Evening star., 1898-08-27
AGUINALDO AND HIS MEN
Personality and Surroundings Of the Phil
ippine Insurgent Dictator. q
Future of the Islands From Fill
pinos' Point of view-Treatment
of Spanish Prisoners.
John T. Mccutcheon in the Chicago Record.

palSD. Here afSO are uuHulnSS dltSi eei4e
! ings filed with Spanish prisoners that
| have been captured. and hospital wards
! filed with the wounded. The streets are
| lively with groups of insurgents preparing
! for the 'front.' and nearly every day there
come big detachments of prisoners ana
captured stores. Shops are springing up on
every street and the town is assuming its
| old activity.
On the second floor of fine residence in
! the Gale del Arsenal is the seat of the
dictatorial government. Director Aguinal-
| do holds forth here. with his cabinet Of
ministers, and armed sentries are scat
tered along the approaches to his offices.
As one enters the building there are SEN
tries presenting arms all along the wide,
cool corridor and at the top of the broad
stairway leading above. Arriving at the
landing it is necessary to send a card or
state the object of the visit to orderly,
who communicates with the dictator. A
number of soldiers are in the ante-room,
and in the rooms to the rear are evidences
of the domestic part of the establishment.
Several women belonging to the household
are to be seen, and number of little chill
dren give homelike appearance to the
seat of government These are the orphans
of insurgents who have been killed, and
in the absence of any regular institution
for their care they are installed in the
home of the general
ASuinaldO's Personality.
Presently the orderly returns and ushers
the visitor into the office occupied by
Asuinaldo. 1t is a large, handsome room,
and is fitted up with tables for the use of
secretary and for himself. The general
is most hospitable man and looks and
acts little like one occupying the supreme
position among the Filipinos that he does
He is small, with a Japanese cast of fea-
flo rnf- it.t tnIlr
force. AS he speaks no English all the
conversation is carried through an in
terpreter, unless the visitor can speak
spanish or French. Cigars are at once
placed at the disposal of all, and the
conversation that ensues is pleasant and
unrestrained. Occasionally a messenger
brings In dispatch from the forces in the
neld, anu sometimes these Interruptions
involve an earnest consultation between
one or the ministers and AguinaIdo A
large map of Manila and the suburbs is
constantly in reach of the general and
lhere are frequent references to it. The
phenomenal successes of his forces do not
seem 10 surprise him or give him a notice.
aoie feeling of self-importance, and he
goes on giving orders and shifting his men
the world to do. "
Al prest Mt AguinaIdo is absolute dictator
OF tne f1lpiHos Every order he gives is
earned out without question, unless an ex
eePtion De made of the colonel who was
started with 300 men and was sent to al
tack d certain Spanish stronghold He
speeoliy captured it and then moved an
10" ard Manila with his victorious troons
senolng back to Aguinaldo for a fresh sun
Ply OF ammunition. This was immedia teIv
seht, ana with it went an order demanding
mis- return to Cavite for consultation. bni
pelt re tue ammunition arrived at the place
Where ne mad asked to have it sent the col
onef mad gone on to the next village and
me generals message was not received
II 1t was, it was disregarded in the feryor
OF MS lighting enthusiasm. As fast as he
sent for ammunition 1t would be forwarded
and with it the note of recall. which was
never effective. 1t is row the intention TO
Try the ofhcer 0y court-martiaI for DISC
pedience, even though he disobeyed in such
q gallant manner.
Phiiippines' Future.
Aguinaldo is lighting for the independence
of the Philippine Islands. He wants the
intervention of the church in state mat
ters discontinued and freedom Of religious
views recognized. He wants an unbridled
press. and he wants a protectorate placed
over the islands by the United States, pref
erably, or Great Britain. This latter clause
is one that concerns us chiefly. for ff the
United States decides to hold the islands it
mas been wondered just where the insurg-
ents woCfd come in, unless an Improvement
In condition and government be considered
their reward.
Whether the insurgents would consent IN
the annexation of the islands to the United
states cannot be foreseen. The Filipinos'
nag now flies from many town that las
beer captured. This flag that they have
hoisted SO gallantly over the towns they
have taken is a beautiful enc. 1t is red
white and blue, with the white in a tri-
angle, with sun and three stars on it.
The three stars stand for the Islands of
Luzon, Mindan2o and Visayas The sun
means progress, and the eigh. rays that
rad1ate from it stand for the provinces
OF Luzon which fought in the last revolu-
ticn against Spain. These stars and the
sun are of gold or yellow. The upper di-
vision of the remaining portion of the flag
is red and the lower part is blue. The mem
bers of the cabinet whom 1 have met speak
with the greatest enthusiasm of America
and of the Observation-Disclosures alliance
and when any one from the fleet walks
through Cavite the soldiers and native citi-
zens greet him with presented arms and
raised hats. 1t makes a modest American
feel like the President Of the United States.
Prisoners of the Insurgents.
It has been something of a problem for
Aguinaldo to take care of the hundreds of
prisoners that he has captured and the
sc ores Of wounded that have been brought
into Cavite. Churches and barracks have
become extemporized prisons. and a con-
vent has been converted to hospital Uses.
AS a consequence of this absence of reg
ular jails the Spaniards are quartered al
most as comfortably as the insurgents.
All the privates have been put in the bar
racks formerly occupied by the Spanish
soldiers when Spain had control, and so it
happens that many of them are simply
translated back to their old homes. The
windows are all barred, and so escape
would be difficult. There are between 7OO
and 800 confined ir these barracks and a
force of guards watches all possible ave-
Eues of escape A large number OF Spanish
officers are lodged in the annex to the
church, which used to be the priests liv-
ing rooms. This building is big and roomy
and surrounds patio filed with beautiful
plants and tropical trees. 1t makes a de-
lfghtful prison, and the Spanish officers
are evidently far more pleased in it than if
they were out in the field being stormcd
on every side by insurgents and working
on no pay and almost no food. All the
prisoners are supplied with rice and fish
as food, and fare practically the same as
the insurgsnt soldiers. When ] went INTO
the officers prison the other day they
showed no resentment. Most of them were
lounging around on cots and in hammocks
smoking cigarettes and cigars, and making
themselves as cool as possible. When we
entered some of the officers whose coats
had been removed Immediately put them
on, despite the amiabIe remonstrances Of
the visitors. Nearly all the spanish officers
orrd cNl J1nr arn fI,r1 1.-l LIT