The Advocate and news., 1899-02-01
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"It seems very strange to me, espe-
clally after reading something Of the
history Of your people, that the United
States should desire to hold sway over
an unwilling people, in land where its
flag is unknown, and where It's represen-
tatives are looked upon as foreigners.
It is very we'll to say, We can govern
you much better than you can govern
yourselves But this / am forced to
deny. The best system OF government
in the world will fail utterly II forced
upon q country against It's consent. The
Wisest laws and fairest DEGREES under
such circumstances will be looked upon
with dlstrust and hate. am Filipino;
/ understand their prejudiCes, their pos
sibllities, their limitations, their virtues
and their taints, their strength and their
weakness.
General Agulnaldo and his cabinet
are in touch with and have the absolute
confidence Of the millions Of the Fill
pinos whom they represent. 1t Is quite
true that we cannot claim for ourselves
that superior ability at self-government
which comes through long experience;
but, for the reasons enumerated, we are
confident that we will not make OF 1t a
dire failure. Nothing Is more essential
to successful government than the con-
fidenCe and willing support Of the peo-
pie who are to be governed. This, we,
General Aguinaldo and his advisers,
have, and 1t Is an essential which the
United States can never possess II your
administration forces upon us military
rule, and denies to us the boon for which
we have so long fought-independence.
That independence we want, as do the
Cubans It will not answer to say that
It is good for the United States, but is
not good for us, because we cannot dis
cover sound logic In that kind Of argu-
ment
"To Admiral Dewey and the American
forces who gave us such signal encour-
agement and assistance, we are deeply
grateful; and In appreciation of the SER
vices rendered we would gladly accord to
the United States every possible politt-
cal, social and commercial privilege. The
monopoly of the business Of the Philip
pines might easily have belonged to the
United States, the confidence and ulti-
mate control Of our people might, in the
beginning, have been easily won; but
your military forces, acting, l presume,
under instructions from higher authOri-
ties In Washington, went to work In q
very unwlse and undiplOmatlc way. We,
the insurgents, were never considered or
called into consultation. We were sys-
tematically ignored and pushed one side.
Your administration from first to last
has never been frank and open with us.
And considering the fact that our forces
invest the entire Philippine group; that
we had Manila, the capital, so COM
pletely surrounded that, when the Span
ish commander was notified by Admiral
Dewey to remove nOn-combatants to
place of safety, he was compelled to re-
ply that there was no such place, as
Manila was completely hemmed In by
the insurgents; that we have been VIC
torious in nearly every engagement with
the Spanish forces; that we to-day hold
over $4,000 Spanish prisoners, 1000 Of
whom are soldiers captured In arms, in
eluding two generals and 400 officers Of
the regular army, 1t seems to me that |
any fair-minded man would be willing
to admit that we, the FilipinOs, are en-
titled to a little political consideration.
am very 10th to stir up dissension, or
to indulge in recriminations against
people with whom we desire to be on |
the most friendly terms; but some Of |
your officials have simply lied to and
deceived us. But that does not matter. |
The question at issue is, Shall we be
permitted to govern ourselves under the
friendly direction of the United States, |
to be independent under the protection
OF the great naval arm Of your country |
In the Pacific in exchange for the vast !
military and commercial privileges OF |
which we are more than willing to ex-
tend a monopoly; or do you propose, by
force Of arms, to compel us to yield our