The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-15
OTIS AT WASHINGTON
HE HOLDS A CONFERENCE WITH PReSI-
DENT M'KlNlEY
SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
The subject Discussed-The Genera
Makes No Report In Detail. but Gives
a General evfew OF the state OF AZ
fairs There The War over, but
Guerrilla Warfare Expected to Com
tinue for a Long Time-A surpris-
Ing Statement as to the Friipinos.
Washington. June 11.-Major Gen.
eral E. s. Otis, accompanied by his
aides, Captain Slayden and Lieuten-
ant Stanley, reached Washington
from his home al Rochester. ". Y.
where he stopped over TO visit Mrs.
Otis and his children, at 7:45 o'clock
this morning. He was met at the sta
ton by Adjutant General Corbin and
General Swain. and the party were
driven directly to the Arlington no.
tel. After breakfasting General Otis
repaired TO the war department. where
he formally reported 10 Mr.. Meikle-
john as acting secretary. Thence Gen
eral Corbin escorted him and his aides
10 the white house. The president was
in his private office in close consulta-
ton with Senator's Allison and Cullom
and Justice Harlan when the party ar
rived. General Otis and General Cor
bin were imediately ushered into the
presidents library where Mr.McKinley
met him with the utmost cordiality,
congratulating him upon his apparent
good health and thanking him several
times for his signal services 10 the
country"
General Otis made no report to the
president in detail although the situa-
ton in the Philippines was almost the
sole theme touched upon. After a few
minutes, the president invited General
Otis into his office and presented him
to Senators Allison and Cullom and
Justice Harlem and for over half an
hour General Otis remained talking
over the situation in the Philippines.
When General Otis left the White
house he was naturally reticent con-
corning the subject of his interview
with the president: but he did not hes
itate to reiterate statement, made re-
peatedly since landing at San Francis
CO, that the Filipinos' rebellion as an
organized revolt was dead. He spoke
of the insurgents who still retained
their arms as robbers" and 'guerril-
las" When his attention was called
to the views of Judge Taft, the presi-
lent of the Philippine commission in
the Manila dispatches, printed this
morning. he expressed the opinion that
they were satisfactory. He said that
the United States would be compelled
to maintain in the Philippines for a
considerable period as large an army
as vas there at present The army,
- - G.x-:11 - -~~Io 90 IN 49,
of repression until the robbers and
guerrillas are stamped out. The main
tenance of this large force is necessary,
owing to the vast extent OF territory
which we must cover We ave estab-
lished ourselves in NegrOs, Cebu, Sa-
mar and many of the other islands
in addition to LuZon, and are today
actually exercising effective authority
over more territory than Spain ever
did"
General Otis said that practically all
the leaders Of the insurrectiOn We're
either dead, captured or pacified. The
recent capture of General Pillar del Pho,
he thought, had probably been effect
ed with the consent of that general.
So far as AguinaldO himself was con-
cerned, General Otis was not inclined
to credit the report of his death. In
his opinion it mattered little, however,
whether Aguinaldo was dead or alive
DIS his lu1ucHCc d UCCh SoiipACN0iJ
destroyed. "Aguinaldo," said he, lis
probably in hiding somewhere in the
mountains Of northern Luzon, but he
carries little more influence than any
other Individual at large. He is dis
credited and a dead ISSUE"
General Otis spent the afternoon at
the war department in conference with
the heads Of the various stan depart
ments in regard to the condition and
needs Of their departments in the Phil
ippines. !,
He made one statement in particu-
lar which came as a distinct surprise,
in view Of the fact that he he's spent
a year and a half in fighting the Fill
pinos, for he declared that these same
Filipinos, were without question, the
very best Of any of the Asiatic race
living on the Pacific coas and islands
He paid a high ribute to their acQui-
sitiveness, saying that young old
were alike anxious to learn from the
Americans n quick to do so If given
any opportunity. The demand tor
schools on the American plan was in
| Satiable.
There was a dearth Of teachers.
General Otis often had recource to the
soldiers in his ranks who knew a lit
tie Spanish and so were suitable Tor
detail as teachers. General Otis said
he looked upon this educational move
ment as Inc only Solulion u TUG ~
ippine problem and was ccsfident that
the spread Of American ideas through
he Filipinos' school would in the end
make good citizens Of the Filipinos.
Save for a swarthy color, Genera
Otis, in appearance, looked very much
as he did when he wa last in Wish
ington before the Spanish-AmericaI
war. He emphatically ~contradictec
the stories that he had been ill while
in Manila and declared that he was
now in perfect health, and the state
ment was born out by his appearance