Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-10-04
HOLD THE
ISLANDS
Montana Troops Sustain the
Presidents Policy.
Interviews With Officers and Privates
Are Practically Of One
Tenor.

ktllfitbilild pAhll'lilh NH'fihihS VI Nh'
arrival of the Valencia Mt San Fran
cisco with the last companies OF the
Montana regiment says:
The Valencia will dock at , O'Clock
this morning at Folsom street wharf
No. 9 ut the stern OF transport Cen
tennial and the troops will disembark
by . O'Clock and march To the Pre-
siGiO with the escort assigned Ivy the
commanding general.
The Montana men are soldiers
who have seen their share Of active
service and not only look but feel
like veterans. They are not fault
finders and have no string Of griev-
ances which they are awaiting an
opportunity to rehearse. There are
no complaints As to their quarters
on shipboard or Of their food OF
concerning their treatment.
Major Miller said: 81 believe We
ought to hold the Philippines, but |
think that the peace commission
should be withdrawn. We can'tcon-
duet the war successfully and he ne
gotiating for peace all the time,
Such an arrangement is an anOmal-
Gus one. No dOubtcOngress thought
that it was wise to do everything
possible to prevent war, butt think
the peace commission is useless. We
all knew that the fight must open.
The natives had grown unbearably
insoIent and the Zen were cXusper-
ated beyond endurance. There has
not been much fighting. We have
Just been trying To find out what
the conditions are and to learn how
to hest Subdue the islands without
losing n lot of men. Macarthur and
Lawton ought to be allowed now tn
go out aud fight. | can't say how
valuable the islands may he, but
have seen Just as fine cOrn fields there
az | have ever see anywhere and
much of the land IL very rich. The
value of exports. however. will never
greatly increase under native meth
DDS. In the northern country the
roads are excellent and the people
are very different from those in the
district around Manila, they seem to
be superior In every way.
"Our men were crazy to 60
through the country looking for min
erals and many would have engaged
in mining had the country been set,
tied and safe. Many Of them did
some prospecting and some colors
were found. A mining engineer from
Montana named Shea got a pass
from Aguinaldo before hostilities
broke out and made "A trip through
the country prospecting for an Eng
iish syndicate. He thinks well OF
the mineral Indications and intends
to stay in the islands.
81 feel az II ! had enough of wal
for the present. | am going home
because of some business interests,
but | might decide later To go back
Ii this war il not Don over
Soldiers are not supposed to have
any opinions said nne of u group
of %privntes, but | would not like t.
zee the Philippines given up"
"No, we have shed too much blood
there To ever abandon a foot of the
StollIl'l, rbl'l diloll'is
al do not know about keeping
them permanently said a third
.'but | am i'm favor of subduing al
opposition first and talking Of d
police for them afterwards"
The Butte Inter Mountain. on
the arrival of Zealandia In SaI
Francisco. took pains to see that q
number of the officers and men Of the
+ rst Montana were interviewed In
regard % the wal now going on In
the Philippines. The result il giveT
by the Inter Mountain as follows:
In an interview today F. j. Adams
major and surgeon of the First
volunteers. said:
General Otis has displayed the
highest skill I'm the management 81
the campaign. The two big BATTLES
were plann"d by the commanding
general and but for the failure o'
General Wheaton. March %. ut La
Iona to follow the plan laid down
they would have doubtless ended the
, campaign There il not a man in the
United States army who il better
qualified To conduct both civil anC
military affairs I'm the islands than
General Otis. There may he better
fighting generals, but there il ne
man who en- attend to both ends
like he can"
Other inter views with officers and
men of the Iealandia are IA follows:
First Lieutenant and Adjutant w
b. Knowlton.-I think they are toe
hard ON General Otis. He has move
work than three men ought to try {,
do and he has not enough troops
] see no ground for honest criticism.
Captain John Hallahan, Company
M.-The war in the Philippines IL Il
battle of civilization againstanarchy
and time will prove the correctness
OF President Mckinley's policy. In
the meantime the only thing patri'
otto Americans can do IL to- hold NJ
the hands Of the administration,
The rebels in LuzOn by no means
represent the sentiment Of the major
part of the island population. A Sc.
cret political organization controlled
by Aguinaldo and a cotcrie Of schem.
ers, who are playing for power and
wealth, keeps the rebellion alive.
Designing men are its members, and
they work upo., the superStitiOns oI
the common people, using threats
when necessary. We have lain in OuI
trenches at Caloocan and heard the
Filipino leaders numbering by tn,
score natives who wished to treat
with the Americans. ~Aguinaldo has