The record-union., 1899-05-21
AGUINALOO'S WARRIORS.
THE MEN OUR TROOPS ARE
DRIVING BEFORE THEM.
Personnel Of the Tagal Army, the
Duty of the Volunteers and
the Taga1 Tactics.

laSheS. a broad and generally nat nose,
large lips, strong teeth, wide, nat race,
with little or no beard.
| His clothing consists of a cotton SHIRT
| and Jacket and a 'sinamay, a garment
made of cocoanut fibre, and worn IN
stead Of. or over. the white cotton tious-
ers AS head covering the Tagal wears
either cotton handkerchief arranged
in various ways, a straw somprero' VI
a homemade ''salecot,' KIND OF pas-
ket terminating in point, hpdue VI
straw or palm fibre. This hat the pei
ter classes adorn with silver buckles
and silk ribbons.
The Tagal usually walks in his bare
feet. although some of the natives wear
a kind of slipper without heelpiece, the
cloth upper covering only four toes the
little toe sticking out over the cloth aliu
| thus securing the shoe to the 1oot-
| Such is the Tagal soldier in his native
state. and the description gives a gooo
idea of the individuals composing the
present rebel army in the Philippines
| PERSONNEL OF THE ARMY.
| Recruiting for the army is compare
lively easy, for the Tagal is porn
fighter and extremely willing unoer Or
binary circumstances to enter the RANKS
| Recruiting is also made easy on &C
count of the extreme credullty OIL lhe
natives and the preposterous accounts
| concerning the United states Govern
ment and the Americans circulated ny
| the leaders. Again, the repels couiu
mot have chosen their time more oppor
tunely For many reasons the Ohlteo
| States made no efforts to check the
rising Instruction, which, started by
few ambitious Filipino leaders mas
gained it's present formidable proper
| tons.
The Tagals had sufficient time to IN
trench strong and advantageous posi-
lions. and also to provide themselves
with arms and ammunition, OF Wnlcn
| they always stood so much in need IN
their former skirmishes with the Span
iish troops. This time they have USED
to good advantage, and it appears tha1
| they are quite well armed
Their equipment consists for the most
part of Mauser rifles, though some
| Remingtons are found. Many OF the
rebels were formerly in the service OF
the Spanish Government, and it is pre-
sumed that when they left this service
they took with them their arms and
ammunition. Large quantities of sup
4
outside. When the Spaniards sur
rendered the islands and withdrew
| their forces from the interior many
Mauser rife was appropriated or stolen
by the willy Tagals or sold to them by
| the Spanish soldiery. At the aban-
doned posts and forts were large guam
titles of ammunition, and this also was
carefully collected by the natives
| In the Tagals political institutions,
as in all Others we find considerabl
imitation of European methods. This
is especially apparent in the minute
ramifications of the central authority
and the numerous divisions and Subdi-
visions of their Government. There are
| two parties The first, comprising the
| better and more civilized classes, de-
sire a republic, although their ideas
are rather confused. The second, COM
prising the lower classes and those in
capable of deciding on anything definite
or of devising anything better, content
themselves with opposing the first
party.
There is a central Government, which
usually accompanies Aguinaldo in his
changes of base There are two Coun-
ellis consisting each of President and
Ministers of War, Treasury, Interior
and Justice Over these two councils
is the Central Council, at the head Of
which Aeuinaldo has placed himself.
! His palace was formerly establi shed III
San Francisco de Malabon, where the
Government stamps and seals were kept
and where he dictated his DEGREES. Lat
err it was moved to Malolos, and quite
recently to San Fernando.
Affairs Of the common treasury of the
republic are administered by another
| council of fifteen. If the directors of
| the Tagal rebellion and the Tagal gov
eminent may be taken as examples Of
the remainder of the officials, it is GER
tain that until now this government is
simply one of ideas, of confusion and
of noise. and it is difficult to say
whether it be an empire, caliphate or
republic that the leaders are endeav-
oring to establish.
THEIR MILITARY ORGANIZATION.
The military organization is as cur
| ious as the political. For military pur-
poses the Tagal domain is divided into
several military zones, each commanded
! by a General who exercises military
control under the direction of a superior
General. Each of these zones is guard
ed by a separate army, divided into. two
parasitic active army, comprising all
the combatants and warriors, and the
second or volunteer army, comprising
those not in the ranks and employed in
the administrative service.
This active army is divided into regi-
ments. companies and batteries, and is
charged in time of peace with the duty
of serving in the trenches, of guarding
and patrolling the villages, cities and
roads and of preventing assertions. In
time of war these men form the field
army The companies are divided into
soldiers with arms and those without,
the proportion in numbers of the two
varying in accordance with the number
of rifles available. During a fight those
not having rifles keep in close proXim-
ity or in the rear rank Of those who
have, to be ready to take the rifle of
the front rank men when the latter are
disabled
These reserves go into the battle arm
ed with the lance or the 'bolo''-a short
machete-advance with the rifiemen
when the charge is sounded, and are
calculated to be of great use in the
melee.Ss There are often two or more re-
serves for each rifle in the front rank.
| The batteries serve the small guns of
the Tagals, .1antacas." but it is sup
| posed that their artillery has come in
possession of more formidable weapons
DUTY OF VOLUNTEERS.
| 1t is the duty of the volunteer army