The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-19
THE EVIDENCE OF OTIS
SAYS PHILIPPINES ARE IN STATE OF QUIETUDE.
Declares That the American Forces May Be Reduced in Large Mum bers at Once-Civil Gov
 ernment Safe.

Washington. March 1s.-Major General Otis again appeared before the Senate Committee on the Philippines today. When he left the Philippines in May. 1900. General Otis said that the army had dis posed of all Agufnaido's army. quiet pre- vailed during the months of May and June, and hardly shot was fired. It was safe to go to all parts of Luzon and oth- CT islands, and very large trade had been established. A civil government had been set up, also the Supreme Court and courts of first instance in seven of the nineteen provinces of Luzon.
 Senator culberson, said Ee never trusted native officers because they were too cruel to their men. He said he could trust their loyalty, but they treated their captives with too much cruelty. They were as bad as the insurgents" said he.
 When he left the Philippines he says the war. as war. had ceased.
 Answering question by Senator Hale, General Otis said he saw no difficulty in withdrawing a material number of troops from the islands. The native forces, he declared. to he very necessary. and he said there was no peace in Manila until the native police was organized. General Otis said that when he left Manila he apprehended further trouble because there we.s a certain element which dominated the ignorant classes. The great major ity. however. wanted peace. No armed bands of any importance. he said, were uppOBcU uO tIS CHitSu DtdtSS AL LnaL tune.
 Asked by Senator Hale where the SUD- plies money. arms. etc. of the insurgents came from. General Otis said they re- ceived 2.5oo rifles from Admiral Dewey and thev also received from Hong Kong certain arms. shipped aboard an Ameri- can vessel, which landed at Batangas. They had received some arms of a Ja- pan and had captured some from the Spaniards at small garrlsons which they attacked.
 He said the merchants gave him more trouble than the insurgents themselves. treated the Fihpiros with the greatest kindness. Every statement of harsh treatment he heard of had been investi- gated.
 by the Spaniards and the European army officers for the humanity exercised
 As to the capacity of the F'ilipinos for self government. he said that Aguinaldo' s former Secretary of State had told him that 1t would take one hundred years to accomplish this. General Otis said that the Filipinos were not capable of self government The Filipinos, he said. un- derstand that they must have protection. because without it other nations would divide up the island. but they were de- sirous of making the best possible terms they could with the United States. Their ioea was to have control of the internal affairs of the island but protection out side.
 General Otis testified. in response to questions by Senator Rawlins, that he knew very little of the correspondence between Merritt and Aguiraldo. but he recalled Axuinaldo's reply to communi- cahan referring to sn agreement that the certain point designated. He had himself directed AKaiinaIdo to withdraw to the suburbs of Manila, outside the American deSenseA according to the terms of the