Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-04-21

COr1TlENlI ltlii 10y IbHh " Carpenter
Manila. March O. 1901 spent last
evening with General Otis at his palace
IN Malacauau, one Of the most fash
ionable OF the suburban streets Of Ma
nile. Ills residence IS the house erected
for the Spanish governors generals Of
the PHILIPPINES, a great two-story
structure. with floors Of Filipino ma
hogany with q polish like the top Of a
new piano. windows OF oDalescent oys-
Ter shells and walls and ceilings fres-
coed and painted with flowers cuplds
and heather gods The ceilings are very
high. the rooms and halls large and
airy. and at night, when the tinsel and
cheapness which characterize parts Of
the bulldiu. are softened by the rays
Of the electric light, the palace Is real
~ imposing IL has extensive grounds
filed with tropical plants and trees, and
the air about ID is saturated with the
sweet perfume Of orange blossoms.
There are soldiers on guard az almost
every block OF the streets that lead Co
t. My carriage was stopped az the gate.
and lt was only upon saying that ! had
special appointment with the general
that ! was permitted 10 pass In on foot.
] found more seutries walking up and
down under the porte Cochere, and ]
waited On the hall until an orderly took
up my card and returned with the am
aver that the military governor would
see me.
found General Otis In his work
shop-an office and bed room combined.
l. Na1 u
Tor or music room IN the days Of the
Spanards, for rs decorations are
Moorish and seem quite out Of place
with lis present practical hard-work-
ing surroundings. Large writing desks
have taken the place OF the piano, and
plain brass bedstead with a mosquito
netting attachment has ousted the de
vans, Last night the desks were Uttered
with manuscripts, documents and blank
books containing TRANSACTIONS OF the
Spanish concessions as TO the cable.
street car telephones and electric lights
Of Manila, which the general had
brought home 20 study. He pushed
these aside and for two hours chatted
freely with me about the situation and
the conditions now prevailing IN the
Philippines.
PEN PICTURE OF GENERAL OTIS.
Before / report our conversation let
me show you General Otis as he APP
pears at first sight His pictures In the
newspapers DO not fairly present him.
As photographed he seems 10 be TAN.
p0ruy man, with a big head and llXurl-
ant side whiskers. The real General
Otis does not weigh more than 100
pounds. He stands about i've feet eight
inches In his stockings and Is slender
In build. His head Is not at all large
or imposing. The face would be small
were Il not for the whiskers, which arc
Of silver gray mixed with black well
covering the hOllows Of the cheeks and
extending below the jaw a half fingers
length. He has an overhanging gray
mustache. iron gray hair and very
heavy black eyebrows. His eyes are
small, bright and black He has a
good forehead, a trlle narrow, perhaps.
a straight nose and a rather determined
mouth He was dressed yesterday In a
plain business suit, lacking the vest.
and he looked more like an ordinary
business man than a general I'm COM
mand Of one Of the worlds greatest
armies. and the absolute ruler OF
country LOCO miles long inhabited by
100000 as turbulent people as now exist
outside Of South Africa
General Otis entire lack OF military
airs Is the more striking considering his
length OF service. He has been IN the
ranks ever since the beginning OF the
civil war, when at twenty he left
the practice OF the law TO 60 90 the field.
He was wounded IN the head near the
close OF the war and mustered out. but
the doctors told him his wound would
not permit him 20 1--we In the East and
hn 4 sss o..
regular army upon the frontier There
he gradually rose until 1893. when he be-
came q brlgadier general. and then ma
jor general here In May. 1855 During
our conversation 7 asked him how he
came 20 be sent 20 the Philippines He
replied that he was nitchforked into
them without having any say in the
matter ana that he was only here be-
cause he had been ordered to come.
GENERAL OTIS OK THE sITUA-
TON.
Later on asked him it.he were salts
fled with the results Of his work Gen.
eral Otis replied:
81 can't say that / am, for l am
anxious that the islands should be IN
a much better state, and that state l
think will soon come. / will say how
ever that we have put down the insur-
rectiun as far as any organized re-
slstance Is concerned. and that the COM
diuon OF the Philippines IS now as good
as 10 has been al any time for ten
years In many places the country is
as safe az 10 has been during the past
generation. IN Mindanao. the Span
iards did not dare 10 go outside the
limits OF their army posts. They were
always In trouble with the natives ana
in many places had their dead lines
over which the MOros did not dare %
step Tor fear Of being shot by their SEN
tries Now our troops are moving
about without arms outside the posts.
and many expeditions have been taken
into the mountains. Here In Luzon
there have always been robber bands
IN the mountains which have preyed
upon the people, The country has ne'sr
been really safe
40 YOU think you can make it so.
general ] asked.
Eyes IN time; but we must Keep on
destroying the bandits wherever we ana
them Many Of the insurrectos have
Joined such bands and 10 VIII take some
months vet % clean M the country.
WILL NEED SOLDIERS FOR YEARS.
This viii. ! suppose. necessitate the
keeping OF a large force here on me
islands. even after peace has been es-
tablished win Il notY
"Ycs' was the reply. I'VE shall neel
as many troops as we have now lot at
least "a year. and perhaps longer we
shall have 10 garrison the most OF me
towns and show the people that we ih-
tend 90 protect them. After year or
So when the conditions have become
settled. the forces can be greatly re-
duccd"
"How about Americans attemptlns 10
travel alone throughout the fhllp,
pines? 30 you consider II sate' J
asked. eel,
don't think Americans should 20 into
the interior without they are in parties
or are with the soldiers. There Woulu
be less danger perhaps. for Enshsh-
men. but I'm the mountains no on. ~
safe. There Is no telling Wheh gou
nov he attached bv "A hand Of bdnQilt