God forbid that we should forget so terrible a lesson learned at the cost of unspeakable sufferings." [426] These are by no means the only reasons why the revolution failed, but they foredoomed it to failure.
The surrender or capture of the more respectable military element left the unsurrendered firearms in the hands of men most of whom were ignorant, many of whom were criminal, and nearly all of whom were irresponsible and unscrupulous.
Strict enforcement of the rules of civilized warfare against them was threatened, but not actually resorted to.
The situation was particularly bad in Batangas.

General J.F.Bell was put in charge there, and he found a humane and satisfactory solution of the existing difficulties in reconcentration--not the kind of reconcentration which made the Spaniards hated in Cuba, but a measure of a wholly different sort.

This measure and its results have been concisely described by Taylor, as follows:-- "General Bell said he was as anxious as any one could be to avoid making war against those who really wanted the termination of hostilities, and it was his duty to protect them against the vengeance of others.

Over and above all these considerations in importance, however, was the absolute necessity of making it impossible for insurgents to procure food by levying contributions.

Therefore, in order to give those who were pacifically inclined an opportunity to escape hardship, as far as possible, and preserve their food supply for themselves and their families, it was determined to establish zones of protection with limits sufficiently near all towns to enable the small garrisons thereof to give the people living within these zones efficient protection against ruinous exactions by insurgents.