The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-15
AGUINALDO.
a Close Range Study OF the Filipino
Dictator-A Nan of Great lnteiii.
gcncc, but swcllcd up to m Exng.
.crntcu Importance.

scrntcd Importance.
Joseph L. Stickney in the Chicago
Record: Having been on terms OF
friendly association with General Ag.
uinaido and his stan during the last
half OF May and the whole OF June.
had an opportunity to, get some idea OF
the man who is to-day one OF the most
important individual factors in our deal
lngs with the Fllipinos.
Emilio Aguinaido. now about 70 years
old, Is man OF an intelligence far be-
tjyond that OF the most OF his people. He
comes of 4 good family in the province
OF Cavite. near Manila. where he was
educated and where he entered the bar.
He Joined the insurgents Immediately
after the outbreak OF the rebellion in
the latter part Of 1895, but It was not
until after the execution Of DR.. Rial
that he became one Of the leaders OF
the revolt. The blockade maintained
BY the Spanish squadron IN Philippine
waters against the Importation Of arms
for the insurgents gradually drove the
Filipinos to the wall. and in Deccm-
Der, 1897. the celebrated qualification"
Of the Islands was negotiated, the 60
between being Senior Pedro Palermo,
director of the Manila museum, Fill
ifno, who had remained at least pas
sively loyal to the Spanlards. The Fill
ipino 1unta at this time was composed
OF Emilio. 5Agulnaldo who exercised
such executive powers ascwere possI-
bic to such a;feeble orSaniza ton; Senior
Artacho. home secretary; Senior Monte :.
negro. foreign secretary: Vito .Bilarml-
no, war secretary, and Baldomero Ag-
uinaldo. secretary OF the treasury.
The so-called qualification" consisted
In purchase of the insurgent leaders
for the sum OF sS00.000 (Mexican). equal
to about 100000 Y old. Agulnaldo and
his associates agreed to surrender all
the arms in the possession OF the nat
Ives and to quit the archipelago. re-
manning away at the pleasure of the
Spanish authorities, and to dIsarm all
the insursens forces. Aguinaldo was
10 so to Hong Kong to receive the first
instaiiment OF the Spanish money.
amounting to 100000 (Mexican), and he
was then to cable to Artacho, who sur
rendered himself to the captain'general
us hostage. On receiving AguInaldo's
cable message that the money had been
paid, Artacho was to dissolve the In
surgent Organization. disband the troops
and give up the, arms. This part Of
the programme was carried out In De-
cember. 1897, or the early part Of jan
uary, 1898.
The cash payment was divided among
the tunta. and Aguinaldo started for
Paris. He got no further than Singa-
pore. however. when the destruction of
the Maine in Havana harbor brought on
an acute tension of the relations be-
tween the United States and Spain. and
he remained in Singapore to see wheth-
er the Filipinos might not profit by the
difficulties of Spain. 1t was then that
occurred the negotiations with our
worthy representative. Consul Pratt,
%hich. Aguinaldo now claims, in part
justify his assertion that the United
States made an alliance with him by
which he was to assist in expelling the
spaniards from the Philippines. and in
return the United States was to recog-
nize the independence OF Filipino re-
public. II is. of course. impossible to
tell how big aNfool an American consul
Is capable OF being, but developments
at Singapore and Hong Kong lead to
the belief that the record has recently
been advanced Il long distance. No one
need suppose. however. that Senior Ag-
Eina!do was deceived rs to the author
ltJ OF a mere consul to bind our govern
,nent. He IS altogether too shrewd and
too well read to have any illusions.
though. OF course, now il suits his
game to set up the claim that his return
10 Cavtte was due to the solicitations
and arguments OF our consular repre-
scntativcs.
To show how we'll he has studied the
situation, let me recall a conversation
he had vita General Anderson, who
commanded the first detachment OF our
troops that, landed at Cavite, June 20,
last. II should be remembered that
Aguinaldo had probably never regarded
the United States as anything more
than geographical expression until
within five months preceding this con-
Versation. for no one had ever thought
of the possibility Of our Interference
with The future OF the Philippine arch
!pelaSo.
Aguinal3o at his second and third
meeting with General Anderson. asked
him point blank whether the United
States had any intention of treating
the Philippines as colonies. AS Gen
eral Anderson had no orders and no
authority to reveal the policy Of the
United States, he replied that he could
not answer that question: but, he add
ed, the United States had been nation
Tor more than 10 years without colo
MES. and Aguinaldo could Judge for
himself whether our government would
Try to coionizc "A distant territory at
this late date. That is true" replied
ASuinaldo, and besides have read the
constitution OF The United States very
carefully, and | cannot find in it any
provision for colonies"
AS | said before, no one need imagine
mat Senior -Agulnaldo was under any
hdllucination as to the powers of q con-
SUI 10 pledge the faith of his govern
ment II Is probable that he knew the
duties and limitations of our amateur
diplomats In Singapore and Hong Kong
eTen better than they did.
When It WIS evident that war was
only question OF days. ASuinaldo went
from Singapore 10 Hong Kong, hop
Ing to arriv+'in time to see Admiral
dewey, but he was several days too
late. As there are people who conf
IDENTIFY assert that. Aguinaldo pIoted
Commodore Dewey's flagship into Ma
Mia bay, the night before the battle. It
may be as well to say that neither Ag-
uiAaldo nor, am other Filipino was on
board the Olympia st the time More
over. the only one OF his followers with
me teet was a man whom the commo-
GoFe took along as an Interpreter In case
he should fall in with any Filipino fish
eFmen.Or boatmen from whom he might
want to get Information before enter
Ing Manila bay. n.
Three of these men-TeodOro Sandico,
y. q. Medium, and T. Alcjandrino-
came to the fleet before the commo-
ioFc sailed from Mrs bay. and one of
them VAS taken aboard the storeship
"ailro. AS this vessel was the last YES
Sc! In the line on entering Manila bay.
ne was not In n position to do any
plotting even II he had been capable
Q! such work, which he was not
General Aguinaldo sailed from Hong
Kong for Manila bay In the dispatch
h'ht McCullqch Mayl7 last. He landed
IN Cavlte on the 18th. As accompa-