New-York tribune., 1900-07-17

three or four times as great-will be requIrad .
any offensive movement against Pekine -
would offer prospect Of success. 1t also -
that the allied forces now in China are -.
cienty provided with artillery. students -l- -
recent South African campaigns do not ma.
be reminded Of the disasters which o,.o-.
British columns sent against natural or b...o
constructed fortifcations with insuHciA,,
tilIery even when they greatly outnurnbar.aa =
defenders. At Tisn-Tsin force outnur,s
three to one and insuficIently provided -. -
suitable artillery was sent against fo-,,ss.
position and naturally suffered a repulzs
Some Of the critics Of the War Departrs,.
course. are already censuring II because a -.
larger force, with proper proportion o. -
lery, was not dispatched to China rro7, =
Philippines several weeks ago Il is fac. .s
the Secretary of War was urged nearly a -
ago to do that Among those who then -
mended that 5000 or even a larger fore. =
temporarily withdrawn from the Philippine, =,
sent 10 Pekng was so conservative a n,su
Senator Platt, OF Connecticut. General Nil.
is understood. urged that a brigade instsaA \,
sir gle regiment Of infantry. with at leasf =.
battery should be dispatched from Mann. :
Taku when the 9th Infantry was ordered "a .,
latter place, but his recommendation WA :.
adopted. AS has several times been explalpa5L :
these dispatches. the Administration has -
extremely reluctant TO weaken the Phuis-I--
garrisons account OF the encouragement E,.s
action would give the insurgent leaders 10 b,,s
out against the Government in the hope tha,
political revolution in the United States worsI
place l. party in power which would try 70 ss-.h
Iish an independent protectorate' in the Phn1,
pines. General Otis has strongly advised agais,,
the weakening even temporarily. OF the PbH,-
~ NJ,
the same, and the consequence thus far has Ger
TO minimize the value OF Manila as a basa >
military operations in North China
Even after orders have been given FOR tHs
dispatch of troops they have been executed =
a leisurely fashion. which has been exasusr,r
ing in view Of the pressing emergency n,
example. it took nearly two weeks from ia
date of receipt Of the order 10 get the Oh
Infantry started from Manila. On July : Cs1
eral Macarthur was instructed 70 dispatch u,
regiments of infantry and two batteries q
artillery to Taku. Two days later he reoBsi
that he could send only one regiment and ous
battery, which would start on July Is the dsy
the battle of Tfen-Tsin fought. The BIZ
Army transport sherman was IN the harhOr q.
Manila at the time, but General MacArthur
preferred TO send the reinfOrcements on thrss
small chartered transports and order the Shsr-
man to San Francisco, for which port she saGst
on July 10 No official notice OF the sailing o.
the chartered transports from Manila with tie
reinforcements for General Chafee's command
has yet been published. but General Corbin, Il
reply to inquiry, to-day said that they
sailed on July Il. fun week after the recsBl
of the order.
Press dispatches from Manila published yss-
terday gave the gratifying information that
along with them are 10 go two finch mortaTs
and two 6-inCh hOwitZers, with a detachment
of artiIleryTnen. II is assumed that these vii
be in addition TO the guns OF Reilly's light bss-
tery Of the 9th Artillery
There were indications at the War Depart
ment to-day that from this time forward m0rs
energy and vigor would mark the action Of the
Department in the Chinese matter The rU
declarations Of Minister WI, which he appears
to have neglected no opportunity To repeat. that
twenty thousand disciplined troops like those o.
which the e United States Army IS composed
could march from Taku TO PeEing in five DAYS
brushing aside every obstacle that the Chinesa
could interpose, have been disregarded if they
were ever seriously received, and all the talk 70
day has been of sending eight thousand or tsn
thousand men, we'll provided with field artillery
and siege guns. under the command OF a major
general TO the theatre Of action as quickly as
possible. General Miles. Il is understood stl
adheTes TO the opinion that as a speedy rsla-
forcement Is above all desirable. the trU0ps
should be drawn from the Philippines and thar
places filed later by drafts from the United
States and Cuba The difference in time n
favor Of General Miless plan would De tsTss
weeks. The Thomas. whish sailed for Manila
on June 16 and the Logan. row ar Taku are
the only big trOOpships now available in Asiacc
waters for the transportation OF troops iron
Manila to China IN addition to them are iour
or five chartered transports, slower and nor 81
large as the Army transports.