Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-27
THE FIRST EMISSARY
From AguinaIdo's Government
Is Felipe AgencilIo.
He Wishes His Country Represented at
Paris Peace Commission.
Is Hurrins Across Country 10 Appeal to
President Mckinley.

STAN correspondent on board the over
land limited, telegraphs from Carroll.
Iowa. that Felipe Agencillo, the first
accredited emissary Of Aguinaldo's
revolutionary government to any for
eign power, with his secretary and in
terpreter, will proceed direct to Wash
ington to lay before President McKin-
ley the appeal of the Filipinos for rep
resentation on the commission at
Paris.
II official representation on the COM
mission cannot be granted he will urge
that the administration at Washing
ton. in justice to the people of the Phil
ippines, should secure for him the right
to be heard by the commission in or
der that any unjust charges or false
accusations against the Filipinos which
the Spanish members of the commits
sion may set forth shall not go un-
answered.
Following is Agencillo's formal state
| ment to the American people of his
mission and the grounds on which ne
bases his appeal:
1T is necessary to grant to the Phil
| ippine people official representation in
the course of the discussion of the
| Spanish commission at Paris, or that
the provisional government or its Of
| fetal representative be heard before
this Spanish-American commission
shall reach any decision regarding the
Philippines.
1T is justice to the Philippine peo-
pie should not be undefended. for it
might happen that the representatives
of Spain would make formidable
charges against the, Filipinos and in
lack of representation from the Phil
ippines these charges might be cred
| tied.
therefore it is inadmissible, under
the most rudimentary beginnings OF
natural or written law and sound rea-
son, that the Filipinos should be with
out hearing a.
OF conditions in the Philippine Is
lands and the hopes and wishes of the
Filipinos, this is what Agencillo says:
IF the outcome of the peace nego-
| tiations shall be that this government
| is given control of the islands. I have
not the slightest doubt that If lef alone
by foreign powers t4e islands would be
well and orderly governed. When
left Hong Kong there were in assembly
| $50 representatives coming from all the
| provinces of Luzon and from several
tislands 1 expect to learn upon reaching
Washington that still more have been
chosen. These representatives are the
| most popular men in their provinces
and the people generally have conf
dence in their government.
LAS to the power of the Filipino gov
eminent to control the islands and
maintain order, providing the Spanish
| forces are Withdrawn 1 have no mis-
givings. There are 10000 armed men
| in it's army. Some of the arms came
| from Germany and the statements
that have been made that the Filipinos
are secretly conniving with the Ger
| mans are false and unjust.
! 1t is true that a few days after the
destruction of the Spanish fleet in Ma
Mia, representatives of the German
empire made proposals to the insur-
gents to aid them in forming an indie
| pendent government. This offer was
! refused, the reply being made to the
Germans that under an agreement en-
| tered into between AguinaldO and Ad-
miral Dewey, the insurgents We're IN
honor bound to refuse the Offer"
| Agencillo was asked what would be
the attitude of the Filipinos and the
provisional government il the outcome
of the peace negotiations should be
that the islands should pass into the
| hands of the United States, either for
temporary or permanent control. He
replied:
Whether or not the Filipinos would
| forcibly resist such a disposition of the
Philippine islands. cannot state. The
question would go before the assembly
and Aguinaldo's attitude must. under
the constitution, be determined by ac-
ton of that body.
The form of the provisional govern
! ment is republican. But / will say
that the feeling of the people with re-
! gard to the question, would depend
largely upon what form of government
the Americans would propose. II it
meant simply the control of the ls-
lands by the United States, the govern
| ment of this country, assuming the re-
sponsibility of maintaining good order
and controlling the revenues of the IS
| lands.
Il do not think the feeling against
such move would be strong, though
tAC HHiPiiiOS dic dIlNlOuS 10 govern
| themselves. but If it should be planned
| that the United States take the islands
| for the purpose of colonization, which
might eventually crowd out the native
population. in my opinion there would
| be great difficulty in bringing the peD-
pie of the islands to submission.
Our appeal to the United States is
for aid in securing what we most de-
sire and what we believe to be. for the
best interests of the islands. 1t is not
| made for the purpose Of placing into
the hands of any other nation, and II
the Filipinos are notNo govern them
selves. there is no nation they would
more wish to be governed by than tine
United States.''
Agencillo and his secretary are
travelling with Major General Green
and his aides, Captain w. G. Bates and
Lieut.. Schuyler Schieffelin. Major Gen
eral Greene goes to Washington 20
give the administration his views on
the same questions. He therefore fett
bound by the etiquette of his position
to refrain from making any statement
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