| Show TLES ABOUT THE FOE War In the P ilPpine May Last For Years YeaJs T j FILIPINOS ARE FIGHTERS T WELL AD AND RECKLESS OF CONSEQUNC c f Topography of the Country Extremely Extreme-ly Favorble t the Insurgents win 2ot Stop Fighting Event Even-t Though D teed Manifcet Recor of Our Volunteers Chicago March 2SG P H Fare11 Farel captain and assistant surgeon of the First C loria yoluntes is in Chicago Chi-cago His regiment was the first to leach 1aia last June and the captain cap-tain wa in the Island of Luzon continuously con-tinuously until the last week of January Jan-uary two months ngo He had unusual un-usual opportunitE5 to study the conditions con-ditions in the island as he was se cted last October lo make a tour of Investigation extending from Mania to Dagupan He speaks Spanish Huenth and for that reason was chosen to carry on may of the negotiations wit AguinaIdo He has traversed the country coun-try where the American troops are now fghUng and In speaking or that locality he said The railway line extends up the middle of the valley along which our troops have been advancing The country In which recent o1eratom have ten piael is very fat and is simply a succession of rice fields Between this valley and the sea Is a low range of his and on the other hand is the coast range of mountains perhaps 5000 or 6000 feet high Thc rice fields are quite small and are separated by dikes s that they can be flooded I is an excellent count r for defensive operations The natives can use the dikes for trenches retreating from one t another and then In abandoning a position they can flood the fields and thus hinder the advance of our men I have not seen it mentioned in the dispatche but I have no doubt many of these fields have been flooded What do you believe will be the ef f fet of the present campaign There will be several pMced battle bat-tle and then Aguinaldos army will be dispersed but the American army in the Philippines will have to contend with guerrilla warfare for sever years to come The natives will not submit eve if the main body of the army is demolished and scattered Still I do not think the prospect is one that should be alarming or distressing Our army wIll have an experience in the Philippines whlch will be exceedingly valuable and make it all the more ef p fecthe in the future How did you happen to make a trip through the island t I I was found advisable to ascertain I what the natives in the interior were doing ad what seemed to be their attitude at-titude foward the Americans The American officers in uniform who had I I attempted to traverse this part ot the country had ben arrested and sent count back so I traveled a a civilian That I wa back lte In October As I a of Eng I I j Ush birth I allowed the natives to believe be-lieve tat I ws a Englishman In addition to that I spoke Spanish and found ltte difficulty in getting along 1 I although I was continually stopped and questioned At every town the soldier i I demanded of me a pas from Agnlnal l do The fact that his name was mentioned I men-tioned everywhere showing that hE I tone as their leader gave me I I I some idea of his influence jn the island I I went the entire length of the railway line to Dagupan on the entire coat I and everywhere I found the natives arming themselves and drilling constantly stant The one topic of conversation I was the ming fight with the Amen ans They seemed to regard it as inevitable I j in-evitable and were not disposed to avoid it Even the little boys were marching march-ing up the streets and being drilled I and I never saw more military erthu Sl1sm in any country Of course the I Trilling was very awkward and the t discipline was poor but the soldiers L were intenseh in earnest and enthu j f lastC everywhere and the fat that the new arms were beng shipped in I i and diftrlbuted showed that some well I defined pocyof preparation was be i lag put into effect t Huw did the natves get these improver im-prover anna They were shipped in during all last summer and autumn As soon asA as-A established his government he lfan to leT taxes in every village and demand tribute from the wealth I rtsident in and around Manila and a great deal of this money was immedi Jcat J tI expended for arms and ammuni tjn At 3lalolos I saw Maxims and i Gatlngs There are enough Spanish I artillerymen among the insurgents to handJ thc guns in an effective manner man-ner I it evint aimo that the natives have competent engineers with them I 1t 1 their trenches have been well con tructed and se arranged that soldiers n retreat fro one to another with jUt putting themselves in range You met Agnin1do often For a time I met him two or three I timc a day He impressed me as a vcry shrewd lodlr He was exceedingly exceeding-ly suspicious of the Americans and I found the greatest difficulty in getting any information out of him At every interview he had one of his native of I him cels with |
