuse.
Every statement given out from the Ad-
- jutant Generals Office is certain to refer
to an alleged declaration by Otis that thiT-
ty thousand men are all he wants to sup
press the rebellion. II We remember. the
question put to Otis by cable was carefully
worded so that the reply could be juggled
with and put before the country in the
form that General Corbin always gives it,
The question. in substance, was. DO you
still think you will need as many as thirty
thousand troops" And Otis naturally an
swered, "Yes,"
Last night again this contention of the
War Office was lugged in by the ears TO
help out the nasty appearance of things
south of Manila. Ii was stated officially
that while Otis would hardly know what to
do with more than thirty thousand men,
the President had been graciously pleased
to allow him thirty-fve thousand. so that
he could always have reserve of five
thousand nice fresh soldiers to draw on.
According to the New York Tribune of
yesterday. General Corbn asserted on the
day before that Otis has now thirty-eight
thousand men under his command or
eight thousand more than he needs to sup
press the mutiny and restore order in the
Island of Luzon, if We may believe the al
legations of the Administration.
The situation therefore resolves itself
into this: In order to make sure of crush
ing the rebels and establishing American
authority throughout the territory they
now occupy, President Mckinley purposes
giving his general three thousand men less |
than he now has, if confidence is 10 be !
placed in the reported statement of the |
Adjutant General. That is, Otis with |
thirty eight thousand troops, having failed |
PEELED to abandon all the ground won from |
the enemy, Manila and its immediate sub /
urbs excepted, and being there besieged by |
the Malay rebels. is expected to hold out |
through the rainy season and assume the
offensive in the autumn with a smaller
army than ever.
II the opinion of General Corbin be
correct. and General Otis really has the
thirty eight thousand men with which the
former credits him, then We must revise
our figures and insist that a force not
one fraction below seventy-five thousand
should be placed in the field in Luzon as
This proposition is self-explanatory. At
present Otis has only men enough to man |
the defences and allow for the small flying
columns which are being used for sortes
against the besiegers. Reserves there are
none. Without rest or the hope of relief
our soldiers must spend day and night in
the rain-soaked trenches, or wade the
marshes around ParanaQue. Las Pinas, and
Bacoor. exposed TO the bullets of the enc
my. and still more fatal heat and miasma
Under such conditions what percentage |
of the army will be considered effective at |
the end Of the rainy season?
With much apparent satisfaction, the {
War Department officials tell us that Otis
has been instructed to conduct an aggres-
sive campaign against the rebels in spite {
Of climatic drawbacks. Every solitary
trained soldier. here or elsewhere. knows c
that this a subterfuge to cover the actual |
truth, which is, that Otis would not be Y
allowed to take the field, or to attempt +
any operations not strictly defensive dur !
ing the sickly season in the Philippines. v
and that there never was the least idea 4
Of his doing so, until 1t was made plain il
that he would have to fight, and fight con- d
stantly, even to hold Manila and the city
five miles back in the country. | a
Now his desperate defence, which in | C
,ludes repeated sorties of the garrison to | p
prevent the Tagals from completing and "
Certifying their line of investment. is p
,alled vigorous campaign for the sup Il
'ression OF the rebellion. S
The Commander-in-Chief ought to real "
se that the insincerity of his Administra- e
ion, In its treatment of the Philippine | d
ituation, Is exhausting the patience of the | Il
ountry. The American people demand that Il
force sufficient to wipe out all opposi- W
Ion to our flag be sent to the aid of Ous. a,
hey have no idea OF ever abandoning the Il