Show l j KINGS PREDICTIONS t Nothing is to be gained by underrating underrat-ing the ability of an adversary or un JeresOmating the strength of an en r tiny It Is just as well to acknowl tdga that we have a big undertaking oefore us in the Philippines and that no matter how often we defeat them or how many are killed it may require years of time millions of money and hundreds of American lives t6 subjugate subju-gate the natives It all might have been averted by a declaration of policy on the part of the president some months ago but he dillydallied with the Filipinos until they became suspicious impatient and reckless It is not too late now to end the Conflict for the native leaders have r t been suing for peace for more than a < fortnight but all their overtures have been rejected so far and with the rainy season coming on and the Asatlc plague in the vicinity of the islands it E3 is unlikely that the natives will rely on open warfare any longer They are f at home In the sickly swamplands of < the interior thoroughly acquaint 1 I with the jungles and mountain ravines inured to the climate through generations genera-tions of contact and reasonably immune im-mune from Oriental contagions English officers who do not discredit T the prowess or power of endurance of the American soldier said at the beginning be-ginning of hostilities that it might take several years to establish the supremacy suprem-acy of this government in the archipelago archipel-ago General Charles Kings interview which appeared in yesterdays dispatches dis-patches is entitled to serious consideration consid-eration for he is one of the most conspicuous con-spicuous officers on the American side having taken part in almost every leading lead-ing engagement of the Island war He Says SaysThe The situation In the Philippines Is most serious The people of those islands will keep up a guerilla warfare and there Is p no telling when hostilities will cease They retire to the fastnesses of the mountains retreat whc they are whipped and hide in the Jungles Subsisting r c Sub-sisting on practically nothing they have no need of a base of supplies It will necessitate a large force of men to subjugate sub-jugate them completely The war in the Philippines Is by no means ended Their intrcnchments are works of military engineering and construction p con-struction equal to the best the most civilized military nations have produced Cnder the Spanish regime the Filipino learned bomcthinsr of war and we are receiving evidence of this very day General Otis In command of the American forces there has become discouraged at the prospect of ending s the conflict with the men he has And no wonder if other regiments have fared like that of Nebraska whose 1200 jncn dwindled down to less than 200 k before It was relieved for the purpose cf recuperation In all probability there I will be several consignments 01 troops sent across jthe waters before our conquest con-quest of Ihe Philippines is complete v It promises to be a long and costly struggle And yet It might have been averted by a president capable of making mak-ing up his mind |