The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-01-12
.ULEAR OF FILIPINOS.
Day Specifically Ordered No
Negotiations.
CONsULs RECEIVED STRICT ORDERS
when They Sent Word of Conferences
with AguinaIdo and AgoncIllo They
wero Told to Avoid Committing the
u. 5. Government to Any Terms.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.-Along with
the peace treaty, which had been al.
ready submitted to the senate and
which was made public, there was
given a lot of correspondence, etc., in.
Guiding that which passed between the
department. of state and the United
States consuls at Manila, Hongkong
and Singapore relative to the Philip.
pines. Among other matter given out
Consul Wildman. at Hongkong. on
Nov. 3, telegraphed that General Agon.
clio was coming to Washington. He
said: "He has power TO make treaties
with foreign governments and has pro-
posed an offensive and defensive alli-
ance with the United States"
Agoncillo asked for arms to aid the
rebellion. Acting Secretary Cridler,
Dec. lS, replied, telling Wildman to ad.
wise Agon clio that the United States
does not negotiate treaties and 1t is not
possible to forward arms. "You should
not encourage any tendency on the part
of Agoncillo to communicate with the
department.
A long letter of date July IS, from
| Consul Wildman, defended Agoncillo
as q man who had been systematically
blackened. Said he in part:
"According TO his own statement he
has been approached by Spain and Ger.
many and has tempting offers from the
| Catholic church."
April 2S, Consul Pratt telegraphed
| from Singapore: "Aguinaldo gone, my
instance, Hongkong, arrange with
| Dewey co operation insurgents Manila.
June 20, Secretary Day telegraphed
| Pratt, among other things: "Ayoid
any negotiations with Philippine in.
surgents."
Pratt replied that he had no inten.
tions of negotiating. Said he: Left
that Dewey, who desires Aguinaldo
come"
Secretary Day again ad1nonished
| Pratt to be cautious to create no i'm.
preston that might embarrass the gov.
| ernment and lead TO misunderstanding
in its future action.
| July ., Pratt reported to the depart
ment that the sultan OF the Sulu islands
was negotiating at Singapore for the
annexation of his group to British
Borneo, which he said should be
watched.
All of the statements made by Gen.
eral Merritt before the American com.
mission at Paris appeared in the docu.
ment In substance, he said the insur.
gent would fight if the attempt was
made to surrender Luzon to Spain.
Spain could not produce the islands un.
aided. Asked whether the insurgents
were capable of self-goyernment, he re.
| piled that 1t would take time; they
would have to be educated up to it.
Senator Frye asked if the natives
would enlist under the American flag
and if Aguinaldo could be given com.
mand He replied IN the affirmative to
both questions. Further he said that
Major Bells report showed the insur.
gents had 80, 800 stand of arms. Aguin.
aldo had $500, 900 in bank in Hongkong
and $220,0 of public funds in Bacoor.
Major Bell expressed the opinion that
| If the United States should govern the
have no army left.
| produced. He said there were l3, 200
Spanish prisoners in the Philippines,
including 400 officers, with $4,000 arms
and 81, 100000 rounds of ammunition.
He described Agulnaldo's character and
said much tact would be required in
dealing with Aguinaldo. In his opinion
that chieftain did not command the sup.
port of large body Of Filipinos. Then
it must be remembered that the insur-
gents were all Tagalos, only one of the
80 races in the Philippines. At the
time he spoke none of the 2, 600, 600 vi
sayas, a people of equal abilities, had
taken any part. He was asked what
chance there would be for native gov
ernment, to which he replied: "No
native government can maintain itself
without the active support of a strong
foreign government. 1t is difficult to
see how any foreign government can
| give this protection without taking
such an active part in the management
of affairs as is practically equivalent to
its own name"
| There was vast amount of other
matter.