Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-04-06
A NAVAL OFFICER ON fILIpINOS.
New York Evening Post. March 9th.

by an OIncer OF ADMIRAL Dewey'S Hpnh
to friend in this city. From them
we take tho following:
Manila, Dec. 8.-Paymaster WILCOX
of the Monadnock has recently returned
from six weeks trip in the interior
of this island, in which he travelled in
different parts Of it, and have had
many talks with him, and have learned
much of the state Of affairs in the in.
terror. What has most impressed ma
is the complete organization of the
natives throughout the island. The
population is said to be 1900, 900 peo.
pie, all Of whom acknowledge the
authority of Aguinaldo except some
savage mountain tribes. This TERRITORY
was won by his soldiers, and today il
ruled by him.
Instead of being country of savages
it is peopled by men who wear the garb
of civilization, who read and write.
who own and work farms and lands,
and who worship God, the Father, and
Jesus Christ, His Son. These people
may not have made much progress in
the ways OF the outside world, yet they
have made some, and are certainly far
ahead in the social scale of our own
Indians. They are having an organized
military and civil government far
reaching in its powers and really salts
factory and successful in its operations.
They have congress with regularly
elected representatives, which at pres
emit controls Luzon, outside of Manila
and Cavite. They have q well-organ-
lied and well-drilled army of many
thousands of soldiers, armed principally
with Mauser rifles, well Differed, and
In complete military control and sub
ordination. There is no division Of
authority, it is all under the one head.
This army has met European soldiers
ON the field, and has invariably van
pushed them, and outside of Manila
and Luzon it is today supreme.
These are not matters of my personal
opinion, but the actual facts as they
exist today, and in them | see possibili-
ties of serious trouble. II it occurs
believe that the fault will be with
America, not from an overt act on our
part, but from lack of appreciation
Of the feelings of these people, who be-
lieve that they have fought for and won
their independence. They thoroughly
appreciate what our navy did in maxi
ing possible their organization, but
they want us to appreciate what thoy
have done on their own account. At
first they were full of kind feeling for
us, and we for them. Now the prevails
ing feeling has changed. On our side
the existing feeling seems to be that
these people do not know what self
government is; that they could not use
it if they had it, and have no right to
it anyway. That they have gone ahead
on their own lines and established their
own government is considered an mex
cusable impertinence, worthy of severe
chastisement. Sometimes one would
think that they had absolutely no
rights OF any kind. / have heard many
officers of both services, and sometimes
have asked such persons if they be-
lieved, il they thought, that these
natives should be allowed to love their
country, and l have actually been told
no.
There is now actually no sympathy
with our people and the native race,
and the latter know it and feel it, and
are intensely disappointed. Every day
hear opinions to the effect that these
people ought to be wiped off the face
of the earth, and have no right to live.
Where | foresee possible trouble is in
the fact that these people have already
had good taste Of victory, and have
great quantities Of arms and ammuni.
tion. and are in complete control of the
country, excepting limited area, and
it is in their power to make trouble for
ANYBODY that they have a mind to.
1t is easy enough to understand the
cause of the aversion that our people
feel toward the native, because near
acquaintance does not conduce to adj
miration. The native is not attractive
in any way.
Iloilo, Jan. "a. They 1.-THE Filipinos,
are thoroughly in earnest in wanting
their own independence, and. | AM
heartily in favor of their having it. In
this respect i have changed, as for
merly was in favor of annexation. 1t
would be an awful job for us to try to
govern these people, and particularly
SO because they wish to govern them
selves. They are 10, 600, 600 strong, and
IT would be mean and thankless
Job II We were to try to govern them
when they had strong objections to the
contrary. do not really SEQ why We
should wish to govern them. If they
should ask us to do so, would think
that it was our national duty to them,
and that we were bound to DO so. If
they do not want us 10, why should We
be DESTROYS OF shouldering such heavy
burden? l honestly believe that these
people are as fit for self government MS
are the people of some OF the so-called
republics of Central and South
America. | suppose that sc will have
TO remain in force hero until wo are
satisfied that they are in some respects
tit, and then ] think that some kind of
an International agreement will he
formed to insure their integrity us u
nation. do not doubt but that what
We want in the shape of coaling.
station, commercial rights, &C., we will
nave as matter of course.
The only possible reasons why We
could want THESE islands is for the COM
mercia benefits to result on the one
hand, and for purposes OF military and
naval strength on the other. We can
nave all this without loading ourselves
down with the government OF these
of people, alien to us in every
sense, and 1000 miles away from the
nearest point of our country. Further
more. they say that they are CRATE full
to America for her assistance in tlriv-
ing the Spaniards out. but at the same
time will fight all America before they
VIII allow their own country to be
blotted out
Strange 0uadruped. .
DIR. +. Moreno, the commissioner of