Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-09-11
Or. EDWARDS Letter

Sis ieaVhinS NE IrOm nome i
learn that a great deal Of interest
Is shown in the possibility of the
Japanese taking the Philippines away |
from the United States. There NAV !
be a possibility of this happening, but
do not think there is any probabil
ity Of it. While it is true that
japan could, as war measure. land
HUNDREDS of thousands of troops on
the Islands before the United States
could get her troop ships started
across the Pacific, it must be re.
membered that in a war of this kind
the japanese would also have to
reckon with the natives. While many
of the semi-savage tribes are mimi.
cal to Americans they would take
no part in war between America
and Japan because they are far in
the interior. The Tagalogs in Manila
are especially friendly to the Unit
ed States, and would unhesitatingly
enroll themselves under the stars and
stripes if 1t came to a question of
American or japanese supremacy on
the islands:
Since the American occupation the
F1lipinos have learned much about
government and have also learned
That the Spanish rule which was oy.
or them for centuries kept them
back in their development. They now
understand that American domination
means all that is best for them, and
1t comes to a test of loyalty they
will side with Americans. Then too,
there is the old feeling that has
been handed down for many genera
lions that the japanese are their
enemies and are a barbarous race
of people. spoke of this in one Of
my former letters.
! If there should come a war be.
tween America and Japan it may be
set down as fact that the Philip
pines will be the initial battle ground,
and that the japanese will be- driv-
en- back to their own country by
g combined force of Americans and
Filipinos. Manila is we'll fortified and
could maintain a seige for many
months sufficiently long to allow
our transports to arrive conveyed by
the great battleship fleet. 1t would
take eight days for the Japanese to
send their troop-ships to the Phillip
pines after declaration of war, and
those troops would have to meet a
guerilla warfare from the time they
landed until they got out of the
country, and Filipinos are adopts at
this sort of fighting.
But aside from this it must be re-
membered that Manila harbor is well
protected with tOrpedoes, and an at
tack from the land side would re-
quire an army as beseiged Port Ar
thur. There is a rumor that. large
portion of the japanese fleet has sail
ed toward America, but no one knows
anything about it, Mysterious re-
ports of strange warsips seen along
the coast of the islands are al
most daily, but there has cone no
authentic report of. any foreign war
vessels. One report says that six
fast cruisers have been sent to Haw-
ali on a scouting expedition, but this
is not believed, for such force could
not go to Hawaii and back without
coaling, and there would be no reas-
on for them to make this scout with
out being seen.
talked with prominent army Of
ficer here, today, about the situation.
He has been connected with the
troops on the islands for a number
of years, and has given close study
to the situation. He was guard
ed in his talk relating to for.
tifications and means of repel-
ling a japanese attack, but was EN-.
phatic in his declaration that the
Philippines were in no lasting danger
even should there be such a thing
as a war with Japan. In speaking OF
such contingency he made this
significant remark:
| The Japanese are a secretive peo
pie. and do not tell what they are
doing or what they intend doing, bui
they do not know what We are do
ing, so honors are about even OF
that score"
| asked if he meant that secret pre-
arations were being made for defense
Of the islands, and his answer was a
smile as he said, that is for the
Japs to find OUT
No one here who understands Jap
aneSe character considers war ever
a possibility. Remember that while
the japanese are ''cokky' the gov
eminent of the nation is not com