We held elections and established municipal governments in a
number of the towns just south of Manila, and in some of those along
the Pasig River.
General Otis watched our operations and their results narrowly, and
was sufficiently well pleased with the latter to order General Kobbe
to follow a similar course in various towns on or near the railroad
north of Manila. Kobbe did not profess to know much about municipal
government, and asked me to go with him and help until he got the
hang of the thing, which I did.
Thus it happened that the first Philippine Commission had a sort of
left-handed interest in the first municipal governments established
in the islands under American rule.
In his endeavour to show that the Commission interfered with military
operations, Blount has ascribed certain statements to Major Starr. He
says: " ... at San Isidro on or about November 8, Major Starr said:
'We took this town last spring,' stating how much our loss had been in
so doing, 'but partly as a result of the Schurman commission parleying
with the Insurgents, General Otis had us fall back. We have just had
to take it again.'" [454]
If Major Starr ever made such a statement he was sadly
misinformed. General Lawton was the best friend I ever had in the
United States Army.
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