Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-27
A DEWEY Interview
A Dewey Interview The Admiral
Talks About His Men and Ship
But Avoids Politics.
Says, However, That Aguinaldo is
Being Used as Tool by
Others.
Laughs at Idea of Being a Presi-
Dental Candidate Incidents
of His Arrival.

Post prints the following interview
with Admiral Dewey:
They are splendid lot the admir-
al said, speaking of his men, the very
pick, the finest in our navy, and that
means the best in the world. Before
L got to Manila, the archbishop, with
whom / afterward became very inti-
mate, said that the American sailors
We're the scum of the earth, a blood
thirsty lot of cut throats, who would
destroy everything in their path
Later on, when I did get there said
the admiral, With a knowing SMILE "the
archbishop came on board one day
while | had a battalion at drill, the
very same battalion that will parade in
New York. The archbishop went on the
bridge and watched them closely. 1
knew he was admiring them, and j
said to him. Well, what do you think
of our American sailors?'
They are splendid, he said. 4 have
seen the men of5most navies. but never
anything like these. They are magni-
ficent. l can not understand-sueh
splendid young fellows. How does it
happen2
WELL said the admiral, we look
for the best men, we come closer to
Hour men. we treat them better than
other countries do, and we pay them
better'
Then I called man and said to him
How much do you get month"; He
saluted and said, Eighty dollars, sir
The archbishop was astonished. You
know $50 would pay a whole shipboard
of Spaniards. After that the archbish-
OPP had very great respect for us and
became quite friendly. L have a pic
ture of Gen. Luna, which was given to
me by the archbishop.
The admiral then sent an orderly fol
the picture of the Filipino general who
was murdered by order of Aguinaldo
as he said. The picture was that of
d negro in a sort of a military uniform.
on the back was an inscription in
Spanish to the archbishop of Manila
FIR Bernardino Nesalado. 1t was signed
by Luna.
Admiral Dewey then said that Luna
was the best man the F'ilpinos had.
1t was a plot" he said, Ito assassinate
him. A crack swordsman was placed
as sentry and when Luna appeared he
simply stabbed him. But these fellows
all, said the admiral. are queer
| lot. They We're simply servants and
| stablemen, and Aguinaldo was a junior
clerk in the navy yard. He is a pretty
! smart fellow. | know him pretty well
4 In fact We were great friends. and are
/ for the matter of fact, but he has nc
i brains. There are people behind him
Il some of them lawyers and able fell
llows, who make a tool of Aguinaldo
1 Here, by the way, Is a cane which he
i presented to me. and the admiral pro-
aaced a thick black stick carved and
! Resembling Irish bog oak more thar
ANYTHING else.
thought" said the admiral. that
/ this thing in the Philippines would be
over long before this. as it should have
bean | can't imagine how they stoo6
I out until now. OF course, there was this
rainy season, and | suppose llttle was
4 done. One great trouble there has beer
that Cen. Otis has tried to dotoo much
i / told him so. He wants to be general
4 governor. judge and everything else L
have hold of all the irons. No man car
do this. This is the great trouble ii i
4 enough for man to be one thing, bu
when a. man tries to do everything an,
to be everything, - is easy TO imagin
the result.
The fight in the Philippines shout
be easily ended. The people had bee
so badly treated for such a length o
-Itine by tbs. Spaniarls that they ar
distrustflil This is the great difficult
i IN dealing with them. Where we hay
met them and they have been in sue
q contact with us as 10 learn that "
mean to treat them we'll; where the
have seen that we mean what we SAY
there is no trouble. They stand by Ii
all the time. All of them Will learn thi
Yin time They will get from under tn
of Aguinaldo or rather thos
} people who are behind Aguinaldo VIII,
las i said before. is a. mere tool.
] '.Do think the F'ilipinos are fit fl
self-government? Well. no. not jus
now. They probably will be in a littl
, time. They are a very queer people:
very queer mixture. Many of the,
are quite civilized and good peopl
but j do not think that they are fit fo
!. self government Just yet. But when
J say that / must add at the same tin
Z that it is my candid opinion that the
are more fitted for it than the cuban:
. that they are better people than II
Z Cubans in any way. / do wish. how
) eyer. that the whole business was Sc
!. fled. and I think that after a little Ii
Z Filipinos will take kindly to us"
{. IT was suggested to the admiral thu
I,