The San Francisco call., 1899-02-11
Otis Made Demands for the
Release Of the Spanish
Prisoners.
The Filipino Leader Pleaded That
Monks and Civil FunctiOnaries
Should Be Kept in Jail.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

General in view Of the history OF
these monks, and the power which by rea-
son of their gold they are able to exer-
else over certain classes of weak and fa-
natical Filipinos, it is not good public poll
icy that they should be allowed liberty
at this time.
believe the Philippine republic must re-
strain the civil functionaries until such
time as they shall be deported and shall
keep the monks in confinement until they
shall be forced by the Vatican to abstain
from politics in the islands. 1t is neither
hate nor revenge which impels me to
maintain these persons in confinement.
Their imprisonment is dictated by public
policy. My people demand these men be
held prisoners, and I can but obey their
will. If you will present these views and
reasons to the free people of America
know you will earn the love and good will
of the people of the Philippine Islands.
In reply to the demand of Otis for
the delivery of the prisoners Aguinaldo
wrote as follows:
In my previous letter I explained to you
my reasons for holding persons indicated
as prisoners of war You say that accord
ing to the rules of international law men
should not be held as prisoners of war
unless they have actually borne arms in
the service of the enemy. This is my con-
tention. The Spanish civil functionarieS
and monks have borne arms against my
people. My conduct has been conform
able to the principles you lay down. In
addition to actually bearing arms the
civil functionaries and monks have aided
and abetted in every way within their
power the enemies of my people. If you
will read the Spanish newspapers printed
at Manila you will find therein a vertical
ton of what I tell you with regard to
Izs--I
tionaries during the Philippine revolution.
The monks threw away their sacred
robes, violated our women and made
slaves of defenseless Filipinos. They con-
fiscated the property of my people. In
nv treatment of these men I am not
moved by motives of vengeance. It is
notorious fact that these monks served
as officers of volunteers. There was one
volunteer corps recruited altogether from
monks. Converts and monasteries were
transferred into forts and arsenals. Many
arms and much ammunition were taken
from these places by my troops.
7 have followed the principle of interna-
tional law as laid down by Ffore, Mar
tens, Bluntschli and others. These writ
ers hold that any person who goes forth
TO war as part of the force of an enemy
may be held as a prisoner. Encyclopedia
Hispano-Americano says: "All who form
a part of the enemy's force, even includ-
ing newspaper correspondents and troops
of the commissary department, may be
held as prisoners of war
Reprisal is an admitted right by cul-
tured nations. I recall that during the
war for American independence the great
Washington, to avenge the execution Of
an American colonel taken prisoner by
the British ordered the execution of
British colonel held prisoner by the Amer
leans. This order was not carried out,
thanks to the intercession of the Queen
of France.
Even If have no right under the rules
of international law to hold these people
as prisoners certainly have this right
under the rules Of reprisal as l wish to
compel the Spaniards to release the Fill
pinos held as prisoners and to avenge the
horrid tortures inflicted on the Filipinos
who fell into the hands of the enemy. AS
1 said in my previous letter, the rules of
international law must be silent before
the just and righteous cause of a people
engaged in a struggle for independence.
Although the Filipinos have not been rec
ognized by cultured nations, they have
the glory of having obeyed all rules OF
war as practiced by those of high ma
tions.