The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-11-03
PHILIPPINES REPORT.
Commission Submits Prelimi-
nary Statement to President.

Commission Submits Prelimi-
nary Statement to President,
SUMMARY OF ITS FINDINGS.
Events Leading Up to the Insurrection.
Memorandum by Admiral Dewey E..
planning His Relations With Aguinaldo.
, Fflipinos Not Promised self-Government
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3.-In accordance
with the conclusion reached at the con-
ference at the white house Wednesday.
tne fMllppine commission yesterday
submitted to the president the prelim-
mary report which it had promised to
prepare.
Ihe report appears to be q compact
summary of conditions on the islands as
the commission left them; of the histor-
acal events which preceded the Spanish
war and led to the original Filipino in
surrection; of the exchanges between
Admiral Dewey and the other American
commanders and the insurgents; the
breaking out of the insurrection, and
finally, statement of the capacity of
the Fiipinos for self government. A
notable feature of the report is memor-
andum by Admiral Dewey explanatory
OF his relations with Aguinaldo.
Thereport tells how General Augustin
came to Manila as governor general at
this juncture, and then war broke out
with the United States. Augustin
sought the support of the Filipinos to
defend Spain against America, promis-
Ing them autonomy, but the Filipinos
did not trust him. Then came the 1st
OF May and the destruction of the Span
ish fleet by Dewey, with the resulting
loss OF prestige to Spain. Then in June
Aguinaldo came. On this point the
commission says:
''Ihe following memorandum on this
subject has been furnished the commits
sion by Admiral Dewey:
memorandum of Relations with Aguinaldo
ION April "a, 1898, the following
cipher dispatch was received at Hong
Kong from E. Spencer Pratt, United
States consul general at Singapore:
"sAguinaldo, insurgent leader, here.
Will come to Hong Kong to arrange
with commodore for general co-opera-
tion of insurgents at Manila, if desired.
Telegraph
"On the same day Commodore Dewey
telegraphed Mr.. Pratt, Tell Aguinaldo
to come as soon as possible the ne
cessity for haste being due to the fact
that the squadron had been notified by
the Hong Kong government to leave
those waters the following day.
''The squadron left on the 25th and
Mrs bay on the S7th. Aguinaldo did
not leave Singapore until the Goth, and
SO did not arrive in Hong Kong in time
to have conference with the admiral.
SIT had been reported to the commo-
dore as early as March by the United
States consul at Mania and others that
the Filipinos had broken out into insur-
rection against the Spanish authority in
the vicinity of Manila and on March 80
Mr.. Williams had telegraphed: Five
thousand rebels armed in camp near
city. Loyal to us in case of war;
"Upon the arrival of the squadron at
Manila it was found that there was no
insurrection to speak of and it was ac-
cordingly decided to allow Aguinaldo to
come to Cavite on board The McCulloch.
He arrived with 13 of his staff on May
% and Immediately came on board the
Olympia to call on the commander-in-
chief, after which he was allowed to
land at Cavite and organize an army.
This was done with the purpose of
strengthening the United States forces
and weakening those Of the enemy. No
alliance of any kind was entered into
with Aguinaldo, nor was any promise of
independence made to him then or at
any other time"
The chapter devoted to "capacity for
e1f-government," is the result, the re-
port states. of diligent inquiry. The
report shows that their inability for
self government is due to the old Span
ish regime, which gave the Filipino lit.
tie or no part in governing themselves.
The commissioners dismiss the re.
ports of the desecration of churches.
the numbering Of prisoners and the
committing of unmentionable crimes,
and say they are glad to express the be-
lief that a war was never more hu-
namely conducted, saying: eff churches
were occupied it was only as military
necessity, and frequently after their use
as forts, after the insurgents had made
it necessary to train our artillery on
them"
The commission gives general view
of the value of the islands, their rich
ness in agricultural and forest produc-
tions, their mineral wealth, and COM
manding geographical position. They
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