The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-17
MORE TROOPS NEEDED.

Gen. Lawton seems to have pretty
effeotually cleared the country south Of
Manila Of insurgents for the present.
But they have not been captured-mere-
~ driven of ready to return at the first
favorable opportunity. whether the ter
ritory cleared can be. kept aIear depends
In large measure upon whether there nre
troops enough to occupy 1t and perform
other necessary duties On this point the
statements OF Commander John ID. Ford,
| fleet engineer Of the Asiatic squadron,
who has just returned from Manila are
interesting,
'When l left" said Mr.. Ford
"we held not quite as much ground as
was ours during the fist part Of August
last year, and our lines were restricted to
the suburbs OF Manila The troops did
push out into the country, but could not
hold the ground they made by raids and
were obliged TO fall back. It is impossi-
BILE TO conquer the people or to gain the
islands without more troops. If we send
great many more &C ldiers out there and
bend all our energies to doing it I'VE can
beat them and take the island. 1t would
mean great loss o I life and considerable
time, but it.couldsb be DONE As it lis now
II is all we can do to hold eur own. The
insurgents nre constantly encroaching
and though, as 1 have said, raids are
made, the natives driven back and the
limo thrown out, we can't hold e
ground because we have not enough men.
1.-THE line is always active an d there ID
no relief. Men spend months In the
trenches, subjected to great mental and
physical strain and never knowing at
what moment they will be assailed. The
line OF the native are often not a block
away from our own, and the rule is when
yon see a head exposed to shoot IT, The
natives are always on the defens ive.
They make no advances of their own, but
walt and shoot when shey can, do ali the
damage to us they know how and when
we sally ont they ara driven back into
places where it is impossible to follow, so
strong is their number. so impregnable
the country.
If this were the situation when Com
mandsr Ford left it must be the situation
now, only more so. /" for the slight rein
forcements which Gen. Otis has received
could hardly have compensated for his
losses in the fighting and by disease. Ii
the army was not large enough then It Is
not large enough now, and unless some
favorable accident like, for instance, the
death OF some important Filipino leader
should help as out, we shall not be able to
paoify the country without more troops.
Indeed, it is said this Is now reluctantly
admitted at Washington, and that means
will be taken soon to considerably in
crease Gen. Otis's force. Inasmuch as 1t
seems to have been decided to prosecute
the campaign until the unconditional sur.
render of the insurgents is brought about
the wise course to take Is to provide a
force large enough to finish the job quick.
ly. Attempting TO do it with an made
quate force will prove the most costly
both in life and money. Reluctance to
call for more, troops is natural enough
since 1t implies an underestimate of the
difficulties we were to encounter in the
Philippines, and to certain extent i'm
peaches the Judgment of our military and
naval authorities. but one mistake cannot
be retrieved by making another