The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-21
1T is THE SAME OLD STORY.
INSURGENTS WANT AN ARMIsTICE
WHICH is REFUSED.


Surrender or Fight-KObbe's Ex-
peditiOn Up the Rio Grande-Reb-
els Driven Out of San Luis-Gun-
boats Cleared the Brush-Native
Leaders Have DeceiYed Their
Men-NebraslSans to Have Rest.
Manila, May 2O.-Gen. Gregorio del Pillar,
commander of the insurgent forces in front
OF Gen Lawtons division; Lieut.. Col AL
berto Barretto, judge advocate; Maj. Zal-
cita of Aguinaldo's staff, and Senior Gra-
ciognzaga, former member of the Fill
pino cabinet, the commissioners appointed
to cooperate with Senors Florentino Tor
res, Pablo Campo and Theodore Yanco of
Manila for the purpose of negotiating
terms of peace with the American com
missioners, reached Manila by special
train from Malolos, at SIS O'Clock this
morning.
| The party was met by Lieut. Col. Barry,
adjutant general, and conducted from the
train to the launch Captain, and taken to
the palace, at Galaoanan, and after break
fast were driven through the city to the
| Ayuntamiente.
1t Was Not Satisfactory.
| The party was closeted with Gen. Otis
for more than an hour; but the inter-
view was decidedly unsatisfactory, the
commission having nothing definite 90 pro-
pose and being unempowered TO negotiate
terms
The commissioners brought a communi-
cation direct from Aguinaldo, asking for
an armisdce pending the decision of the
Filipino Congress as to what policy should
be adopted. AS before, Gen. Otis refused
to entertain the proposition.
The commissioners, after leaving the city
hall, accepted an invitation to visit the
| Oregon and theother vessels of the Amer
! lean fleet in the bay, and they were also
| granted permission 20 see their families
before returning.
Will Let Up Temporarily.
While Maj Gen. Otis has declined TO
recognize the rebels to the extent of
| agreeing to an armistice. he has notified
| the American 7unI, lnders to abstain
| temporarily II aggressive action. Thus
| he is in a position to resume hos stilities at
| any time.
| This will defeat any subterfuge to gain
| time, which would not be the case if the
| general had agreed to an armistice.t
! The Filipinos are so deceptive that peo-
| pie hate TO credit with good faith their
| latest overtures. But more attention is
| now paid to them than was paid to their
| previous advances.
| The Filipino commission is acting under
| instructions from Aguinaldo and the Con-
| gress, but ii is possible if peace is ar
ranged, Gems. Luna Pho del Pillar and
their followers will continue a guerilla
| warfare
Situation at HOiIo.
AT Iloilo an attack on the Americans was
| recently expected. The Filipino leader
| boasted that he had two thousand rihemen
| and ten thousand bolo men and had the
| impudence to send an ultimatum to the
American commander, ordering him to
| leave the island. AS a result many of the
| natives left the town and for several days
| the outposts were doubled. In addition, the
Yorktown and the Irish anchored in posi-
| tions commanding the mouth of the lara
river, where the attack was expected to
| take place, but 1t failed to materaize
Cable communication between Iloilo and
Bacalor, which has been interrupted, has
been resumed
Kobbe's Expedition.
Col Kobbe's expedition up the Rio
Grande met with no resistance except at
hundred Filiplnos were entrenched on the
banks of the stream,
The rebels retreated beyond Candaba
and the gunboats steamed ahead, all the
way training their Gatling guns upon the
banks and firing wherever uniforms ap-
peared on the shore. The gunboats dis
persed the insurgents before San Luis.
After they had passed, sharpshooters
from trees across the river, 100 yards dis
tant harassed the Seventeenth Infantry,
which was marching by fours along the
narrow wooded road, from which the
troops were unable to see the enemy. The
members of one battalion lay on their
faces in the road for quarter of an hour
trying to locate the rifemen and return
their fire. Two Americans were wounded.
All Had white Flags.
The road wound close to the stream
and was thickly settled. 1t was a pic
turesque march, Many groups of hun
dreds of natives were clustered under the
trees on the opposite bank displaying
white shirts, towels, sheets or anything
white on poles. Some shouted welcomes
to the American soldiers, but most of
them maintained sullen silence.
An old man in a carriage met the troops
two miles outside of town. He said: II
have lived in England and l have told the
people that the Americans are like the
English and that they need not be
afraid
Capt. Grant, in command of the gun
boats, landed before the troops arrived
| and met with a Porto Rican" welcome.
The natives who assembled on the shore,
crowded about the Americans with full
some expressions Of friendship, appar-
emily half afraid that they would be mas
sacred.
Capt. Grant quickly distributed the men
from the gunboat Laguna de Bay to guard
the town; and the natives sent a messen-
ger 10 tell the people who had taken refuge
IN the swamps to return. Hundreds of
the natives thereupon returned timidly
a man with an improvised flag of truce
flying from bamboo pole preceding each
party.
Leaders Have Deceived Them.
Capuchin priest, one of the few whom
the Filipinos had not imprisoned was
found at Candaba. He said it was useless
to try to convince the natives that the
Americans had not come to oppress them.
as they believed their leaders, who had