The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-25
THE PROTEST OF
THE FILIPINOS
Lodged With the American Peace Com
mission by ASOnGlllO.
THE RIGHT of THE NATIVES
To a Free and Independent Government
Fully Set Forth.
WERE RECOGNIZED BYU. S. C0NSULS
Who Promised Them Complete indie
pendence if They Fought Under the
American Banner Against Com
mon Enemy, the Spaniards.

can and spanish peace COMMISSIONS NY
Agoncillo, the agent of Agunaldo the in
surgent leader in the Philippines, an out
line of which was cabled the Associated
Press under this date:
Paris, December r.
'Their Excellencies, the President and
Delegates of the Spanish American Peace
Commission, Paris;
Your Excelencies:-The very noble and
gallant General Aguinaldo, president of the
Philippine Republic and his government
have honored me with the post of official
representative to the very honorable presi-
dent and government of the United States
of America, devolving on me at the same
time the duty of protesting against any
resolutions contrary to the independence of
that country which might be passed by the
peace commission in Paris.
This has already terminated its sessions
and the resolutions passed cannot be ac-
cepted as obligatory by the government
since the commission has neither heard nor
in any wise admitted to it's deliberations
the representative of the people of the ma
ton who held unquestionable right to in
tervene in relation to what might affect
their future.
Protest in Solemn Manner
II fulfill therefore my duty when 1 pro-
test as l do in the most solemn manner
in the name of the president and the ma
tional government of the Philippines against
any resolution agreed upon at the peace
conference at Paris, as long as the judicial,
political, Independent personality of the
Philippines people is entirely unrecognized
and attempts are made in any form to i'm
pose on these inhabitants resolutions which
have not been sanctioned by their public
eide as to their future in history.
Spain is absolutely devoid of a status
and power to decide in any shape form
the aforementioned matter.
THE union of Spain and the Philippines
was founded solely on two historical facts,
in which the exclusive right of the Filipinos
to decide their own destiny was implicitly
recognized
'.First-The blood treaty (Pacto de
Sangre) of the 18th of March, 1866, entered
into between Gen. Don Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi; and the Filipino sovereign,
Sikatuma a compact which was ratified
and confirmed on the one side by the King
of Spain, Philip IL, and on the other side
by the monarchs of Mndanao, Visayas and
Luzon and by the supreme chief of that
confederation, the Sultan Laconda, pro-
claiming a consequence the autonomous
nationality of the kingdom of New Castle
formed by the Philippine islands, under the
sceptre of the King of Spain.
CONSTITUTION OF NadeZ
''Second-The so-called constitution of
Cadiz in the discussion promulgato on and
execution of which the delegates of the
Filipinos took active part when the ma
tionality of the Philippines was made ef-
fectve.
but from the very first moment in which
the Peninsula public powers attempted TO
impose their absolute sovereignty on the
islands, the Fiipinos protested energeticaly
by force of arms and from the first attempt
In 1914 the struggle in defense of their
political personality was implanted
when in 1887 the deprivation of their
rights consummated, the Filpnos again
protested, Spain sustaining against them a
fratricidal and inhuman struggle which
lasted from that time onward up to the
present day.
"Falsehood which always characterized
the actions of the Peninsula authorities.
constantly hid from the world the fact of
the situation of force which has lasted al
most a century.
''At length at the end of the present CEN
fury, the Spanish forces have been COM
pletely routed by these of the natives, and
Spain cannot even allege the posses
sion by her of the islands, because the per-
manency of a handful of Peninsula soldiers
Approximately 400, who existing be-
sieged in one or two fortresses in the south
of the archipelago cannot constitute such
right.
Held No Dominion
1.-THE Spanish government has ceased to
hold any dominion by deed and by right the
only authority which exists there and pre-
serves order is that constituted by the
Filipinos, with the solemn sanction of
their votes the legal fount of positive
modern power.
Under such conditions the Spanish COM
mssioners in Paris have not been able
within the principles of the laws of nations
TO civ or IN Sfp w IA Vp
had they had totally lost before the signing
of the protocol of Washington, and the
ranging of the terms of the peace treaty in
Paris.
1.-THE Philippine people who consented to
the blood treaty and the constitution of
1872 annulled those conventions by reason
of Spain not complying with her undertake
ings and renewed their sovereignty by the
solemn proclamation of the Philippine re-
public on August l, 1885, and by the estab-
lishment of q government and regular and
we'll ordered administration created by
decisive votes of the natives. If any judicial
effect can be attributed to the Spanish ac-
ton In the peace treaty within the princi-
pies of international law it is the explicit
remuneration of all future pretensions over
the land, the dominion and possession of
which she has lost and. therefore. is only
of use to make recognition of the corporate
body of the Filipino nation, and that of
their rights to rule effectively in respect to
their future
America Not the Arbitrator
"The United States of America on their
part cannot allege better right to consti-
tute themselves arbitrator to the fu-
ture of the Philippines.
ION the contrary, the demands of honor
and good faith impose on them the explicit
recognition of the present status of the
people who, loyal to their convictions. were
q devoted ally of their forces in the mo-
ments of danger and strife.
1.-THE noble general, Emilio Aguinaldo,
and the other Filipino chiefs, were solicited
TO place themselves at the head of the suf-
fering and heroic sons of that country to