Evening star., 1901-03-27
Interesting Statements in a Letter
From Gen. Catlin.
GUERRILLAS RELENTLESSLY PURSUED
No Organized Warfare After An
~~ other Twelve Months.
GROWTH OF FEDERAL PARTY

Adjutant General Corbin has received
letter of unusual interest from General L.
S. Catlin, retired army officer, at Manila,
which gives comprehensive account Of
conditions at the Philippine capital
''While, as a matter of course says
General Catlin, 'the collisions between our
forces and the retreating and disappearing
bands of guerrilla-insurrectos continue to
be quite frequent, it is also true that they
were never so relentlessly and ceaselessly
pursued as during the past two months.
Every volunteer regiment has seemed de-
srous of placing to its credit additional
honor and fame before returning to the
states, and it has lost no opportunity to
give a glorious account of itself whenever
possible; and hence the enemy has literally
had no rest.
Gen. Catlin's Predictions.
+ Every morning the local papers have
a column or two of victories of our troops,
or of voluntary surrenders of tired-out and
defeated insurgents. And now with the
positive knowledge that the American peo-
pie have at last provided an army suffi-
ciently large to confront any exigency at
home or abroad, and that it means un-
conditional surrender or death to every
armed foe in the Philippine Islands, 1 do
iiol liillih IL pOSSlbit lHdl even dHy VI 6dh-
ized guerrilla warfare will be carried on
after the expiration of another twelve
months. At any rate it will be so insig
nificant that the work of establishing a
stable government and introducing Ameri
can schools and American courts of JUS
tice and giving seif-government to the ex-
tent that may be found practicable will
not be seriously impeded. l have met
Judge Taft and have attended the meet
ings of the commission, and have no doubt
of the ability, integrity and high purpose
of this section of the military govern
ment of the island, and If there should be
Gas 1 have no doubt there will be} perfect
accord and cooperation between the quasi
civil and the military branches of the gov
ernment the country and the entire world
will be astonished at the progress in self
government which will be attained during
the ensuing year. OF course no advance
ment can be made by the civil commits
sion-I mean no substantial advancement
until the way has been cleared by the mill
tary branch of the service and until as
surance of that fact is made to appear
satisfactorily to the commission. This
simple statement shows the necessity of
perfect agreement and understanding be-
tween the governor general and the civil
branch of the military government and
authority
Growth of the Federal Party.
1.-The organization and growth of the fed
eral party" says General Catln, will be
prodigal factor in the effort to establish
local and general government for the is
lands A native comes down from Marin
duque and reports that the people of the
whole island are favorably considering the
propositions of the federal party, and in
day or two after he is followed by Colonel
Coriss of the I'd Infantry, who corrobo-
rates him substantially in every respect
And so it goes from island to island and
fn q o.
| markable feature of this federal movement
is the judgment and discretion Of the av-
erage native in being willing to eliminate
| the question of religion"
General Catlin says he was simply
amazed at the ingenuity, or, rather, the
| imitativeness, of the Filipinos whom he oh
! served working in various capacities, both
| as labOrers and skilled wOrkmen, at the
| Cavite navy yard. Nearly three thousand
| natives are employed at this yard. They
| also are said to have shown great recon-
! structive ability in building anew a wrecked
| railroad
Gen. MacArthur's Policy.
| To show that General Macarthur pro-
| poses to utilize all the forces of civiliza-
| tion to help solve the problem of govern
ment in the islands, General Catlin notes
( that on the 10Th Of February General Mac
Arthur had announced a grand ball and
| reception at his residence, at which he pro-
posed to introduce four or five hundred
| Filipino women of Manila and other cities
! to their American sisters. He also reports
| that the American women have formed q.
society whose object is to bring the in
| huence of the leading Filipino women of
| the islands to bear upon the leaders of
the insurrection for it's suppression.
| In closing his communication General
! Catlin states that he has seen and talked
with at least hundred army officers on
| duty in the islands, and in scarcely an in
stance has he heard any sentiment of dis
satisfaction expressed with the service or
| the treatment Of the army in the Philip
! pines. In reference to a reported visit to
| the islands from Secretary Root the gen.
eral says: "A visit from the distinguished
| Secretary would be of great service and
| benefit to the solution of the problem
| here"