Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-02-18
The Philippine Situation.

The Philippines seem to have made Il
mistake few years ago when the war
began. They tried to fight our troops
with rifles, at long range, according TO
the approved methods of modern war
fare. But they could not shoot straight
and were nowhere. They have now
taken TO the sword,-or bolo as they
call it, and appear to be meeting with
much better success. Their plan is to
hide in squads in thickets along the
roads and bide their time. When a
small squad of our troops comes along
the Philippines rush out with their bolos
and engage our men at such close quar-
ters that there is no chance for shoot
inc. 1t is hand to hand fight in which
the conditions are more equallzed
Usually the Philippines have been In
such large numbers that our troops
have been practically annlhilated by
these attacks. The Philippines made a
serious mistake in thinking they could
fight American riflemen as successfully
as they did Spanish rilemen. With the
latter the Philippines had no difficulty
They made short work of it, In IA few
months they had the islands cleared of
Spaniards, except the prisoners of war
and a few beleagured towns. Then
came the American invasion and it was
entirely different. We had trained
marksmen. The Philippines stood no
show against them, and 1t has taken
them two or three years TO ind out that
they should fight us hand to hand with
swords. What will be the outcome of
this new departure it is hard To con
lecture. In hand TO hand fight the
ordinary, Philippine being small IN
stature, would not stand much show
against men who pass the required
physical examination for the United
States army service. But when there
are three or four of them against one of
our bows il is another question. Aud
there are said to be ten million OF ln-
habitants in the islands, who having
once won their independence in a fair
tight against Snaiu naturally would be
: determined 10 keep it and naturally
would feel more resentment aud hatred
of us than they possibly could of the
Spaniards seeing that we came there 10
wrest FROM them the liberty they had
Just won by hard struggle. Besides
they look upon Us as having deceived
them by claiming that we came there TO
helm them win their liberty from Spain.
We have only about fifty thousand
troops there To fight this entire nation
of people. Ii looks like hard task, an
almost impossible task that we have
given to what is comparatively speak
ing mere handful of men, There Is
no better lighting machine in the world
than the American soldier, unless IL be
perhaps the Boer soldier. Aud the
positions of the American soldier and
th, ROer soldier are very much alike.
Each Is confronted by vastly inferior
foe. but bv ~ overW helming number.
Probahl. after n while il will gradually
subSide into situation where our
troops will hold the seaport towns, and
some other fortified places, aud let the
balance of the inhabitants continue, As
they have hitherto. 10 govern them
selves. Ii is a bad business, make the
best of il, aud has already cost rs
enough TO build forty thousand high
schools costing Sd, 090 each, or enough
TO make good macadam roads over the
whole of the United States. And there
is not ghost OF show, now nor has
there ever been, that conquest or the
islands will, or can, In any possible way
repay us one cent of the outlay in
money, TO say nothing of the thousands
of American boys. the flower of our
youth. sacrificed To the demon of war.
the victims of bullets. bolos and fever
in that far of inhospitable climate.
Ses, a bad bad. business.