Evening star., 1942-03-22

The trap$er Of Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur from Bataan to Australia will
moet likely improve Filipino morale
rather than dishearten the Filipinos as
had been contended by those who op-
posed his removal to another front
and is now hoped for by the Japanese.
Axis propagandists are making the
most of this move by associating it
with Bitain's Gen. Archibald Wavells
excavations of Malaysia and the Neither
lands Indies despite the fact that Gen.
Macarthur was not in retreat when he
left Bataan and Corregidor, but had
actually set the enemy back on his
heels.
BY no stretch of the non-Fascist
imagination could it be said that Gen.
Macarthur deserted his men, the over
whelming majority of whom are Fill
pinos. Eloquent, articulate Gen. Mac
Arthur undoubtedly explained the situa-
ton to his troops before he left Bataan
and felt that they understood.
The Filipino people are intelligent
enough to comprehend that the fight
in the Philippines is only one battle
in World War H. With pride they have
seen their commanding officer become
the greatest and most popular soldier
Of the United Nations. They doubt
less are happy to contribute Gen. Mac
Arthur Of the Philippines. as he has
been known the world over in recent
months, toward final victory over the
Axis powers.
Personihcation Of Hope.
The Filipinos are making no need
less sacrifice in losing the personal lead
ership Of Macarthur at Bataan They
doubtless realize that he has been placed
in better position to help them. To-
day Gen. Macarthur is the personifi-
cation of Filipino hope of redemption.
If before he left Bataan he had prom
ised, as most likely he did, that he
would some day return with more men,
more airplanes, more guns and more
warships, the Filipinos would believe
him. They know that he would keep
the soldier faith because he had always
Kept MS WORD with them.
They would never lose hope, however
dark the current outlook might seem,
because of their trust and faith in him
If any one man can hasten the day of
their redemption, it is Gen. Macarthur.
With all his well-earned popularity
one only has to glance at the newspapers
and magazines to prove the point that
he is the most popular American today
Macarthur, as commander of the entire
United Nations forces in the Southwest
Pacific, is in much better position to
get aid to the American and Filipino
soldiers in the Philippines. Americans,
as well as Filipinos, may we'll expect that
the transfer of Gen. Macarthur to Aus
traia will result in upping the defense
of the Philippines on the United Ma
tions' priority list.
To Gen. Macarthur the Philippines is
not only another United States territory
to defend and hold 1t is his second
home. He has spent the happiest years
Of his life there. The Islands hold for
him many highly personal associations.
1O lIlc IlilllpplllcS llc lCIullICu, All
1885, when his popularity in the United
States was at low ebb. Many people
blamed him for carrying out President
Hoovers order to clear Washington of
the trespassing bonus marchers, many
of whom had fought under Gen. Mac
Arthur on European battlefields.
Critics Confounded.
Columnists and other writers who In
recent weeks have been tumbling over
each other to praise him to the skies in
magazine and newspaper articles were
then cracking down on the general.
Even when he had already retired as
chief of staff and had gone to Manila to
become military adviser to the Philippine
Commonwealth, these critics made fun
of his title of field marshal and his little
Philippine Army, recalled his eccentrici-
ties, including his liking to use paper
fan, and compared him disadvanta-
geously with his successor as chief of
staff To these critics Gen. Macarthur
was has-been.
Conveniently forgotten we're these
facts: When President Hoover appoint
ed him chief of staff on October 80. 1880,
a day in which talk of another World