The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-03-23
PREPARING TO ADVANCE
Reorganizing Our Manila Forces
~ For an Aggressive Move.
REBELS SAVING THEIR POWDER.

They Evident ly Anticipate e the Coming
| Move-AguInaldo Declares lie Will
''Drive the Americans From Man
| tla" In Twenty Days.
T Manilu, March 23. While apparently
Inactive since Sunday, really the oppo.
site has been the case with the Aneri-
can forces. A reorganization, entailing
many changes, has been in progress since
the abandonment of the flying column.
General Wheaton's and General Halls
brigades have not been assigned bnt the
Oregon regiment. the Minnesota regiment
and the Twenty second regiment have
been concentrated at the camp on the
4Iunete, at the water front. III readiness
for immediate transportation when the
plans of the military leaders have been
formulated.
u Our troops are entrrnched and the sit
Nation Is practically unchanged. The
enemy has refrained from making amy
attacks recently. and it would appear
that the rebels are saving their anmuni-
ton for decisive movement.
Nv According to Il prisoner captured by
our troops. Aguinaldo has announced
that he will personally conduct the re-
serves at Malalos and march into Manila
within twenty days unless the Americans
withdraw in the meantime. The cOncen-
tratiOn of rebel forces in the vicinity of
Malabon gives color to the statement of
the prisoner. -
& Aguinaldo is continuing his drastic
method Of dealing with suspected enc
mics to his cause. He threatens death
I to any person advising peace save on
, terms Of absolute Independence.
4. Aguinaldo Is making every prepara-
stion to resist an American advance upon
Malolos from any direction.
Z By means of system Of dykes, which
Is nearly completed, all streams about
The insurgent capital may be so DETECTED
as to food the surrounding country and
make military operations extremely diff
Gcult.
All strategetically placed towns have
iboen cncircled with five lines of en-
trcnchments. These are surrounded by
cane spikes so imbedded rs to mutilatc
the feet of charging force.
I Railroad bridges on the approaches to
Malolos have been destroyed, and the
banks of all fOrdable rivers and streams
have been guarded by long lines of in
trenchments.
The American troops are thoroughly
prepared, however, to replace bridges
In the advance upon Mal0los..
I American occupation Of all the Islands
Of the group Is assured, as there are
troops enough to insure ordinary pro-
lection.
Advices received from Cebu by a coast
Ing steamer say all is quiet there. The
United States transport Sherman, from
New York on Feb. 3, has arrived here.
One child, two sailors and two privatcs
died on the voyage and one man was
drowned in the Mediterranean.
The address to the natives Of the Phil
lppine Islands drafted by the American
government and cmbodying the views of
the president has been made public. At
ter being translated into all the native
dialects it Is to be disseminated through
out the archipelago.
The address assures the Filipinos Of
the intention of the Americans to de-
velop the powers Of self government in
the people. 1t explains that the United
-States has assumed international obli-
cations which 1t must fulfill and which
make it responsible to the whole civil
ixed world for the stable government Of
the Philippines.
The commission, it is explained, is to
Interpret to the natives the purposes and
Intentions of the president toward them,
and also to suggest the establishment of
such a government as shall suit the ca
pacity and requirements of the Filipinos
and be consistent with the interests Of
the United States.
The protection Of the United States is
not to be exercised in any spirit Of tyran.
ny or vengeance, but having destroyed
the Spanish power and accepted the
sovereignty of the islands, the United
States Is bound to restore peace in the
Philippines.
To this end all insurgents are invited
to lay down their arms and place their
trust in the government that emanci-
pated them from the oppression Of Span
ish rule.
The majority of the commissioners In
cline toward giving the Filipinos sort
Of tribal or provincial local autonomy
under a central government which shall
be military until purely civil system
IL proved to be feasible.