The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-04-05
THE SITUATION IN
THE PHILIPPINES.
Man Who Knows Talks OF
the Country and Generals
AND THE CAUSES AND END
OF THE TROUBLE.

A man who is familiar with the
situation in the Philippines and who
is also in touch with the situation in
Washington tells the New York
Sun
"lt's troublesome problem Otis has
on bis hands, but be will solve it..
The only solution, of course, is the
suppression of the rebels in the
island of Luzon I think our force
there at present is strong enough to
do the trick | know it will be when
the Sheridan with its troops arrives
at Manila. Do not misunderstood
me, however. These will not be
enough to complete our work in the
Philippines. and the quicker the regi
nents now under orders are sent
hence the better It takes more men
to fight battles in the Philippines in
warm weather than in the cool
season. and the men who are doing
the fighting now will need breath
ing spell.
''The country through which we
are fighting now does not differ
materially from the country through
which we fought the Spaniards Off
main roads it is mostly rice swamps
and bamboo thickets In the swamps
and thlckets the natives can fight to
advantage because they know the
country They do not know how to
reckon with our artillerymen, how
ever, and the artillery will prove of
inestimable value to US But, above
ali, we have in command of the troops
what / consider the best lot of officers
in the army.
AS division commanders do not
consider that there are two officers in
the service the equal of Macarthur
aud Lawton Wheaton, colonel o:
the Goth infantry, is a man of about
81, vigorous mentally and physically
and a 6ne officer. Hall, although
a very young man to be gen.
eral ohicer-he is only about
81 is master of any proposition he
trackles He was graduated from
West Point in 1884. we'll up in his
class He remained in the army for
few years, and then went into the
electrical business. Hall, whose
name has lately appeared in the pa
pers, is Robert FL Hall, colonel of
the 4th Infantry He was graduated
from West Point in 1860 and was
commissioned a brigadier general Of
volunteers on May 9th last He is a
particularly resourceful man, and if
be gets in Aguinaldo's immediate
vicinity that gentleman will need two
or three brains like the one he carries
at present to keep himself out of
Halls way Ovenshine is. think,
the oldest Of the bragade commanders
In the regular service he is colonel
of the 23rd infantry BE has cool,
clear head, and is as brave 80 a lion.
King and Otis are both excellent bri.
gade commanders.
But. in my Judgement. we wouldn't
be 6gbtiug DOW in the Philippines had
it not beeo for Two things. Ooe was
the signing of the peace protocol in just
the form it was signed, and the other
was the delay, unavoidable though it
was. 10 getting the Spanish troops out
of the islands The peace protocol
required thas all hostilities should
cease after it was signed. and that We
should coDhne our presence to the city
and bay of Manila. That left all the rest
of the Island of Luzon for Aguiualdo
to operate 10. On September l his
forces we're nearly out of ANN uOi:ion
aod short of supplies He controlled,
however, the only railroad running
| through the island from Manila to
| Dsgupan. which is town on LiDgayen
Bay 100 miles northwest of Manila.
| He established his headquarters at
MaIolos, and be was free to run trains
from there north whenever he pleased
1.-The harbor of Daguean is very
fair one. The insurgents have num-
Der of small vessels 10 their service.
Now, it is no guesswork on my part
when I tell you that on September Let
the rebels we're pretty we'll out of every.
thing needful to carry on wer. Seven
months have passed siace then. Dur
Jog all but fraction of that time our
land forces have remained 10 Manila
and Dewey's ships in Manila bay.
Wheu our army got into the heart of
the rebel country it found the natives,
judging by the fighting they have put
up during the past tao days, we'll pro-
vided WITH ammunition and goods.
The munitions of war must have come
from somewhere The only source of
such eupplies on the island of Luzon is a
small cartridge factory which Aguinaldo
put up add set going at linus. several