Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-18

IIU 81 I'M Eal DenQS upon LnS army Va
Ia MAI the United States. 1t is
.NszkzAsSal useless to deny that Amer
lean rule in the Philippines
rests upon any other base than the
bayonets of Yankee soldiers. Yet it Is
far from being a rule by the bayonet
as the differences of opi DIN between
the military and civil authorities tes-
| tify. 1t Is difficult for the soldier ana
| the civilian to agree upon point or
view in colonial administration, what
| ever flag floats over the colony. But
despite differences respecting questions
of policy, 1t must be recognized that
| the army Is the basis of both rule and
reform in the islands. II the army
should be withdrawn today tomorrow
would find the archipelago plunged into
anarchy.
1t is through the army that the
United States is kept in closest touch
with the Philippines, for there are
always from 1900 to $4,000 American
| soldiers here, and each one has his
| family and his friends in the home
| country. to whom he writes letters and
| imparts his views. Then. too, the Varl-
Gus commands are being constantly
shifted from the islands back home, and
| from the States to the philippines.
The average American citizen sees a
regular army soldier about once in ten
years, maybe twenty In the Philip
pines the army is everything, every
where.
Valuable as are the services of the
army to the advancement of peace and
civilization in the Philippines. 1t is
probably true that the Philippine ex-
perience is even more valuable to the
army. If the United States shall be-
come involved in a foreign war, the
nation will appreciate the fact that the
practical training received in the Phil
| ippines has been of inestimable value
| to the officers and men of our little
regular army. The disgraceful record
of deaths in army camps during the
| Spanish sh-American war will not be re-
peated. when the volunteers have the
| services of Philippine veterans to teach
| them how to take care of themselves.
| A sick soldier can do very little fight
| ing, and the chief problem of modern
warfare is to keep every man effective
every minute.
The Philippines have been the best
and most practical training school pos
sible for the American army, rank and
file Here the army has had hard cam
paigning against organized troops has
successfully put down guerilla warfare
of the worst type. has learned how TO
deal with the widest of savages, and
has come to know the treachery and
cunning of the Oriental warrior These
| things may be very useful some day.
Here the soldier has leaI..ed the lesson
of taking care Of his health under the
most compelling circumstances. He
has heen attacked not only by every
camp disease of the temperate zone,
but also by numerous tropical dis
eases even more deadly.
The army has learned the lesson of
long distance transportation of men
and supplies, and has built up an or
ganization capable OF immediate ex-
pansion to meet the requirements of a
great war over seas. The humiliating
| delays and raw inefficiency seen at
Tampa during the spring of 1898 would
be impossible now-thanks to the Phil
ippines.
Indeed, IL every other consideration
be passed over the Philippines as a
training school for soldiers Is an asset
we'll worth reckoning In the national
balance sheet. The officers in command
over here recognize this fact and take
full advantage of their opportunities.
Ever since the end of the insurrec-
ton there has been a. tendency to con-
centrate the American forces in the
islands into the larger towns. or In
large garrisons. leaving the small and
Isolated outlying stations to be held by
the Filipino scouts, or to be policed
by the constabulary under the civil
government. The largest post In the
Islands is Fort William Mckinley, stu
ated on the Pasig river, six miles from
Manila. 1t is the first brigade post In
the army, and Is commanded by Brig
Gen. John ]. Pershing.
Dim, ,dI. .AAmrsl a T-Pedkml shr NH m
1t is located on historic ground.
short time ago Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
stood on the veranda of the officers
club at Fort Mckinley and pointed out
to General Pershlng the line of de-
fense occupied by his troops in 1889
when they were attacked by the Amer
lean soldiers in the first important en-
gagement of the insurrection. The
American troops advanced over the
site of the present Fort Mckinley and
withdrew over the same ground, Gen
eral Otis having ordered the with
drawal before the engagement was
fought to a finish. Aguinaldo now lives
on his farm, almost within sight of
|