The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-06-12
He Declares an Army Must Be MilntaIlsd
There for Some Time 10 Come.
BRIGANDs AND GuERRILLAs ACTIVE.
Ths Must Be Stamped ou Before the Force sf
Troops Can Do Rsfutsd- Leaders Of Rebels
Dead, Captured or Paofsd.


S. Otis. accompanied by his aides. Capt.
Slayden and Lieut.. Stanley, reached
Washington yesterday from his home
at Rochester N. Y. After breakfasting
Gen. Otis went TO the war department,
where he formally reported TO Mr..
Meiklejohn. as acting secretary. Thence
Gen Corbin escorted him and his aides
to the White House. The president
was in his private office in close con-
sultation with Senator Allison, Senator
Cullom and Justice Harlan when the
party arrived.
Gen. Otis and Gen. Corbin We're inn
mediately ushered into the Presidents
library, where Mr.. Mckinley met him
with the utmost cordiaiity, congratu-
lating him on his apparent good health
and thanking him several times for his
signal service to the country
Gen. Otis made no report 10 the presi-
dent In detail. although the situation
in the Philippines in general way
was almost the sole theme touched up
on. After "A few minutes the president
invited Gen. Otis into his office and
presented him to Senators Cullom and
Allison and Justice Harlan, and for
over half an hour Gen. Otis remained
talking over the situation in the Philip
pines.
THE REBELLION DEAD.
When Gen. Otis left the White House
he was naturally reticent concerning
the subject OF his interview with the
president, but he did not hesitate TO
reiterate the statement that the Fill
pino rebellion as an org:pization was
dead. He said that the United states
would be compelled to mainttn in the
Philippines for considerable period as
large an army as was there at present.
THE army" said ne. will be needed as
a measure of repression until the rob-
bers and kuerrillas are stamped out.
"The maintenance OF this large force
is necessary owing to the vast extent
of territory We must cover We have
established ourselves in Negros. Cebu.
Samara and many OF the other islands.
in addition 10 I.Izon. and are today ac-
tually exercising effective authority
over more territory than Spain ever
did"
Gen. Otis said that practically all the
leaders OF the .insurrection were either
dead captured or pacified. The recent
capture OF Gen. Pho del Pillar, he
thought probably been effected with
the consent OF that general. 50 far as
Aguinaldo himself was concerned. Gen.
Otis was not inclined to credit the re-
port OF his death In his opinion IL
mattered little. however. whether Agui-
naldo was dead or alive IS his infiu-
ence had been completely destroyed.
AT WAR DEPARTMENT.
Gen. Otis spent the afternoon at the
war department I'm conference with the
heads of the various staff departments
in regard TO the condition and needs or
their departments I'm the Philippines.
lie made one statement in particular
which came as a distinct surprise, In
view of the fact that he has spent
year and a half in lighting the Filipinos
for he declared that these same Fill
pinos were without question the very
best of any of the Asiatic races living
on the Pacific coast and islands He
paid high tribute to their acquisitive-
ness, saying that young and old We're
alike anxious to learn from the Emeri-
cans and quick to do SO II given an op-
portunity. The demand for schools on
the American plan was Unsuitable. III
had not been possible TO secure a suf-
ficient supply of Spanish American text
books. the market having been denuded
OF such.
When the book hungry F'ilipinos were
told this, they begged for American
school books and declared that their
children could learn from them even
without the Spanish text and transla-
tions.
Gen. Otis said that i'm the course OF a
very few months the Filipino children
picked up a fair knowledge OF English.
Even the old natives conned the text
books in the effort TO fix English
phrases i'm their minds. There was \
dearth of teachers toI Gen. Otis
often had recourse to the soldiers who
knew little Spanish and So were suit
able for detail az teachers. Gen. Otis
said he looked upon this educational
10 mi 0f IN
ippine problem, and was confident that
the spread of American ideas through
the Filipino schools would I'm the end
make good citizens of the Filipinos.
THE ARMY SUFFICIENT.
Gen. Otis was positively of the opin-
ion mat the Am<fican forces in the
Philippines at present were sufficient
for all needs. OF course. he said. Gen.
MacArthur's present army could not
furnish n guard TO protect every Fill
pino househoud from the I.adrones; to
do that would require force OF no
less than 100000 troops and even then
the task would occupy many years. As
matter Of fact. he said. Spain had
spent several centuries In the effort 10
stamp out the Ladrones In the Philip
pine group, and there was no reason To
believe that these brlgands were more
numerous now than they were during
the Spanish occupation when the isl-
ands were nominally AZ peace with
Spain.
Gen. Otis was confident. .lhowever, that
conditions would steadily improve. ana
that. little by little. these rObber bands
would b. driven away. Meanwhile. he
admitted that n was often dangerous
FOR Fillpinos OF the better class. whose
interests naturally lay in American
sovereignty. 10 admit their preferences.
for they were subject In that case 10
srsassinatlOn. TO the lose Of property.
and 20 persecution. instigatod By va
rious elements I'm the population 10
ious.