Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-04-14
THE PHILIPPINE SITUATION.

mas Deen promised Ill ine CeuSOTeu us
patches from Manila, for under many
adverse circumstances they have fought
with a dash that was splendid and a
steadiness that was superb, strewing the
ground with the corpses of the enemy
and carrying their flag to victory in
every engagement. The postponement
of the rebel surrender is due entirely to
the pestiferous and persistent Agulnado
and his misguided followers, who, hav-
ing conceived the notion that their
country belongs to them and that 1T is
privilege to fight for it, and If need be
die to defend it from an invader who Of
fers them brand of liberty that is not
to their liking and civilization for
which they think they have no use, have
obstinately refused to help carry out the
the program carefully prepared for them
by General Otis and given worldwide
publicity by the war department.
This program included not only the
victories of our army and navy. the cap
ture of the suburbs of Manila, including
Maloos, in which the headquarters of
the rebel chief were located, and the sur
render of his forces, but The glad sub
mission of all the people of Luzon and
the establishment of a delightful peace
under the stars and stripes. 1t was
framed upon the theory that Aguinaldo
would stay where he would be captured
and his forces would make their last
stand in his so-caled capital and when
beaten there haul down their flag and
accept whatever their white conquerors
had in store for them. But instead Of
this, when the gallant Americans reached
the town after several stubborn contests
on the road, the rebels had gone, having
fired the place and taken to the noun
tans, where they are supposed to have
divided into guerrilla squads with the
purpose of keeping up protracted war
fare much after the fashion of the cuban
insurgents in their struggle with Spain,
which there is some reason to fear they
can do Notwithstanding the proclama-
tons of the American commission and
the orders of the American generals.
Before we can shoot and civlize
Filipino we must get within rifle range
of him, and this it may not be an easy
matter to do, even in the island of Lozon,
where an unbrOken series of victories
have been won by our soldiers. Luzon
contains 40, 900 square miles, or nearly
as much territory as Maine and New
Hampshire, whose areas are respectively
33 ,040 and 0305. Manila is located upon
the coast somewhat as Portland is. We
have undisputed control of Manila and
vicinity, to which have been confined all
our military operations. The bulk of
our army is still in the suburbs, within a
radius of fifteen or twenty miles, and
MalOlos, which is the extreme point we
have reached in our conquest, is not
days march distant. If foreign nation
had set out to seize Name and New
Hampshire and had taken Portland, Saco
and Biddeford, and the natives, having
been repeatedly defeated in their at
tempts to defend these places, had re-
treated to the interior to hide in the
forests and ambush the unwelcome visi-
tor, the geographical situation would
correspond closely to that at Luzon. The
climate of the island fights of course
with the islanders. 1t is deadlier foe
and it enables those who follow the in
surgent day to live upon the country at
all seasons of the year.
Clearly we have made but beginning
in LuZon, to say nothing of the other
parts of the archipelago, if the popula-
ton is inspired by any such determine
ton as Aguinaldo has proclaimed, to
achieve their independence or perish.
How much of truth there may be in the
repeated reports that he is losing his in
fluence, that his followers are dispirited
and ready to surrender, that the people
are willing to accept American rule, we
do not and can not know. We do know
that up TO the present time there has
been little to clear these stories of the
suspicion that they are manufactured for
American consumption with little regard
to the facts. Ten thousand rebels have,
ii is said, been killed or wounded in bat.
tie, but the survivors have shown no
disposition to surrender. Our prisoners
number but a few hundred. A half
dozen towns have been burned and broad
acres of territory have been laid waste,
but only the inhabitants who can not get
away remain to welcome our army. The
insurgents lack arms, uniforms and
money, but they have taken to the noun
tains, leaving no sign that theirs is not
a fight to the death.
And now the question that confronts
those responsible for the movements of
our army is whether to send it in pursuit
of the evasive rebels, to be decimated by
disease and shot from ambush Or IN hold