The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-11-03
REPORT is FILED,
Philippine Commits
sioners Tell Story
of the Islands.
AGUINALDO NEVER RECOGNIZED.
Never at Any Time Could
Mckinley Withdraw
Troops.
AGUINALDO NEVER RECOGNIZED.

Washington, Nov 2.-The Philippine
commission today submitted a prelimi-
nary report to President Mckinley. The
report is summary of conditions on
the islands as the commission left
them of the historical events which
preceded the Spanish war and led to
the original Filipino Instruction; of
the exchanges between Admiral Dewey
and the other American commissioners
and the insurgents; the breaking out Of
the progress of the present insurrec-
ton.
Accompanying the report is a memo
randum by Admiral Dewey explaining
his relations with Aguinaldo.
The commission tells briefly how it
conducted the task entrusted to it,
hearing statements from all classes Of
people as to the capabilities of the Fill
pinos for self-government, the habits
and customs of the people, and also the
! establishment of municipal govern
ments in many towns.
SPANISH BRIDES.
The war was terminated by the
! Spaniards making concessions and
/ A&ulndiQO OJner
! Filipino leaders who left the islands
! The Spar 1 promises were not kept,
! however. ABUSES began afresh and spo-
radio risings occurred, though they pos
| sessed nothing like the strength of the
! original movement. The report tell7
of Dewey's victory in Manila, and of
the return of Aguinaldo from Hong
| Kong in June.
Admiral Dewey's memorandum then
fn1
! of any kind was entered into with
Aguinaldo, nor was any promise of in
dependence made to him, then or at
| any other time. The report tells how
the Filipinos attacked the Spanish and
| how Gen. Anderson arrived and Aguin-
aldo at his request moved from Cavite
to Bacoor.
IDEA OF INDEPENDENCE
! Says the commission: Now for the
! first time arose the idea of national in
! dependence. Aguinaldo issued a proc
lamation in which he took the respon-
sibility of promising it to his people.
although he admitted in private con-
versation with his cabinet that neither
Admiral Dewey nor any other Ameri-
can had made him any such promise .
The report states that Aguinaldo
! wished to attack the Americans when
they land1d at Paranaque, but was de-
| TERED bytlack of arms and ammuni-
ton. From that point on. there was
] growing friction between the Filipinos
and the American troops
There were no conferences" says
the report, between the officers of the
| Filipinos and our officers with a view
| to operating against the Spaniards. nor
! was there cooperation of any kind.
There never were any precon-
certed operations or any combined
movements by the United States and
Filipinos against the Spaniards."
AGUINALDo WANTED LOOT.
Reference is made to Aguinaldo's de-
mand that he be allowed to loot Manila
and take the arms of the SDaniards
The latter demand is said to confirm
the statement that he intended to get
possession of the arms to attack the
Americans. Further evidences of the
hostilities of the Filipinos are given. 1t
is shown that considerable element in
the Filipino congress wished to address
to President Mckinley a request not
to abandon the Philippines and to ask
his desire as to the form of government
he wished to establish. But Aguinaldo
was prepared for war
An effort made by Gen. Merritt to
arrive at a mutual understanding with
Aguinaldo as to the intentions, purposes
and desires of the Filipino people, was
unsuccessful.
FILIPINO OUTBREAK.
This brings the story up to the out
break on February 4th last, and the
attack upon the American troops by the
Filipinos. The report declares that af-
ter the making of the treaty of peace
at Paris, Aguinaldo's determination to
attack the Americans was strength
ened.
He excited everybody by claiming in
dependence, and it is doubtful whether
he had the power to control his army
when hostilities broke out The report
asserts that the war was unavoidable
by us, and that there is no course open
to US now, except the prosecution of
the war until the insurgents are re-
duced to submission. The commission
thinks that there has been no time
since the destruction of the Spanish
squadron by Admiral Dewey, when it
was possible to withdraw our forces
from the island either with honor to
ourselves or safety to the inhabitants.
REIGN OF ANARCHY.
The commission then takes UP the
conditions of the country at the time
of its arrival, comparing it with condi-
tons existing at the time it left. A
vivid picture is given of the anarchy
existing among the inhabitants, in and
about Manila, during the early spring.
Incendiary fires occurred daily. Half
the natives had fed. Business was at
a standstill. A reign of terror pre-
vailed
The report speaks of the issuance of
the commissions proclamation and the
good effect it had on public sentiment.
AS showing the limited scope of the re-
bellion, the commission states that the
strong anti-American feeling was con-
fined to Tagalag provinces, whose pop
ulation was estimated at 1,500 900, many
of whom were opposed to the war. |
Throughout the archipelago at large
there was trouble at those points, to
which the Tagalog had sent incendiary
circulars.
OFFICERS CORRUPT.
Many of the insurgent officers were
accommodating wealth Insurgent ad-
ministration throughout the interior
was worse than in the days Of Spanish
misrule, in many provinces there was
absolute anarchy. and from all sides