Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-05-04
BUSY DURING A TRUCE
Otis Improves Lull in Fighting
to Strengthen Position.
REPAIRS BRIDGES AND TRENCHES
Natives Are Cheerful Over Prospects of
Returning Peace Filipinos Ask Us
Would You Fight While We Are Dis
cussing Peace?"-A Slight skirmish
With the Insurgents.

MANILA, May 1.-While it is the
general expectation among Americans
that the Filipino emissaries will re-
turn with revised proposals from Gen.
GRAZ Antonio Luna, Major General
otls is not letting this prospect inter-
1ere with his preparations for pushing
the war. Yesterday he ordered Major
General Lawton to return to Angat.
a few miles northwest of Norzagarav.
and not to advance aggressively while
the negotiations were pending. Cen
eral Macarthur is apparently acting
on the same policy, but he is repairing
bridges and strengthening the lines
or his force, which is stretched out
with a four-mile front, and within a
quarter of mile of the enemy. The
possibilities of peace are gratifying 10
a great majority of the army. which
has regarded the war as an unpleas-
ant duty that must be performed &C
cording to American traditions.
Manila is cheerful over the pros
pect OF a return of normal life, though
there are skeptics who remark that a
truce would enable the insurgents to
rest until the rainy season, upon which
they have been depending as an i'm
portant aid.
The prisoners report that there are
$4,000 refugees north of San Fernan-
do. This is not impossible, consider
ing the thickly populated region which
the Americans have cleared. 1t seems
also that smallpox is spreading among
them.
The so-called Filipino congress will
meet at San Fernando tomorrow.
~
United States Philippine commission,
who accompanied the Filipino ennis
sarieS from Calumpit, said to Colonel
Manuel Arguelles that the Americans
were under no obligations to refrain
Would you fight while we are dis
cuSsing terms of peace?"
Mr.. Worcester responded with the
suggestion that an armistice would
give the Filipino leaders time to es-
cape.
MY God, where would we escape
to-" the Filipino exclaimed, referring
in this to menacing hostile tribes be-
hind the Filipino line.
Colonel Arguelles told the corrc-
spondent of the Associated Press that
he was much disappointed in the re-
suits of his mission. He said also
that Aguinaldo expected Calumpit to
be the cemetery of the American army.
Lieutenant Colonel Wallace of the
First Montana regiment, Major Adams
and Major Shields, who slept on Fri
day night in General Luna's camp,
where they went to inform the Fill
pinos that their ENJOYS would return
in safety, found the Filipino COM
mander cordial, the Filipino troops re-
moving their hats as the Americans
passed.
The Filipinos complained to them
that the Americans used explosive
bullets, which is not the fact. The
American officers retorted that tie
copper shells used by the Filipinos are
worse than explosive bullets. General
Luna said he regretted being Obliged
to kill Americans. but that was his
business.
General Wheaton entertained Colo
mel Arguelles and Lieutenant Jose
Bernal and provided them with horses
to return to their camp.
In the course of the conference yes
terday, Jacob Schurmann. chairman
of the United States commission, toll
Colonel Arguelles that if the insur-
gents would lay down their arms he
and his colleagues of the commission
would consult them regarding the
plan of government to be submitted
to President Mckinley. He said he
would not promise that all their suS-
gestions would be adopted, but he
could assure them that there would
be presumption in favor of their sug-
gestions, adding that the commission
ers would be especially DESTROYS Ut
satisfying the legitimate aspirations
of the FiliDinos.
When Colonel Arguelles protested
that unconditional surrender would
be humiliating, Mr.. Schurmann re-
piled: There would be no humilia-
ton in treating our brother Filipiros
as General Grant treated our brother
Americans at AppomattoX."
Mr.. Schurmann said yesterday 10
the correspondent of the Associated
Press:
Il believe Colonel Arguelles is per-
sonally sincere and honest, though
have no means of ascertaining the SEN
timents and aims of the authorities
behind him. The Filipino people. peo-
pie, like other Asiatic peoples, have no
trust in mere words, without force be-
hind them, but with force l consider
a conciliatory spirit of the utmost i'm
nOrtance"