Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-09-29
GOVERNMENT OF PHILIPPINES
The Mission of Felipe Angon-
clio to Washington.
Is THE EMISSARY OF AGUINALDO
Interviewed by a ChicagoNews-
paperman. ~
When He Reaches tho National Capital, no
Wiii Lay Before President Mckinley the
Appeal OF the Fiiip,nos for Representatives
on the Peace Commission.
Every Evening, sop,em bsr esih.

Onlcago, ILL.,, sept. 70. The I'ri-
bune's staff correspondent on board the
Overland limited telegraphs from Car
roll, H., that Felipe Angoncillo, the
hrst accredited emissary Of Aguinaldo's
revolutionary government to any for
cign Power. with his secretary and i'm
terpreter, will, upon reaching Chicago,
Pennsylvania line, to lay before Prssi-
dent Mckinley the appeal Of tho Fill.
pinos for representation on the Peace
Commission at Paris. If official repre-
sanitation on the commission cannot be
granted, he will urge that the Admin
tstration at Washington, in Justice to
the people Of the Philippines, should
secure for him the right to be heard
by the commission, in order that any
unjust charges or false accusations
against the Filipinos, which the Span
ish members OF the commission may
set forth, shall not go unanswered.
: Following is Anogncillo's formal
statement to the American people of
his. mission and the grounds on which
he bases his appeal:. ~
1T is necessary to grant to the Phil
ippine people official representation in
the course OF discussion Of the Span
ish-American commission In Paris, or
that the provisional government or it's
official representative be heard before
this Spanish-American commission
shall reach any decision regarding the
Philippines.
ut is Justice that the Filipinos
should not, be defended, for 1t might
happen that the representatives of
Spain would mako formidable charges
against the Filipinos and, in lack of
representation from the Filipinos,
these charges might be credited.
Therefore, it is inadmissable under the
most rudimentary beginnings of nat
Z ural or written law and sound reason
that the Filipinos should be without a
hearing eg
OF conditions in the Philippine
Islands, and the hopes and wishes of
the Filipinos, this is what Angoncillo
says; VI,
'sIf the outcome OF the peace negotia-
tions shall be that this government is
given control Of the islands, / have not
the slightest doubt that, il left alone
by foreign Powers, the islands would
be well and orderly governed. A.
when ! left Hongkong, there were
in assembling $50 representatives from
all the provinces of the Luzon and from
the several islands, and 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 confidence in their gov
eminent.
'.As to the power Of the Filipino
government to control the islands and
maintain order, provided the Spanish
forces are withdrawn, have no mis-
givings There are 10000 armed men
in its army. Some Of the arms came
from captured Spaniards, and some
from foreign countries. l am not at
liberty to say where. No, they. did not
come from Germany, and the state
ments that have. been made that the
Filipinos are secretly conniving with
the Germans are false and unjust. IL
is true that a few days after the de-
struction Of the Spanish fleet in Manila
Bay 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 Adj
miral Dewey, the insurgents were in
honor bound to refuse the offer.r
Angoncillo was asked what would
be the attitude OF the Filipinos and
the provisional government if the out
come 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 disposition of the
islands, ] cannot state, The question
would go before the Assembly, and
Aguinaldo's attitude must, under the
Constitution, be determined by action
OF that body. The form of the pro-
visional government is thoroughly re-
publican. But will say that the feel
ing Of the people OF the Philippines
with regard to the question would de:
pend largely upon what form Of gov
eminent the Americans would propose.
II IL meant simply control OF the is
lands by the United States, the gov
eminent of this country assuming the
responsibility of maintaining good or
der and controlling the revenues of the
islands, l do not think the feeling
against such move would be strong,
though the Filipinos are anxious tc
govern themselves; but IL it should be
planned that the United States take
the islands for the purpose Of COLOMBIA.
tion, which might eventually crowd oui
the native population, there would. in
my opinion, be greater difficulty in
bringing the people Of the islands ,tc
submission, iS
nOur appeal to the United States Ii
for aid in securing what we most desire
and what we believe to be for the best
interests Of the islands. 1t is not made
for the purpose TO place into the hands
Of any other nations; and if the Fill.
pinos are not to govern themselves
there is no nation they would more
wish to be governed by than the United
States. AS to the possibility of main
tanning an orderly and harmonious gov,
eminent among the people of the
islands, IL it is left to them, many OPP
posing arguments have been urged,
which are in large part groundless.
Angoncillo and his secretary are
travelling with Major General Greene
and his aides, Capt. w. G. Bates and
Lieut.. Schuyler Schieffelin. Major.
General Greene goes to Washington to
give the administration his views on
the same questions concerning which
Angoncillo will make representations
to President Mckinley. He, therefore,
felt bound by the etiquette of his posi-
tion to refrain from making any state
ment with regard to his view of the
possibility of the Filipinos establish
ing q stable government. 1t was APP
parent from what he said, however,
that he does not share Angoncillo's
belief that the provisional government
would have plain sailing il left tc
govern the islands single handed.
~