The evening times., 1900-09-25

T.. L n
ward p. Williston. United States Army,
who, for more than a year acted as
Mayor OF Manila and Provost Marshal of
of the city, is at the Hotel Rennert, and
will be in Baltimore for some time. Gen
eral Wi!liston left the Philippines on
July IL. and has recently been retired
In speaking OF conditions in tha islands
and the status of the American arms
there General WiIlistcn said
1T is not war that is going On over
there now-it is assassination. We are
now fighting one tribe consisting CT
million aad a half of people, the fighting
force of whom are mostly hrigands and
thieves
They resemble a covey of quail in
their fighting tactics. When. with large
force. they come upon small detach-
ment of our troops they sail in and Kill
few and then run away, disappear in
the grass and hide themselves.
They are very hostile to US, and m s.
heartily distrusi our motives. The go
years of Spanish rule. born in sin and
continued in corruption, has made them
distFust everything, and they have abso-
Iutely no confidence in Americans
What they would like US to do wo III
be to protect them While they formed
their own government and governed
themselves, but they do not want US TO
meddle- We must absolutely keep hands
of and simply protect them fr5m GUS d =
interference. There is practically NJ
morality among the people either N
or women, and therefore l do not thin k
fo sy.9a -. /
talize the people.
Upon the whole the American sol
diers have behaved well, with the ex-
ception that they have set a very Iai
example 20 the people in the matter of
drunkenness. The Filipino does net care
for liquor, and during the whole time
was Oh the island | did not see a drunk
en- native. But our boys will get drunk.
Il is true that many of the soldiers now
out there are very bad lot, These new
volunteers who have crept into even the
Regular Army are very much inferior ID
the volunteers OF the Spanish war. They
are made UP OF the toHghs from differ
ent cities and towns who have pracli-
cally been forced TO enlist Some Of the
men have behaved badly and wnile / was
there | shipped back 100 men dislCnCr-
ably discharged Wherever we find taen II
breaking cut We punish them.
AS for the climate it is undoubtedly
not fitted to the American, constitution
and Americans could never colonize there
OF course our soldiers sicken and die and
if we are 10 hold the islands it is simply a
question of continually sending more men
out from this country to take the places
Of those who have to be sent home be-
cause of the climate.
I'VE need more men now We merely
have a nominal hold on the islands moth
ing more than is covered by our rifle
range. II one man dies or is removed. we
lose the ground that one man guarded
There is much TO contend with and the
problem is a great one. Stin believe if
we were 10 withdraw cur troops Manila
would run with gore. as the people would
fight each other
The islands are wonderfully fertile and
productive and I believe anything can be
raised on them. but capital will not go
where it is not safe. and capital is hardly
safe there. The only thing for us 10 do is
to get the insurgents TO stop fighting
Even then l do not see how We are TO
get any money out of them. as far as the
sale of our manufactures is concerned. be-
cause they do not want anything we have
to sell. They can live on a handful of rice
or beans day. and I venture to say a
Filipino can live on 2 or cents q day.
AS for clothes. the women wear 10 shoes.
nor stockings, nor hats They simply
wrap rags around themselves and let il go
at that The best of them are semi bar
bar!an. They do not want cur PIANOS or
our furniture, or our clothes, or in fact
anything we make. What We will have to
do is to educate them up TO wanting these
things but it viii take q long, long time.
As for the Philippines being stepping
stone for US TO the open door in China.
that is another great question"
When asked whether he thought the
game worth the candle. General WilIiston
merely smiled and proceeded to tell more
of the chaotic conditions in the islands.
He smiled again when asked whether he
thought peace would eventually be estab-
lished there. and said he believed some
time it would be.
General Wi.liston has many friends in
Baltimore He came to this city just be
fore the outbreak of the Spanish war as
the colonel of the Sixth Artillery, which
is now in The Philippines General VIII
liston was in the Regular Army for Pc
riod of forty years.