The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-19
FEARS HAVE BEEN REALIZED.
General Otis Incompetency Has Now
Been Made Plainly Manifest.

New York, July ia special TO ths
Tribune from Washington says: What
every army officer in Washington has
long feared, but for obvious reasons
declined to discuss in public, and what
civilians were beginning, unwilHngly IN
most instances to believe, is precisely
confirmed by the remarkable cable DIS
patch from Hongkong, which viii take
rank as a war paper with the ceieorat-
ed Santiago round robin" of last sum-
mer. In the war department for more
than a month the feeling existing
among the higher officials that General
Otis was misplaced in command at Ma
Mia has been growing irTepressible-
His consecutive official reports were
seen to be non-corroborative, and even
the president was no longer aware OF
the distrustful sentiment affecting
soldiers in Manila or on duty here, or
passing through Washington to join
commands elsewhere.
The government was compelled to de-
pend for later news of the Phil1pOlne
situation wholly on the brief cabled re-
ports from the general. it having been
noticeable that the press diSI etches,
which had been so full and satisfactory
to the authorities earlier in the cam
paign. had practically ceased to come
since the early part Of June. the infer
ence being that the correspondents had
been driven from the field by the rainy
season.
The anxiety was increased by the ap-
parent reluctance of General Otis to
give desired information, his grudsinS
replies to queries about the men he
would need in the fall. and his stub
born reiteration that 10000 men would
be enough for all purposes. That was
his estimate six months ago: Yet for
the succeeding four months mis- force
aggregated over 10000 and hardly an
inch of ground was gained from the in
surgents after May 1.
For four months official kilograms
had come from General Otis. clinging TO
his belief that the rebellion was over.
and only now when events have JUSTIFIED
none of the series of rosy predictions
it is beginning to be openly admitted
that General Otis has not known what
was going on in the country under his
control. and that he has failed to form
any adequate idea of Filipino charac-
ter At last it is beginning to be real
lied among the civil authorities, as II
had already become a profound convic-
ton among military men, experienced
in Indian control in the west, that the
war in Luzon might not have begun,
and in any event would have been
quickly ended had General Merritt re-
manned in command or had General
Otis come home last summer.
There is no disposition in the army
to declare unqualifedly that General
Otis is incapable of doing some things
in Manila better than many other OIL
GERS near the top of the army list His
ability as an administrator is widely
recognized. He is unusually SYSTEM
attic about his office affairs, and has en-
joyed an enviable reputation for dis
erection, particularly in his dealings
with tranSgreSSors of civil and mill
tary law. He has long been an au-
thority on drill regulations and his in
terest in the efficiency of the army or
ganization was shown in his establish
ment of the cavalry school. But since
the civil war his field service was never
noticeable, and his friends are reticent
about it.
For this reason Generals Lawton.
Young, Wheeler and Schwan, as we'll
as others, have been sent to him. as
expressly stated by the war depart
ment. lin order that General Otis might
be relieved of much of the respons1bil-
ity in the actual campaign, TO devote
more time in administering affairs in
the rest of the islands,"
The revelations now made about the
astound the leading officials
here. When complaints were recently
made about the way dispatches were
being stopped and man ed at Manila.
the war department was satisfied with
an explanation of General Otis that
great liberty was being allowed, with :
only such restrictions as prevented adj
vance information Of military opera