The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-18
.LAWTON is READY
Movement About to Begin In
Northern LuZOn.
To Recapture Some Of the
Places Formerly Held.
RIO GRANDE FALLING.
Transportation by Water Is
Becoming Impossible.
Not Enough Mules and Horses
to Convey Supplies.
CRITICISM OF OTIS
For DiIatOriness and Costly Er-
rOrs on all Sides.
A Big Battle Is Expected at
Tarlac.

New York. Oct. 18.-A Herald dis
patch from Arayat, Luzon, via Manila
says:
General Lawton is ready to begin his
northern movement on the railroad
around the right of General MacAr-
thurs column. He will have about 2'OOO
effective fighting men, consisting OF the
Twenty fourth, two battaliOns OF the
Twenty a company of the Th1r-
ty-seventh, 200 friendly Macabebees
scouts, 500 of the Fourth cavalry
mounted and 100 dismOunted.
It will be necessary to recapture San
Isidore. which we held last May and to
establish a base of supplies. The Rio
Grande is being used as a supply line
from Calumpit, but the river is falling
rapidly and it is doubtful unless rain
comes, whether all supplies can be for
warded by water.
Regrets are expressed at the front
that this movement was not made dur
ing the heavy rainfall. At present
wagon, horse and mule transportation
is able to fill only small portion of the
requisitiOn. The loss of 300 mules on
the steamer Siam is a serious matter
now.
An escaped Spaniard prisoner says
the Filipino officers are circulating
report among their discouraged soldiers
that unless the Americans conquer
them within a month, President Nc
Kinley will give them independence and
withdraw the American troops as well.
The insurgent position at Bambanga,
four miles north of General MacAr-
thurs position is a strongly intrenched
garrison, and a great battle will be
fought at Tarlac where it is said 10000
insurgent troops and much artillery are
concentrated.
A WASTE OF LIFE.
New York. Oct 1S.-A Herald special
from Manila. via Hong Kong, says:
Recent military operations on Porac
to the north and on San Francisco and
Malapon to the south, which were
planned in General Otis office in Ma
niIa, contemplated only expeditions
against the enemy and immediate with
drawaI from these regions.
These operations were severely cr1t1-
cised by military men generally, as the
territory abandoned by the Americans
was Immediately reOccupied by the in
SurgentS. The futility of such man
oeuvCrs is discOuraging. Soldiers and
officers alike feel that their lives are
being sacrificed without accomplishing
results
Our losses are heavy when compared
with the advantage gained. South mill
tary men say the territory must be held
by garrisoning the principal ports and
interior towns. i ne DlOCkdQ0u pOiLS
are filled with immense quantities of
hemp. Foreign buyers and shippers
claim that the market and the people
are being ruined and the peaceful peO-
pie are starved through the shortage
in rice caused by the failure of the
Americans to occupy and control thoes
ports.
because General Otis fails to recognize
through its representations the dire
need OF more medical officers, nurses
and hospital room
The first reserve hospital is in bad
shape. Hundreds of sick are lying in
dirty tents, though for months the ex-
treme need of more substantial quar-
ters has been impressed on the governor
general. The failure to erect or provide
sufficient hospital room is HOssibly ex-
planned ny General Otis mental atti-
tude which causes him to say to the
newspaper correspondents that % per
cent of the men in the hospital are
malingering.
General Otis recently sent a line Off
Ger with no medical knowledge to in
vestigate and report on the men sick
in a certain regiment, though the sur
gcOn's official report in his hands show
ed an expert diagnosis in each case.
Constant refusals meet the quarter
masters demands and may handicap
the future moves very seriously. Many
officers are protecting themselves by
going on record
AN OFFER TO SELL.
Manila. Oct. 1S.-8:55 a m.-GeneraI
Otis has received messages purporting
to come from the insurgent general,
Pho Del Pillar, Offering to sell out his
army and to deliver Aguinaldo into the
hands of the Americans. Although he
is not satisfied that this offer is authen-
tic it is not intrinsically improbable.
The Tolicy of General Otis is firmly set
against buying any surrenders.
Pho Del Pillar offers for the sum of
$50 600 to refrain from attacking Ma
Mia with his army; for the sum of
$3.50, 600 he offers to surrender his army
after a, sham battle, both sides firing
into the air, and for the sum of $500, 900
he says he will procure the overthrow
of the insurrection and the capture of
AguinaldO, Paterna and the other
leaders. In the course of the communi-
cation he refers to Aguinaldo in con-
temptuous terms, indicating that
strained relations exist between them
Reports are being received from the
districts occupied by the enemy. that
the FilipinOs believe that Pho del Pillar
has an audaciOus plan to break through
American lines into Manila and seize
Gen Otis and the archbishop. Possibly
these rumors were started with an idea
of helping to make deal with the
Americans. 1t is needless to say that
the Americans would welcome an at