The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-06-01
THE WILD MANILA BOASTS.
WHAT DON DIVILIO SAID BEFORE
TAKING.
After Taking He had Nothing to Say,
Dewey and His Men had Made Full
Answer.

There have been several versions of
the boastful proclamation of the gov
ernor general of Manila published in
the English and American papers.
The following is the version that was
read to the men on Dewey's fleet just
before the battle opened.
John Z. McCutcheon of the Chica-
go Record. who was on the dispatch
boat McCulloch, thus speaks of the
matter:
Shortly before o'clock Sunday
morning and when every vessel in the
fleet had reported itself in readiness
to move on Cavite, the crews We're
drawn up and the remarkable procla-
nation issued by the governor gener
al of the Philippine Islands, on April
23rd. was read to the men. Every
American sailor went into battle de-
termned to resent the insults con-
tanned in the message, which was as
follows:
"Spaniards! Hostilties have brok-
en- out between Spain and the United
States. The moment has arrived for
us to prove to the world that we pos
sess the spirit to conquer those who.
taken advantage of our misfortune
and abused our Inequalities, using
means which civilized nations count
unworthy and disreputable.
"The North American people, con-
stituted of all the social eXcrescences.
have exhausted our patience and pro-
voked war with their perfdious ma
chinations. with their acts of treache-
ry, with their outrages against laws
of nations and international conven-
tions. The struggle will be short and
decisive, the God of victories will give
us one as brilliant and complete as
the righteousness and justice of our
cause demand. Spain, which counts
on the sympathies of all nations, will
emerge triumphantly from the new
test, humiliating and blasting the adj
venturers from those states that,
without cohesion and without history,
offer to humanity only infamous ira
dition and the ungrateful spectacle
of chambers in which appear united
insolence, cowardice and cynicism. \
squadron manned by foreigners pos
sessing neither instructions nor disci-
pline, is preparing to come to this ar
chipelago with the ruffianly intention
of robbing us of all that means life,
honor and liberty.
"Pretendng to be inspired by
courage of which they are incapable,
the North American seamen UNDER
take as an enterprise capable of reai-
ization the substitution of Protestant
ism for the Catholic religion YOU pro-
TESS, to treat you as tribes refractory
to civilization. to take possession of
your riches as if they were unacquain-
| ted with the rights of property, and
| kidnap those persons whom they con-
slider useful to man their ships or to
be exploited in agricultural or individ-
ual labor. Vain design! Ridiculous
boasting! Your indomitable bravery
Will suffice to Illustrate the attempt to
| carry them into realization. You VIII
not allow the faith you profess to be
made II mockery, impious hands to
| be placed on the temple of the true
God, the images you adore to be
thrown down by unbelef. The ag-
gressors shall not profane the tombs
of your fathers. They shall not graf
ify their lustful passions at the cost
of your wives and daughters honor
or appropriate the property that your
industry has accumulated as a provi.
sion for your old age. No! They shall
not perpetrate the crimes inspired by
their wickedness and covetousness, be.
cause your valor and patriotism will
suffice to punish and abase the people
that, claiming to be civilized and cul.
tlvated have eXterminated the na-
tives of North American instead OF
bringing to them life of civilization
and progress. Men of the Philippines
prepare for the struggle, and united
under the glorious Spanish flag. which
is ever covered with laurels, let us
fight with the conviction that victor,
Will crown our efforts and to the calls
of our enemies let us oppose with the
decision of the Christian and patriot
ic the croy of 'Nive Espana.'
"Iour Governor,
"BASILIO AUGUSTIN DINILJO."