The record-union., 1899-08-25
viii Be Months, and Maybe Years,
Before II Ends,
II Report Coming From Manila Can Be
Depended Upon as Authority.
sFiIipinos Are Continually Receiv-
ing Arms and Ammunition
From Outside Sources and Are
Likely to Continue the Conflict
Indefinitely.

Indefinitely.
MANILA, July % (via San Francisco,
Aug. Ain Manila talk of the ending
of the war deals no longer with weeks,
but with months and even years.
Among the mass of people here, mill
tary men and foreign residents, there
is but one opinion. The whole effort of
the insurgents for three months was to
hold off the Americans until their ally,
the rains, arrived. In this they have
been as successful as they could have
hoped. Unless affairs take some unfor-
seen turn, the Filipinos will resume the
war this fall with fresh spirit and
replenished stock of arms and ammu
milton. One ship load of arms, It is
learned on good authority, has reached
them within the past week. OF money
the leaders of the insurrection have no
lack They control the resources of a
large and exceedingly rich country, and
even though no crops were harvested
for several years. they could still OBJ
tain enough cash and supplies by i'm
pressing to their use the treasures of
the church, the storehouses of farmers
and manufacturers and the funds of
,
which they have long enforced with
considerable success.
All the ships coming and going in the
ports recently opened to trade pay
heavy tribute to the insurrection. Much
of the profits of this informal sort of
government are supposed to go into the
pockets of the leaders. excepting Agui-
naldo, who is generally acquitted of en-
riching himself by the present. war. but
when the public treasury becomes
empty the politicians who are exploit
ing Aguinaldo, if they see a possibil
ity of success. consider the war a good
private investment.
Reports brought through the lines to
Spaniards and Filipinos in this city are
that the spirits of the insurrectionists
are improving.
Americans, like the Spaniards, must
defer to nature and rest on their arms
most of the time while the country is
a mud wallow. The Generals are tell
ing their followers that American mac
tion during the past month is due to
Encouragement and decentralization.
The Filipino soldiers. according to these
infOrmants. are tolerable contented. AL
though the paymaster seldom appears,
they are living as comfortably as they
have been accustomed to. being clothed
and receiving rations. which an Ameri-
can or European army could not live
on, chiefly rice, with only occasionally
little fish or meat. They are fairly
we'll housed. having taken possession
of the dwellings and public and church
buildings in the towns upon which they
are quartered and they add to their
living by looting.
Through the American secret service
come different stories-that the Filipino
army is becoming decimated by daily
desertions to the number of twenty or
thirty. and is fast losing heart and on
the verge of disruption. Past exper-
ience with the secret service juStifies
suspicion that many of it's employees
most of whom are natives or Spaniards
are deeply interested in holding their
places by seeming to earn their pay
while refugees who come through the
lines have been disposed to give reports
which they think will please the au-
thorities Almost since the beginning
of the war they have pictured the Fill
pino army as on its last legs, and it's
collapse but a question of days. Two
months ago General Otis caused the
country to be placarded with an offer
of $50 for each insurgent rife volun-
tarily surrendered. though for some
reason the newspaper correspondents
were forbidden to telegraph to the
United States this fact. which was
known to everyone in the island If
the Filipino soldiers We're deserting by
companies tired of the war and con-
verted to American rule. many of them
might be expected to bring their guns
the reward. The entire harvest from
this offer, however, has been less than
100 guns.
There was a time when Aguinaldo's
biggest army hung in the balance,
when its destruction appeared newt
able. That was when Macarthur had
captured San Fernando and Lawton
was marching upon San Isidro, with
the Filipinos scattering before him.
Lawton had made himself a terror to
the insurrectionists, because no oh
stacles stopped him If the country
was roadless his men cut roads. and
the General and his staff took off their
coats and helped. When rations were
not forthcoming they breakfasted on
another inch OF their belts. and
marched ahead and they always man
dSeu ~ dttdch from an unexpected
quarter knowing what road or which
side of town had been entrenched.
and pouncing in from another direc-
ton. With Lawton at San Isidro, the
rebels feared he might sweep around
upon Tarlac, where they had installed
their nomadic capitol, and catch them
between two armies. All the archives,
seals, gilt triangles and treasure boxes
We're packed ready for shipment up the
railroad on the first word of Lawton S
advance.
Lawton thought himself able to take