The age-herald., 1901-04-01
THE SITUATION
 IN PHILIPPINES Difference of Opinion as to
 the Result OF AGUINAL0O'S CAPTURE It Will Certainly Improve the Status of Affairs, and President Hopes 1t Will Make Larger
 Army Unnecessary.
OF AGUINAL0O'S CAPTURE

Washington, March a.-(Speclal)-Opln ions differ considerably as to the exact effect of Aguinaldo's capture upon the Philippine situation. It seems to be gen. orally believed, in circles that should be we'll informed, that the instruction was on it's last legs and had really collapsed before this capture of the nominal leader of the insurgents. However, Aguinaldo's name stood for a great deal with the Filipinos, even If he had been in hiding for a year. Orders were issued in his name and to the more ignorant of the Filipinos the idea existed that he could not be captured or harmed by our forces. The capture will doubtless show the Fili- pinos that the arm of the United States Is long, and while perhaps a little slow, it reaches those that oppose 1t finally. No matter how we'll the military authori- ties have the insurrection in hand, Agui- naldos capture will certaily improve the situation and cause many Filipinos who are still antagonistic to the American policy to surrender. In this way his cap ture should make actual peace a great deal nearer.
 An Interesting Feature.
 A feature of the situation in the Philip pines that strikingly illustrates the im- proved conditions there Is the large num- Der of arms that have been captured or surrendered. Judge Taft informed the President on inauguration day that since the first of the year 24s6 firearms had been captured or surrendered. Of these 1127 were captured and 1868 were surrendered. Since that cablegram was received per- haps a hundred firearms have been cap tured and almost two hundred surren- dered, thus making the total since the first of the year almost three hundred. A A significant point connected with these figures is that the number surrendered is considerably larger than those cap tured, showing very conclusively that the Filipinos are becoming tired and discour- aged. Without guns and other firearms their resistance can amount to little. With Aguinaldo a captive, the discouragement of his followers will certainly increase, even though some of the leaders under him continue to make show of ress- tance.
 The conditions in the Philippines are then most encouraging and hopeful, and the expectation is that the experiment of civil government, which is to be inaug- urated on July 1, will be found altogether satisfactory and successful. The optimis- tic view taken of the future by the Pres ident and the War Department Is shown by the present plan of reducing the forces in the Philippines to thrty-fivs thousand, and possibly thirty thousand men, by October l. Whether this will be done or not will depend largely upon the impressions formed of the situation in the Philippines by Secretary Root and Gen eral Corbin, when they go there next June.
 Enlistment to Continue. At any rate, while enlistments will be continued actively as they have been be- fore, 1t is not expected that it will be necessary to fill the army up to more than 65. 900 men, which Is 35,000 less than the maximum authorized by Congress The GTeSluSHt NOuiu oS wy aiopPy 'iA7 could be done, for he is as anxious to keep the army down as any of those who criticised the army reorganization bill, when 1t was before Congress, and pro- phesied that not within their lifetime would the army number less than one hundred thousand men.
 It Is also interesting to note that the idea of enlisting Fiiipinos for service in the archipelago is not very popular with the war department The army reorgani- zation bill authorizes the enlistment of 12. 900 Filipinos for this service. but there is grave doubt as to the advisabiity of SO doing, suspicion existing as to their loyalty. If they were disloyal these 12,- 600 drilled natives might prove dan- gerous quantity. Yet the Philippine com mission recommended their enlistment and army officers in the Philippines seem to regard it as desirable. Then, too the loyalty of the Maccabee scouts who ac- companied General Funston on his daring expedition after Aguinaldo at a time when they could have delivered General Funston and his handful of American companions to Aguinaldo, speaks well for the FIlipinos as soldiers under the Ameri- l can flag.