Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-28
OPERATIONS IN
PHILIPPINES
What the Present Campaign
Will Effect.
MANY PITCHED BATTLES
Must be Fought Before the Power OF
the lnSurgent Leader There
Can be Broken.

Chicago. March 2S.-G. P. Fl. Farrell,
captain and assistant surgeon of the
First California volunteers, is in Chi
Cago. His regiment was the first to
reach Manila last June and the captain
was in the island of Luzon continuously
until the last week of January two
months ago. He had unusual opportu-
mites to study the conditions in the
island as he was selected last October
to make a tour of investigation extend
ing from Manila to Dagupan. He speaks
Spanish fiuenty and for that reason was
chosen to carry on many of the negotia-
the country where the American troops
are now fighting and in speaking of that
locality said:
The railway line extends up the
middle of the valley along which our
troops have been advancing. The coun-
try in which recent operations have
taken place is very fiat and is simply
a succession of rice fields. Between this
i valley and the sea is a low range of hills
and on the other hand is the coast range
of mountains, perhaps 5000 or 5000 feet
high The rice fields are quite small and
are separated by dikes so that they can
be flooded. 1t is an excellent country for
defensive operations. The natives can
,use the dikes for trenches, retreating
from one to another and then in abandon
ing a position they can flood the fields
and thus hinder the advance of our men.
| have not seen it mentioned in the dis
patches but l have no doubt that many
Of these fields have been Hooded
What do you believe will be the effect
of the present campaign"
There will be several pitched battles
and then Aguinado's army will be dis
persed, but the American army in the
Philippines will have to contend with
guerilla warfare for several years to
come. The natives will not submit even
if the main body of the army is demol-
ished and scattered. Still, do not think
the prospect is one that should be alarm
ing or distressing. Our army will have
an experience in the Philippines which
will be exceedingly valuable and make it
all the more effective in the future"
How did you hapen to make trip
through the island?"
| TT was found advisable to ascertain
what the natives in the interior were do
! ing and what seemed to be their attitude
toward the Americans. The American
officers in uniform who had attempted
to traverse this part of the country had
| been arrested and sent back so ! Travelled
! as a civilian. That was late in October.
AS | am of English birth l allowed the
natives to believe that l was an English
man. In addition to that ! spoke Spanish
and found little difficulty in getting
along, although l was continually
stopped and questioned. At every town
tn soldiers did not demand from me
pass of Aguinaldo But the fact that his
name was mentioned everywhere show
ed that he was regarded as their leader,
gave me an idea of his influence in the
island. ] went the entire length of the
railway line to Dagupan on the entire
coast and everywhere l found the natives
arming themselves and drilling con-
stantly.
THE one topic of conversation was the
coming fight with the Americans. They
seemed to regard it as inevitable and
were not disposed to avoid it. Even the
little boys were marching up the streets
and being drilled and | never saw more
military enthusiasm in any country. OF
course, the drilling was very awkward
and the discipline was poor, but the SOL
dicrs We're intensely earnest and enthusi
astic everywhere and the fact that the
new arms We're being shipped in and dis
tributd showed that some we'll defined
policy of preparation was being put into
effect"
How did the natives get these i'm
prQyed arms"
",fhey were shipped in during all last
summer and autumn. AS soon as Aguin
a ldo established his government he be-
gan to levy taxes in every village and
demand tribute from the wealthy resi-
dents in and around Manila and great
deal of this money was Immediately ex-
pended for arms and ammunition. At
Malolos | saw MaXims and Gatlings.
There are enough Spanish artillerymen
among the insurgents to handle these
guns in an effective manner. 1t is evil
dent also that the natives have compe-
tent engineers with them for their
trenches have been well constructed and
so arranged that soldiers can retreat
from one to another without putting
themselves in range"
You met Aguinaldo often?"
For a time | met him two or three
times a day. He impressed me as a very
shrewd leader. He was exceedingly sus-
picious o fthe Americans and l found the
greatest difficulty in getting any infor-
nation out of him. In an interview he
had one of his native officers with him."
The Railroad REIMBURSEMENT