The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-06-21
MCKINLEY WORRIED.
The Philippine Situation Causes tn
President Grave Concern.

Events of the past week in the Philip
pines have caused the administration
more uneasiness than they care to ad-
NIT. The President and his advisers,
in reading over the dispatch of Gen.
Otis that the Filipinos were threaten
ing to attack Manila, forcing him to
make the first movement, made no at
tempt to conceal from each other the
conviction that affairs had reached the
critical stage. Scanning between the
lines of this brief cable Of Gen. Otis it
is impossible to avoid the conviction
that the advance" Of Wednesday
would not have been made except from
the necessity of meeting promptly the
advance of the Filipinos, who have
changed places with our forces, and are
now the attacking party. It has come
out that several Of the cities and towns
lying around Manila have been occupi-
ed ct least four times by our forces and
abandoned. 1t is this which disarms
the natives Of fear at our approach and
emboldens even the -combattants to
fire from doors and windows at our SOL
diers in their successive retreats from
advances.
A further very important point is the
doubt whether the Filipinos will permit
cessation of hostilities during the
rainy season. Heretofore this has been
supposed to be purely matter for US to
determine. But the natives have be-
come SO bold, aggressive, defiant and
confident that they are looked for
now to take this into their own hands
The heat and the storm have no terrors
for them, and it will be no more than
pastime for them to keep our wornout
men on the stretch during the three
months appalling period which lies
before them.
Appreciation in some degree Of the
circumstances confronting the admins
rration is exhibited in the order to
throw heavy reinforcements into the
Philippines with the least possible de
lay. There is still, however, the hest
tation TO bow to the inevitable and call
for additional enlistments. The regu,
lar army as at present constituted is to
be subject to heavy drain, so heavy,
indeed, it has been deemed incumbent
to issue an official explanation that our
Western and Northwestern frontiers
will be left sufficiently guarded against
possible Indian or other disturbances.
It is not belived this explanation will
be altogether satisfactory to those con-
cerned.
1t is the part of wisdom to send two
negro regiments Of the regular army in
in the first batch of reinforcements.
They have already had the benefit and
the experience Of tropical service, they
have proved themselves efficient and
adventurous soldiers, and the dangers
to them Of the climate are minimized.
According to the present official out
giyings the army of Gen. Otis is to be
Increased to $4,000 men. This will
not be nearly enough and it would be
much the best for the administration to
admit it frankly, and at once. The
desperate fighting Of Wednesday, the
overwhelming force of the enemy and
the possession of field pieces show
abundant resources in men, arms and
ammunition. 1t is significant also that
the army had all it could do to main
tain itself with the assistance of the
shells Of the monitors and gunboats.
Aguinalde probably has as many men
under his command as Otis. Its felt
that at this moment Aguinaldo appears
to be stronger and more dominant with
his people than ever. His voice from
frst to last has been for war, and the
only alternative, independence. The
occurrences Of the past and the condi-
tions of the present indicate strength,
enthusiasm and determination behind
him.
Four Drowned.