St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-05-31
THE WAR.

Manila, May 30-The approach of the
wet season finds the instruction SEEM
ingly taking a new lease of life. All
along the American lines the rebels are
showing more aggressive activity In their
guerilla style than at any time before
the fall Of Malolos. They keep the United
States troops in the trenches, sleeping in
their clothing and constantly on the
alert against dashes upon our outposts,
and they make life warm for the Ameri-
can garrlsons in the towns.
The bands of General Luna and Cen
eral Mascardo, which retreated toward
Tarlio when they feared they would be
caught between General Macarthur
and General Lawton, have returned in
force to their old trenches around San
Fernando, where there are daily col
lisions.
Opposite our lines on the south protect
ing Manila all the way around to San
Pedro Macati the Filipnos have three
rows Of trenches most Of the distance.
Reports from prisoners Indicate that
the insurgents construe the peace ne
gotiations to mean that the Americans
have had enough Of fighting. The Fill
pnos are also encouraged by the belief
that the Americans are preparing for an
interval of inactivity during the wet
season.
This period is sure to be followed by
much suffering. Thousands of acres
that were under cultivation last year
have not been ploughed this year, and
the government will probably be obliged
to feed thousands, just as it fed the Gu
bans.
Friendly natives, Amigos, continue to
pour into the American lines by land and
river routes, coming from the territory
Of insurrection into the country where
the passage of the two armies has left no
food and practically throwing them
selves upon the charity of their con-
querors. Such able bodied men as are
not in the Filipino ranks have been kept
by the insurgent leaders to dig trenches,
and old men, women and children form
the mass of the refugees. These are
doing some ploughing, but they will be
confronted with hunger before they can
realize any subsistence from their crops.
The United States army has organized
system of distributing rice at Malolos
and some of the smaller towns where
Filipino stores We're captured; but the
latter will soon be exhausted.
General Otis has notified the president
through the war department that he be-
lieves he ought to have more troops than
he has had, unless the rebellion collapses
Immediately, as he evidently does not ex-
pect will be the case.
General Otis has shown his desire to
have the country know that he thinks
more troops are necessary by allowing
press dispatches to that effect to pass
through the censorship of his officers at
Manila, and still more significantly
Saturday by announcing through the
same medium that he has issued in gen.
eral orders an invitation for the volun-
teers to re-enlist for six months under
the authority given by the army act.
AS this action could not have been
taken without the approval of the ad-
ministration, it must be that General
Otis reported his need of more troops 1T
least day or two ago, and received per-
! mission to ask the volunteers to remain
He does not expect that the volunteers
generally will care to remain in the
Philippines throughout the rainy season,
but will prefer to return home as rapidly
as transportation is provided.