The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-29


have had reason TO fear that Aguinaldo,
with his savage and rapacious instincts,
his grotesque vanity and his incuraole
untrustworthiness. might be the cause
OF serious embarrassment In the realiza-
ton OF our plans for the Philippines
His latest prank. however. seems TO war
rant the conclusion that those fears were
groundless.
Aguinaldo's character, as revealed oy
the various though somewhat discon-
nected glimpses We ave had OF his ca
reer. Is one which the American mind
finds difficulty in Analysing. He appears
TO possess the qualities of energy, OF
courage. Of dauntless enterprise. OF an
solute control over his followers, and
yet he IS utterly destitute OF the traits
which. among US. would 80 hand in hand
with them He Is possessed by an in
credible conceit, ne is childish. silly, un-
reliable caprioious. shallow, almost in
ane from our point Of view. We're his
followers Americans. he would long ago
have been thrust aside as a mountebank
or suppressed a. an intolerable nuisance.
His followers being what they are he Is
admired AZ a potent leader and obeyed
as an anointed autOcrat.
He combines I'm himself the stupidity
OF QuassimOdO and the feebleness of Grim
goire. and yet the rabhle in his wake be-
lieve In him with urQuestioning faith. He
has az least once sold them out 10 their
Spanish oppressors. and at the beginning
Of the Dewey episode was threatened with
death il he returned 10 the scene Of his
treachery. Yet there he is to-day, again
ensarined in the confidence and affection
Of the insurgents, full OF impish tricks,
bursting with barbarc vanity and osten-
tatlon. issuing grotesque proclamatons
and assuming authority with an impu-
dence that would be exasperating II 1t
were not so mournfuly pathetic.
What manner of man Is this who In
the midst of what he passionately insists
is a struggle 10 humanity and freedom.
confronted by the most tragic possibili-
ties and protected from extinction only
by the fleets and armies Of the United
States-the picture of dependence and
futility-what manner Of man is he who
turns aside al such a time TO form the
ministry Of a phantom government and
TO prescribe the pitiable gauds which he.
as its president. intends 10 wear? "A
gold collar with gold triangular pen
dant engraved with the sun and three
stars a gold whistle and . stick with a
handle and a tassel. still OF gold'' This
is 10 constitute the insignia OF his rank
and place.
Why not a breechclout, a pair OF tin
anklets and a thatch Of straw? Aguin-
aldo seems. 10 sober men. an empty
clown. d thing of grimaces and squeaks.
kitten playing with its tail between
tigers jaws. Is he A serious factor IN
this prodigious equation Of empire and
revolution Are his chattering regiments
the material with which civilization Is
SET No. enlightened society created and
wholesome institutions maintained2 In
our eyes they figure as mere foolish ma
rionettes. worthless. grinning toys me
personnel of a sinister and aoomlnaDle
comedy They gesticulate and pose III
the presence Of this tremendous Crisis
like so many savages before mirror.
They seem 10 have no more apprehen-
sion OF the meaning Of the situation than
babies have Of the distance and the mys-
terry OF the moon.
m seems clear that Aguinaldo Is not
quantity Of ponderabie moment IN our
scheme of operation Give him MS goa
collar. his whistle and his stick and leu
him go and fondle them. Let him issue
bulletins 10 shadows I'm the forest ISLES
and govern fauns and hamadryads by rhe
hanks of desert brooks He will be con-
tent. But what is this strange creature
that We have entangled I'm the net OF
orr afaffirs-is he a human being gone
daft with vanity. or IS he only mis-
chievous and Haunting ape which we
have housed and sheltered unaWares--
Washington Post