Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-11
WHEN WAR BROKE OUT
Opening Of Hostilities With
Filipinos.
GEN. M'AR'THUR's STORY
SENTINELs FIRED ON GENERAL
ORDERS.
Regarded the Resumption Of Friendly
Relations Afterward as
Impossible.

In reply to questions by Senator Patter-
son. General Macarthur, who, resumed his
testimony before the Senate committee on
Philippines this morning, detailed the stu
alton at Manila when he arrived there in
July, 1898. He said that at that time the
natives were beseging the Spaniards in
the city in connection with few American
troops The state of amity between the
two forces was, he said, good, and the Fill
pinos evidently looked upon tie americans
in the light of deliverers. He said, how
ever, that there had not been Voluntary
cooperation with the Filipinos on the part
of the Americans, and that no subordinate
officer had a right to commit General Mer-
rift to such cooperation.
No Specific Order to Fire.
Senator Patterson asked General MacAr-
thur whether in February, 1S99 he had
given orders to his sentinels on duty near
block house No. I, near Manila, to shoot
and kill any Filipino crossing the line, to
which question the reply was: Il did not
give specific orders to that effect on that
occasion, any sentinel on his general
orders would first command an intruder
three times to halt and then shoot if he
did not halt. Even in connection with our
own people that is an established tenet of
military duty, but | would have given the
order any minute of the day If It had been
necessary. Our men on the line had sub
mltted to so many indignities from the Fill
plnos that the sentinels must have known
that any one attempting to pass the line
was doing SO with hostile INTENT
The witness also answered a number of
questions relating to the firing by the
American sentinels on a Filiuino uatrol of
four men on February T. 1899, when the
first battle with the Filipinos began. which
ne said would have been justified under
the circumstances if there had been no
order whatever to halt.
Then the War Began.
He insisted that the battle had begun on
that night, and when he was asked whether
any effort had been made to ascertain If
former friendly relations could not be re-
sumed, he replied that such effort would
have been impossible after the beginning
of the conflict. He said that he had no
positive personal knowledge Of Lne casual
ties on the night of the 4th, bit that on
the next morning he had ordered an ad-
vance of the American forces.
With the result" remarked Senator Pat
terson, that 5000 Filipinos were killed or
wounded
Fortunately with the result" the wit
ness responded, that great victory was
won by the American army
Philippine Labor.
Senator Dubois asked a number of ques-
tions concerning the efficiency of Philippine
labor. The general said there were about
400 natives employed in certain corral
IN Manila and that for this work they re-
celVed $lo in gold per month, while Ameri-
cans received $40. The Filipinos We're, he
said, quite efficient in this work, and while
this pay was entirely out of proportion to
that received by the Americans it was SO
much more than they had been in the habit
of receiving that they were spurred to extra
effort. He also expressed the opinion that
the natives would be found equal to the
task OF cultiVating the agricultural lands
of the islands if sufficiently paid for tnclr
services. Still it was possible that this
labor might not be equal to the demands OF
American and European eXploiters In this
connection he repeated his conviction that
IL Is not desirable to unduly exploit the
Islands and if this were to be done excess
sive wages would be necessary to secure
results.
Capabilities of the Filipinos.
Replying to Senator Patterson, General