Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-09-29
HE SUPPORTS AGUINALDO
Prominent Philippines Gives Inter,
eStlns Views.
Thinks Insurgents Should be Recognized BY
Peace Commission = Reviews Work
They Have Done.

A prominent and educated
Philippine gentlemen gives his
views on the Philippine situation
to the Singapore Free Press:
He finds it impossible to believe
that there is any precedent for
such a course of action as to sub
NIT the matter of the destiny of
the Philippines to joint commits
sion, composed Of the victorious
Americans and the defeated
Spanish, without taking into
direct account in any effort at a
settlement, the substantial posi-
ton achieved by the Independent
and successful Philippine insur-
rectionary movement under GEN
eral Aguinaldo. Under the cir
cumstances it is considered as as
tonishing that there appears to be
at present no idea of admitting
Philippine representatives to such
a commission with full powers of
negotiation. Neither does such
proposal appear to take into &C.
count the pertinent fact that
outside the walls of the old city
of Manila and outside of the Am
ericsn lines at Cavite, there is an
administration actually at work
under the direction of a Provi-
sional Republican Government
proclaimed and established by
Aguinaldo, with the full concur
renee of all the revolutionary
chiefs. As to the nature of Agui-
naldo's dealings with the prison
ers captured in one fight or sur :
rendered to his care they have
been marked by humanity apd by
an entire absence of anything like
the policy of Wholesale reprisal on
prisoners so uniformly practised
by the Spsnisrds on Philippine
prisoners. He then states that it
is difficult to understand why Am
erica, the champion of humanita-
rian principles, should propose to
submit the future of a nation to
discussion with representatives of
nation that can never be any
thing else than hostile to the
Philippine population,
He point out that the sympathy
and harmonious cooperation exist
ing between Admiral Dewey and
General Aguinaldo is clearly
based upon the assumption, which
may have been put on record, that
the incidents of the war in the
Philippines, recently entirely car
ried on by the Philippine troops
in the provinces and the environs
of Manila, implied a complete and
final election of the authority of
Spain from the Philippines. What
the Philippines themselves very
plainly desire is internal self
& vernment, and the placing of
their foreign relations under an
American or an Anglo-American
protectorate, the former perhaps
the simpler at this moment.
He fears that the decision of
such commission, in which, at
any sacrifice, the Spanish dele
gates would struggle for the main.
tenance of Spanish authority, how
ever nominal, would be quite
nugatory in securing either last.
ing peace or the real Liberties of
the people. He apprehends that
such a commission would be al
most certain to ignore, or make
light of, the motives that caused
the actual revolution, the character
of the natives, the various coudi =
tons that have produced the pre-
sent crisis. The almost necessary
outcome of q commission 80 con-
stituted would be a form of Gov
eminent entirely contrary to the
popular aspirations of the Philip
pinos and completely opposed to
what, from the beginning of the
movement, they had indicated to
their leaders. ... 49,. gs
The writer urges the superior
Importance of the Philippines
over Cuba on the score of populs-
ton, and says America should
not forget how the provinces and
villages taken by the revolutiona-
ry forces are controlled in so pro-
per and 80 peaceful manner by
the natives themselves, thus prov
ing that they are capable of gov
erning themselves by their right
conduct and energy, and showing