[453] When the final changes in it had been made, I accompanied General Lawton on a trip to try putting it into effect.

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.