Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-11-06


This has been completed in all except
Batangas and Samar, where it is ex-
pected to be accomplished by the end
OF the year. He says:
All parts Of the archipelago, ex-
cept what is known as the Moro
country, have been formally organ
lied for civil government and turned
over to its officials, thus freeing the
army from supervisory or actual con-
troll over its inhabitants or their af-
fairs"
Gen. Chaffee points out the neces-
sity for more barracks and quarters
and says the s1,500,00O appropriated
for the army in the Philippines will
not provide more than temporary
shelter built largely of native ma
terials. He thinks permanent sites
should be purchased and suitable
buildings erected at heaIthful points
in the Islands. Concerning the health
Of the command, Gen. Chaffee says:
The oscillation Of the percentage
of sick in the command has not ex-
ceeded 212 points during the yea
The maximum was S.51 per cent. for
August, 1901; the minimum col per
cent. for May, 1902 The deaths in
the division for the year as result
of battle are nine officers and 125
enlisted men, as against twenty Of
ficerS and 219 enlisted men for the
previous year. Of the 20 causes of
death tabulated by the chief surgeon,
dysentery is the most prominent
Deaths from cholera, he ascribes to
wilful disregard of timely explained
dangerous practices, and failure to
avoid known localities of infection.
While the number Of deaths of natives
and others not Of the military service
reaches nearly $4,000, the lives of
many thousands of natives have been
saved he says, through the influence
exercised by the army in localities
where precaution is regarded as of
little or no avail.
Under the reorganization army act
there have been organized fifty com
panies of Philippine scouts, a total
strength Of 5000 composed Of six diff
ferent tribes. Gen. Chaffee says they
are fairly efficient and effective and
when carefully Differed serve their
purpose we'll"
He says: The officers and enlist
ed meI of the army who have served
in the division during the past year
have faithfully and efficiently per-
formed duty as it fell to their lot A
very considerable part have been dis
persed by company or detachment to
occupy stations for purposes of obser-
walton, and to give moral support to
municipal authorities and municipal
police. This duty has been performed
without friction SO far as known to
me, with but comparatively few excep-
lions. Some alleged wrongs done ma
tlVes by soldiers it has been impOs-
sible to redress because of failure to
identity the responsible party or par
ties, but when established disciplin-
airy measures have been enforced
The assumption and statement that
! the presence OF soldiers in a commun-
ity is very demoralizing with respect
to the natives is not true as a broad
proposition; in my opinion the oppo-
site view is most worthy to be noted.
An individual Soldier here and there
has no doubt wronged a native or
with threat OF physical force COM
PEELED obedience to his demands, but
these instances are exceptional, not
the rule, so that unless the alleged
demOralizing influence broadens so as
to make the presence of the white
race, as a race, demoralizing to the
native races, the influence for evil by
the soldiers is indeed small and unde-
serving of comment compared with
their many virtues, which by precept
and example are object lessons for
good"
Accompanying Gen. Chaffee's report
are the reports of staff officers and
general officers who command vari-
GUS departments. Gen. J. P. Sanger
as inspector general makes a strong
recommendation in favor of the re-
establishment Of the canteen. The
termination of organized opposition
to the government, he says, renders
necessary the establishment Of some
thing to occupy the attention of the
soldiers and a place of amusement
separate from that appointed in most
Of the places where troops are sta
toned.
Col. George w. Adair, chief surgeon
calls attention to the fact that veneer
al disease continues to increase slow
1Jr
of the British army in India but he
thinks the difficulties Of contending
with such diseases are now only in
their infancy. He adds: "the reguIa-
ton of prostitution will continue to
be taken from the hands of the army
by the establishment of civil govern
ment, and" he says, Gin America the
distaste to organize the exis7ance of
prostitution is so great that little will
probably be affected"
He goes on at length into what has
been done to suppress cholera and
says: 'Unless checked by more strin-
gent measures cholera must spread
widely among the inhabitants of the
islands, as streams are little more
than open sewers and it is extremely
difficult to enforce clearly methods in
the preparation of food"
Maj. Gen. Lloyd Wheaton, who was
Bells supervisor in a report of the |
operations in northern Luzon, says:
81 am authorized of the policy and |
fully approve of the methods by which |