Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-18
AFRAID TO TRUST THE NATIVES.
Merritt and Dewey Ask the Washington
Powers What They Shall Do.


washington. Aug. 1s.-The two Amer
! lean commanders at Manila. Admiral
Dewey and Major General Merritt.
united in a joint dispatch which was
received here late yesterday afternoon
asking for instructions as TO the man
ner Of dealing with the various ele-
ments. particularly the insurgents. now
that the city was occupied by the
American forces. After a conference at
the White House instructions were sent
to the two American commanders. The
text OF the request for instructions. and
of the answer were not made public. but
Secretary Alger summed up the in
structiOns substantially as fellows:
The instructions are to enforce law
and order and TO treat all law-abiding
citizens alike" The instructions are
practically the same as those sent re-
Gently to General Lawton.
Case Is SIMILAR to That at Santiago.
1t is said the joint dispatch from
Dewey and Merritt did not in terms re-
fer to Aguinaldo nor did the instructions
mention the insurgent leader by name.
II is well understood. however. that the
desire of the American commanders
was to have instructions on the manner
of dealing with the large and menacing
forces of the insurgents under Aguin-
aldo. who have surrounded Manila for
many weeks and who. il is thought.
may have demanded the right to &C.
cupy the city with the American forces.
as the Cuban insurgents did at SAN
tiago. 1t had been thought in some
quarters here that the showing hereto
fore made by the insurgents would lead
to their receiving a certain amount of
recognition. But the instructions sent
are based on occupation by the United
States alone.
OficiaI Report from Manila.
Aside from this joint dispatch the
only other word received from Manila
during the day was in the brief dis
patch from Admiarl Dewey announc-
ing the surrender of the city last Sat
urday. The dispatch is dated Manila
Aug. Is. and is follows: Manila
surrendered today to the American
land and naval forces. after a combined
attack. A division of the squadron
shelled the forts and intrenchments at
MaIate. on the south side of the city,
driving back the enemy. our army ad-
vancing from that side at the same
time. The city surrendered about
o'clock. the American flag being hoisted
by Lieutenant Brumby. About 1000
prisoners We're taken. The squadron
had no casualties: none of the vessels
was injured"
No Mention OF the AuGusti Case.
1t was noted that neither the first
Of AdmiralDewey nor the Joint
dispatch of Dewey and Merritt made
any reference whatever to the part
which the German cruiser Kaiserin
Augusta took in removing Captain
General Augusti from Manila to Hong
Kong. From this officials believe that
the American commanders do not at
tach serious significance to the course
Of the German naval authorities. The
Incident continues to cause some irrita-
ton here. but il is practically certain |
that no Official cognizsnce will be tax II
of it. \ high official of the navy de- |
partment said that at most the course |
of the German naval commander was
one of bad taste. There is no DISPOSE
ton in any official quarter at present to |
carry the Incident to the point Of con- |
sidering il breach of neutrality as has
been suggested in some British news |
paper. |