The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-18
Trying to EEL Surer Of q Phil
ippiDe Republic by Claiming
It's ExisteDce.
Holds Interesting Celebration in the
Nature Of National Fiesta . at
Mdolos.
BY SOL N. SHERIDAN.
Special Correspondence of The Cali.

MANILA. Oct. 1.-Senor Don Emilio
Aguinaldo, President and Dictator OF
the Republic of the Philippines, mas
once more proclaimed the independence
of his country. 1t strikes me, as an oo-
server, that the Senior Don, for man
who is altogether sure he has won the
liberty of the Filipinos, does proclaim
too much. Perhaps he feels surer, as
man who lies from the lust OF lying
comes presently to believe in hlmsel1-
perhaps, 1 say, Aguinaldo feels surer OF
his republic the more often he asserts
it's existence.
He did the trick of proclatming,. this
time, at his new capital, Malolos, on
last Friday Rather an unlucky day.
Friday, for ships and republics TO De
gin, but possibly Aguinaldo argued that
he has made so many false starts one
more or less could not make a great
deal of difference. At all events, ne
started on Friday with a great flourish
of trumpets, sending invitations to his
celebration to the newspaper CORE
spondents and to all the officers in the
army below the grade of general, along
with a programme in the way OF a cir
cular calculated to commit to his inter
est all those Americans who should be
present at the function. This circular
kent most of the American officers
aWay from Malolos. 1t did not keep the
correspondents away. They could COM
nit the nations to nothing-and, II they
could, would not hesitate when II came
to a matter of procuring news. Inc III
vitations to the celebration seno mere
with. The circular which accompanied
it, translated, reads as follows:
PROGRAMME.
National Fiesta for the 18th OF Septen-
Der, 1898.
In the Morning.
First-Reunited at $3.50 a. m. the Con-
gress in the house of the Honorable
President, with the authorities ana
popular commissions, are invited 10 the
scene The procession Is TO pass III re-
view in the direction of the congress
sionaI building, where they are received
| by the courts and correspondents o1 MS
| high representation.
Second - Once inside the building
| when every one has his respective seat,
| the President of the Government VIII
give a lecture on the act, and the Pres1-
dent of Congress will give anotner on
| the proclamation of independence.
Third-The following act the Presi-
dent proclaims the Philippines free and
| independent After the applause ceases
! and the bells stop ringing the Dano VIII
| play the national air.
Fourth-The removal of the process
sion to the house OF the GoVernin lei
| will be in exactly the same form. The
| driveway by which the procession Will
proceed will be lined up with troops
Brigadier General Gregorio II. del Pllar
commanding.
Fifth-The towns of Malolos and Bar
asyain will be admitted in the nests
this day. The houses must be decorated
and streets made tidy, as II becomes
national holiday.
Sixth-After the court returns TO the
Congressional building there will be
parade by the troops in front or the
principal balcony, where the president
of the Government and the President OF
the Congress will be sitting alone. Inc
guard of Arabarderos will do the hon
ors to the Honorable President during
the parade.
Seventh-After the inspection the
President will receive in his parlors the
consuls and commissions that wish to
celebrate and concur in the act.
Eighth-A banquet will be given the
troops and bands that celebrate the act.
At Night
At o'clock in the evening theatrical
performances of the popular class.
The celebration itself did not amount
to a great deal. The village was crowd
ed with natives, and number OF
curious Americans were there VINO
went to see-and remained to be seen.
The whole thing was rather an absurd
imitation of European public functions,
born of a desire on the part of Aguin-
aldo to make it appear to the world
that his people are perfectly up in the
manners of civilized nations and of
mistaken notion that these manners
consist largely of dress coats and silk
hats of ancient vintage. Neither the
silk hat nor the dress coat, with all
true respect to the Dictator President,
is the true badge of cfvilization-and
when one appears in silk hat and
dress coat and goes barefooted, as one
of Aguinaldo's high officials did, the
effect, to put 1t mildly, is odd.
Senior Don Aguinaldo had his process
sion, as he said he would. About 5000
natives variously armed and more vari-
ously attired, passed in review, the
declaration of independence was for
mally read and the wheels of the Fill
Pine Republic were started in due form.
It will run along, possibly, until the
meeting of the Paris Commission is
over, because nobody will pay great
deal of attention to it. Then, If the
United States proposes to keep the ISL
ands, Mr. Aguinaldo will be softly but
swiftly removed, the original mistake
of Admiral Dewey set right and the
whole structure will come tumbling
down like a house of cards.
l observe, on looking over this letter,
that I have used a phrase calculated to
puzzle the average American at this
particular time. The words. "the orig
inal mistake of Dewey" will naturally
pass the understanding of men. Dewey
is a popular idol, naturally. and the
populace will never admit that its idol
can err. Nevertheless, Dewey di make
an original mistake-led into 1t, there
is not the least manner of doubt, by the
American Consul General at Hongkong
Mr. Wildman. Mr.. Wildman, as San
Francisco people know, is a genius in
his way. He is the man who took the
Overland Monthly and succeeded in
making 1t worse than it was before-a
thing seemingly impossible, but true.
Mr.. Wildman, I have every reason to
believe, is the man who persuaded the