The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-20
GOOD RESULTS OF REAL WAR.


A new witness has appeared in defense
of American military methods in the Phil
ippines in the person Of the former insur-
gent General Malvar. who surrendered TO
General Bell. in Batangas. about two
months ago. When Malvar surrendered he
ordered all the insurgents formerly under
his command to surrender, and that prac-
tically ended the instruction in the prov
inces OF Laguna and Batangas. 1t was
the military policy adopted in these two
provinces, a policy of stern and unrelent-
ing war. that called out the criticism of
Major Gardener. civil Governor of the prov
ince of Tayabas. in December last. He
expressed the opinion that the policy then
IN vogue in Batangas and Laguna was
sowing the seeds of a revolution against
US hereafter whenever a good opportunity
offers" In his fault-rinding report on the
subject he said he had found that Just
and kind treatment, uniform and continued,
is the only way by which the people can
be made permanently our friends and sat
isfied with the United States government"
He expressed regret at having to criticise
the attitude of other army officers towards
the Filipinos, but he added: 81 feel that
the interests Of the government involved
and the future of these people, for whose
welfare we are responsible, are of such
vast Importance that 1 ought to report
things as / see and know them, in order
that my civil superiors may be able in
diligently to order what the situation de-
mands." AS civil Governor of Tayabas
Major Gardener deprecated the injurious
results of severe military policy in that
province. and recommended the concentra-
ton of United States troops in one or two
garrisons in the province, if it was de-
sired to conserve and encourage the good
will and loyalty of the people. There is
a board now sitting at Manila to investigate
the charges brought by Major Gardener.
and he summoned General Malvar to tes-
tify regarding conditions in Tayabas prov
ince. Presumably, he expected General
Malvar to testify that everything was love
ly in Tayabas, or would have been but
for the disturbing influence of the military.
Here is the telegraphic summary of Nal
vars testimony:
He said that Tayabas province had been
one of the best disciplined insurgent strong
holds under mis- control and that each
municipality in the province obeyed him.
He declared that he could have called 1,5Oo
rifiemen and 40 bolomen in TabayaS prov
ince and this without counting on the men
he could have raised in other provinces;
that the people in the towns OF TayabaS
obeyed we'll the orders issued by the Amer
lean authorities well his own. He
sent supplies to the insurgents, he said,
and then after the lapse of a few days
would notify the Americans that such sup
plies had gone out This MaIvar ordered
the townspeople TO do in order that they
might not be suspected by the Americans
of disloyalty- Each body of insurgents in
Tayabas was supported by the town TO
which IL belonged. General Malvar said
also that the object of all his orders was to
prolong the struggle indefinitely; conse-
quently the small engagements; the insur-
gents were only allowed to attack the
Americans when they outnumbered them
three to one, and in larger engagements
only when they had at least equal num-
bers.
Continuing his testimony. General NAL
said that the presence in any town of
any native who was truly friendly to the
American cause would have made IL i'm
possible for an insurgent body 10 exist in
that town. To the best of his belief he
declared the insurgents had candidates in
all municipal elections held in the prov
inces. General Malvar personally ordered
the attack at Candelaria, in Tayabas, in
that the insurrection in Tayabas and Ba-
tangas provinces had been broken up a
result of the methods adopted by General j..
Franklin Bell in conducting the campaign
there
This shows that instead Of the province
OF Tayabas being pacifed under his be-
nign rule. as Major Gardener thought it
was, save for the disturbing influence OF
the military, it was honeycombed with trea-
son, a hotbed of instruction. furnishing aid
and comfort and recruits to the insurgents
at the very time Major Gardener was depre-
eating the effect of military policy upon
the good will and loyalty Of the people.
| And General Malvar attributes the sup
preston of the instruction in Tayabas and
Batangas provinces TO the methods adopt
ed by General Bell, to whom, by the way,
he himself surrendered. His testimony
| leaves Major Gardener in a sorry plight.