Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-06
PRAISE FOR THE ARMY
TESTIMONY OF CHIEF PINCHOT,
NOW IN PHILIPPINES.
Writes That the Discipline Of the Sol
diers is Superb-Tribute to the
Officers.

The following has been received by one
in authority at the War Department from
Mr.. Pinchot. who is chief of the bureau of
forestry In the Department Of Agriculture.
and who is travelling in the Philippine Is
lands in connection with his duties in the
Agricultural Department:
The bugaboo of Moro power about Lake
Lanao having been driven out of my head
by actual touch with the situation. 1 came
to Jolo to find that the famous sultan and
the possibility of holy war are still less
important All this you doubtless knew
long ago. but to me it was a complete sur
prise. Officers of experience and standing
said repeatedly that they would be per
fectly willing to take SINCE troop of cav
airy anywhere in the Island OF Joio, II
every Moro in the place We're in arms. L
can see reason why they could not do it,
The fact that Captain Pershing cleaned
out the most formda BILE body of Moros
around Lake Lanao just recently, with a
total loss to himself of two men wounded.
seems to be satisfactory evidence on this
point.
1.-The thing l chiefly started out to write
you is this: A coupe of weeks ago two
Moros, who had taken oath to die killing
Christians, came with eight or ten of their
friends to one of the gates of Jolo. just as
a troop of the 18th Cavalry were saddling
up. They attacked two men who were
slightly apart from the others, and before
they could be killed had severely wounded
one OF IQeln- MOI only OlQ our men. VINO
had seen their comrade attacked and
wounded without warning in a friendly
place, make no effort to modest the Moros
who accompanied the murderers. but one
of the men formally arrested them and
warned every one to let them alone. No
officers were present and no effort wha teyer
was made to injure in any way the friends
of the murderers. Discipline of this kind
on the part of enlisted men seems to me
SO superb that l wanted you to hear of it
If you have not already done These
are the men whom the anti-imperialists are
trying to exhibit bloodthirsty brutes
Il want to say another thing l have
never met a finer body of gentlemen nor
do l believe 1 shall ever meet a finer body
of gentlemen, than the officers l have had
the honor of seeing a the different posts l
have visited in the islands. Nothing has
impressed me more than the quality and
bearing of both officers and men wherever
I have run across them. There Is no let
down whatever because of the climate or
the distance from home, the officers are
men. and the men of so high a grade that
1t makes me proud to be an American every
time l see them Every camp / have seen
was in the pink of order, and the treat
ment of the natives by the soldiers has
been everywhere far better than that by
civilians at the same time and place. One
night, when We were caught in the noun
tains in the rain, the sergeant of marines
of the ship gave a poncho to a sick Filipino
when there were by no means ponchos
enough to go around. Of course there NAV
be exceptions, but this is the kind of thing
l have seen. | never began TO appreciate
the infamy OF the attacks the army and
navy until l came to know the men who
were being attacked