The times., 1901-06-17
DISCUSSES THE PHILIPPINES.
General Rates Says an Army Is stII
Needed in the Islands.

Mai. Gen. John c. Bates, who's,
/ successful administration Of the southern
! Philippine provinces makes him an expert
| on questions of policy and government
in the Philippine Archipelago talked free
/ ly yesterday about the situation in the
/ islands as he understands it. Among
( other things he said.
! My own view is that il would be a
I mistake 10 withdraw the American troops
! too rapidly. for up to the time / left tho
islands. which was the latter part of
/ April. it was not safe for an American
! TO go away from a garrison without an
! escort. II is hoped that the condition will
| improve rapidly, but surronders are not
/ being made quite 50 rapidly as ! hoped
when / left there.
Tho civil commission was on an eX-
! tended trip AT the time / left Manila, and
the members were expected back in about
/ ten days. They were husily engaged in
I forming the civil government in various
provinces. and were appointing certain
civil officers while on that trip wherever
conditions were such that they thought
it would be advisable to inaugurate civil
government"
General Bates was asked how Aguinaldu
was regarded by tho Filipinos, and he
replied:
"Agunaldo had a wonderful hold upon
the TagalS for tine. but I think his hold
has been more or less weakened by his
role of a hermit. He stated that he had
not left the place where he was captured
for more than seven months There were
very few of his own people who knew
where re was. and / think he had very
little communication with his own peo-
pie The insurgcnt troops in the field
la. D, 70
Mariana Trias. and they frequently re-
ceived communications from the junta in
HongkonE.
Our troops are in excellent condition.
We had no more sickness than one would
naturally expect from a tropical climate,
and / think no more than we would have
il our troops We're stationed in the Gulf
States here.
1T is hard to estimate the number of
arms the insgrEout troops now have.
Considering that they at one time had
= 600 modern rifles, we have probably
secured 10000 of them. Some of them
must Ice worn out or have become worth
less. They are also short OF ammunition.
We have captured good deal OF am
munitiOn that they have manufactured,
and il is a very poor artiCie-hOpelessly
Inaccurate in firing. They have used
bullets that were simply sheet lead rolled
up. They have formed shells oy taxing
strips of tin and making spirals of ii, and
then soldering il together. occasionally
they have used matchheads for making
a sort of powder and l think they have
made some black powder but ! do not
think they have made any high power
powder.
There is a very strong desire among
the Filipiuos for complete independence,
even on the part of the more intelligent
people who Will admit that they are not
at present capable OF self-gOveTnment.
Tho wish 20 have the hope of independ-
enc, IN the future. That is. l think. the
sem mant OF a large majority of the peo-
Pile they wish at least that much. The
peo .c are anxious for schools. ana all
Clas IS want them. They want 70 learn
Eng ish ASuinaldo himself. ! under
stand. is studying English. The children
are anxious TO learn English. and their
parents wish them TO do so
When asked in regard 10 the friars. the
general said the questions relating 10
them make a very serious problem. de
i think the question Of their property
will probably go TO the United States Su-
preme Court before il can be finally de
cided. There is friction all the time over
the property owned by the friars In sew
eral instances / did not allow the, agents
of the large estates to collect rents, be
cause Of the disturbance il made. In
some cases what was the Church property !
is owned by companies and there Is |
question when the gent attempts TO col
leCt the rent about his right 10 do SO. OF /
course. my action was merely a tenn /
poTaTy eXpedient, and J acted arbitrarily, /
such action was necessary Tor /
The. uaace OF the community at that time. /