The herald., 1898-06-12
WHY THE SPANIARDS FEAR
AGUINALDo's ANGER
PROMISES PAID WITH TREAcHE
The Insurgent Chief and His Generals
Will Meyer Again Trust Spanish
Promises-Paying Old Scores
Associated Press Special Wire

VANCOUVER, b. c., June I.-Some very
interesting information was brought by the
Empress of Japan from Hong Kong re-
garding negotiations between the Phllpplhe
| rebel chief and the United States at Singa-
pore. 1t seems that just before the actuai
outbreak of hostilities between SPAN ana
the United States Singapore was the scene
of secret political arrangement py which
General Emilio Aguinaldo Femi' supreme
head of the revolutionary movement IN the
Philippines, entered into direct relations
with Admiral Dewey while that oHicer was
still at Hong Kong.
In order to understand and appreciate TINS
interesting historical incident properly 1t
will be necessary to allude to the causes
leading to this second appearance OF the
rebellion in the Philippines, which was al
most coincident with, though not instigated
by the strained relations between spain
and the United States.
In December last Gen. Primo de Rivera,
who. was over all other Spanish generals,
had intimate knowledge of the country and
its inhabitants, found the position unten-
able for both parties. Neither of these had
| the remotest chance to terminate the re-
belion decisively the rebels being secure In
| their mountain Businesses, the Spaniards
holding ten towns and villages on the
coast Primo de Rivera, therefore, sent
two we'll known Philippine natives occupy
ing high positions in Manila to propose
terms of peace to General Aguinado
A council of the revolutionary party was
held in which they agreed to lay down their
arms on condition Of certain reforms being
| introduced.
Primo de Rivera agreed to these reforms
in substance and made condition that the
principal rebel leaders must leave the coun-
try during his majesty's pleasure. AS these
| leaders had lost all of their property or had
it confiscated and plundered, the govern
ment agreed to provide them with funds to
| live in a becoming manner on foreign SOIL
The rebels laid down their arms and peace
was apparently secured, but no sooner had
they done so and returned to their homes
than the intransigeant religious orders
| commenced at once to again prosecute them
and trump up imaginary charges to pro-
| cure their re-arrest. The Spanish govern
ment, on it's imagining itself secure, de-
sisted from carrying out the promised re-
FORMS thinking another trick like that
| played on the Cubans after the peace ar
| rangement by Martinez Campos might sue
| eed. The Philippines, however, refused to
be made dupes and have taken up arms
again, not alone in the immediate districts
around Manila, but throughout the archi-
pelago. General Aguinaldo, accompanied
| by his aid de camp, Colonel Marcelo H. Del
Pieler, and Private Secretary Leyba, ar
rived incognito from Singapore and
Saigon on the 25th of April, 1898. In Sal
gon, where Aguinaldo had remained for one
week he had interviewed one or two old
Philippine rfiends now residing there. The
special purpose of Aguinaldo's visit to
Singapore was to consult other friends
| there, particularly Howard W. Bray an old
and intimate English friend, for fifteen
years resident in the Philippines, about the
| welfare of the islands, particularly as to
the possibility of war between the United
| States and Spain and whether In the event
of success the United States would eventu-
ally recognize the independence of the Phil
| ippines, providing he lent his cooperation
| to the Americans in the conquest of the
| country. The situation was thus: That the
conditions of the honorable peace conclud-
ed on the 14th of December, 1897, between
Aguinaldo, in behalf of the Philippine reb-
els, and the Governor-General, Primo de
Rivera, on behalf of Spain, had not been
| carried out. although their immediate ex-
ecution should be vouched for in the agree
ment. These reforms could have provided
safety to the people against the organized
oppression and rapacity of religious frater-
mites, and secured improved civil
and criminal procedure in courts and
have made good in many ways the improve
ment in fiscal conditions of the people The
reputation by the Spanish government of
these conditions made by Rivera left the
rebel leaders who had, for the most part,
| tn f,an 20 "a
was in pursuance of that freedom of action
that Aguinaldo again sought counsel of
| friends at Saigon and Singapore, with a
view of immediate resumption of hostili-
ties in the Philippines. Meanwhile Mr..
| Fray was introduced to Spencer Pratt,
sul-General of the United States, who
was anxious, in view of contingencies, to
learn as much as possible about the real
condition of the Philippines. 1t was few
days after this that Aguinaldo arrived at
| Singapore, when he at once met his friends,
| including Bray.
Affairs were now becoming more warlike.
Bray, after conversation with Pratt,
| eventually arranged for an interview be-
| tween that gentleman and Aguinaldo
There were present General Emilio Agun-
aldo Femi, E. Spencer Pratt, Consul
| General of the United States OF America:
Howard W. Bray, Aguinaldo's private Sec
retary; ]. Leyba, Colonel M. H. Del Filar
and Mariselno Santos.
During the conference, during which
Bray acted as interpreter, Aguinaldo ex-
planned to the American Consul General
Pratt, incidents and objects of the late re-
bellion and described the present disturbed
state of the country. Aguinaldo then pro-
ceeded to detail the nature of the co-opera-
ton he could give, in which he, in the event
of the American forces from the squadron
landing and taking possession of Manila
| would guarantee to maintain order and
discipline among the native troops and in
habitants in the same humane way in
which he had hitherto conducted the war