The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-12-25
CRACK FILIPINO COMPANIES.
Under Omcers Appointed BY II
the President.

Under Omcers Appointed by { :.s
the President.
The four companies of Filipino scouts
which are to be brought to this coun-
try in order that we may take a look at
them and see what they are like, are
in their way the most wonderful troops
in the world. They will represent a
force of 5000 men who act as auxiliaries
to our military organization in the
archipelago. This body comprises so
companies of 100 men each and is an in
tegral part of the United States army.
All of it's commissioned officers are ap-
pointed by the president, ranking with
those of the regular service, and two of
them are native Filipinos, states the
New York Herald.
These scouts are beautifully drilled
and have an esprit de corps equal to
that of crack European troops. They
are proud of their organization, ex-
tremely careful of their dress and pune
tilious in all matters of military duty.
The only trouble with them is that they
are too brave. When once they begin
fighting it is impossible to restrain
them, and they eat up the enemy, as one
might say, exhibiting mercilessness
which is sometimes very cruel. Rebels
and bandits fear them much more than
they do our own troops.
It should be realized that these for
midable allies of ours are not Tagals.
They are chiefly Macabebes and IlO-
canos, and no Tagalog would be allowed
to enlist in one of their companies, so
great is their contempt for that race,
superior, perhaps, in point of intelli-
gence, but less fierce. Our soldiers call
the Macabebes "little Macs" and fra
ternize with them readily, as we'll as
with the Ilocanos, who are equally war;
like. Neither tribe has ever been friend
ly to the Tagals.
The origin of this organization of
so companies of native scouts is inter-
esting. They are a survival of the old
Guardia Civile, which did order keeping
duty in the islands when the latter were
under Spanish rule. They were dis
chiefly in the neighborhood of Manila,
having as their headquarters the build
ing which subsequently was utilized by
the Americans as the Third Reserve
hospital. This civil guard was never
known to run away from an enemy, and
enlistments in it were restricted to the
Macabebes and Ilocanos exclusively.
At the period of the outbreak of our
war with Spain the Filipinos had been
SO far successful in their rebellion
against Spanish domination that the
Spaniards were practically blockaded
in the city of Manila, all the rest of the
archipelago being under control of the
insurgents, but the Guardia Civile was
stanch to the last, preserving it's loyalty
to the Spanish cause up to the very end
This allegiance they transferred to the
Americans, and already they have
proved themselves most faithful and
valuable auxiliaries, being much more
effective in certain kinds of military
operations than our own veteran regi-
ments.
Their principal business is to gar
risOn towns and hunt bandits, the lat
ter occupation being to them most con-
genial pastime. They seem to be nat
ural robber hunters, knowing, as if by
instinct, how and where to find the
ladrones, and slaughtering the latter
without mercy when overtaken. Two
companies of them recently rounded up
the big band of ladrones under the re-
doubtable chieftain San Miguel, near
Caloocan, and captured San Miguel
himself. The two American off,
GERS in command were Lieut.. A.
Caldwell, of Kentucky, a most
promising and distinguished young
nan, who died the other day, and Lieut..
Boss Reese, of Georgia, who has since
refused commission in the regular
army, offered to him as a reward for his
services.
The war department, at the request of
the civil governor of the Philippines,
has just appointed ten graduates from
military schools in this country as lieu
tenants in the constabulary of the archi-
pelago. 1t will continue this policy, ap-
pointing like number each year, and
choosing the young men from those who
take highest rank in their classes at such
schools. Excellent results are expected
to accrue from this policy, which will
secure for service in the Philippines
young officers of a superior grade of in
telligence and, as is anticipated, of eff
cheney.
The constabulary is an insular mill
tary force, commanded by officers of the
regular army. Six captains, with brevet
rank of colonel, command the districts
in which this arm of the civil govern
ment operates. It comprises 5000 men
and that section of it which has head
quarters at Manila is under Col. "Tex. )"
Scott. For the rest it is sufficient to saw
that the constabulary are a sort of local
police. It is their business not to police
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