The Topeka state journal., 1899-02-07

eyes that it was possible for them to
respect. All this the English residents
iental British ports at which 1 stopped
on my way home, repea edly told me.
They predicted that the irsolence and
license of the Filipinos would infallibly
grow, until we should be forced to
bring home to them the fact that our
power could not be resisted Then, it
was declared, they would abandon re-
sistence.
"The military organization of the Fill
ipinoS will scarcely, I think, survive
this defeat-certainly not, if we at once
strike hard again wherever they show
front. Their organization, of course,
has always been exceedingly poor. There
is probably not an officer among them
who has any respectable knowledge of
modern military science. Their ablest
soldier is Pho De Pillar, the East Indian,
and yet I doubt very much if he has
ever in his life read any of the books
of the profession. His consequence
proceeds rather from his personal quail
tiles as a fighter than from his ability
to direct operations. His force, courage,
cOInbatiVeneSS, and implacab1l1ty in
spire confidence to his men to the ex-
tent that he is thus a natural military
leader he is a dangerous and, from our
point of view, a bad man. There is no
question in my mind that even Aguin-
aldo has stood in awe of him. 1t is even
possible that Pho de Pillar and his fac
ton coerced Aguinaldo into sanction
ing the assault. In the latters COM
munications to me he reminded me, In
excuse for his inability to accede at
once to request made, that he had to
consider the wishes of his chiefs. He
mentioned no names but 1t was gener-
ally understood among US that ne re
ferred principally ~ Pic tie--6tls sr-Ine
latter's influence, whatever it may be,
can be counted on as irreconcllabiy nos
tile to U.S.
''I think we may expect that defeat
at Manila will have a disastrous erect
ARuinal60'S authority.
premacy has been based on his notable
successes in wrestling the island from
the hands of the Spanish after we had
DESTROYED the Spanish fleet and upon
the Importance which he has assumed
in the eyes of his followers by reason
of confronting US so long with an army
The feebleness of his power having been
made manifest, there is every reason TO
suppose that his numerous rivals, sup
pressed for the time, will rise to dispute
his authority. When they have come
to nothing through factiOnal differences
and possibly conflicts, they Will be en-
tirely amenable to our guidance and
rule I think. They are really docile
and amiable people, without much stern
stuff-not pugnacious and irreconcilable
as our Indians are.
WHAT GENERAL GREENE SAID.
''They have one general who is a man
of no mean ability as a military com
mander. His name is Pho De Pillar, but
he is not a Filipino. He is a full blood
Indian AguinaldO showed to Gen. Mer-
ritt that he (Aguinaldo) rather stood in
awe of Pillar. 1 met this man once. He
was extremely hostile to the Americans
and showed that he was not of the sort
to be cOnciliated. Another fairly able
insurgent commander was a man
named Oriel. He was a man, however,
whom we could at least treat with
General Greene was not quite so con-
fident as General Merritt about the re-
suit of yesterdays battle. He called at
tention to the three months fighting in