The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-04-29

sions is 1. hook of notices from
eei.*sto< : which disagree
with the princ.r 70, declaration of
independence, and an, Filipinos
as savages. The little. os/ highly
amused over an article scribing
Aguinaldo as having been a sailor in
the Chinese navy, which he quoted as
an illustration OF American ignorance.
But he admitted that the common report
that Aguinaldo began life as house
boy is correct.
Frank Bray is the brains of the junta.
Bray is an Englishman who has spent
most of his life in the far East. He has
a natural oratorical manner and a
sitting flow of language in many
tongues, including the Filipino dialects.
His versatility has fitted him for the diff
fering but allied occupations which are
open to enterprising men from Vladi-
vostock to Port Said.
He says he has visited over Goo of the
islands of the Philippine archipelago
and knows the Malay OF Borneo as well
as the Malay of the Philippines. He is
confident that we will be no more Sue
cessful in overcoming the Filipinos than
the Dutch have been in overcoming the
Achinese.
"There is proverb among the Fill
pinos," he tells me, "that the white man
is fire and the Filipino is water, and
eventually water will put out the fire.
The fever will soon destroy the energy
which the American soldiers bring from
a cooler climate to the tropics. The
Filipinos will take to the mountains,
leaving nothing OF value behind, and live
On rice when the American troops ad-
vance, and when the rainy season has
driven the Americans back they will
return to their valleys. Their houses are
so small and light and easily rebuilt
that they will find it no hardship to burn
them and build them again.
with the money the Americans have
paid them for fresh food the Filipinos
have bought the arms which they now
use against the Americans.
"Who will work your plantations if
you pacify the islands? Not the Filipino,
now that the Malay in him is aroused.
Have the Dutch been able to make the
Achinese work?"
Bray works for salary, and, need
less to say, is not entirely unselfsh in
his devotion to the cause OF Filipino in
dependence. None the less, his argu-
ment shows upon what the Fi1ipinos
base their hopes of success.
The junta has received communica-
tions from Aguina1do since hostilities
began, but refuses to state their nature.
1t has not been able to send him any
arms. The efforts OF Bray and certain
spectators who are known to have been
connected with smuggling operations
before are the subject OF Consul General
Wildman's especial solicitude Nothing
is loaded ON vessel in harbor without
first having been investigated by the de-
tectives, which Wildman has employed
in behalf of the government The Brit
ish authorities are assisting him.
Particular attention is paid to Chinese
cofhns. Not long ago the great number
OF coffins going to Macao attracted no
tice, and they were found to be filled
with Mausers. Macao is Portuguese.
Hongkong people go over there to gam
bic on Sunday. The authorities are care
full not to restrict the enterprise OF
adventurers. Once the junta gets arms
into Macao it will have no trouble to
tranship them. But there are no arms
to sell in Macao itself.
eve have enough arms in Luzon
now," says Bray. "We are not trying
to send any more. Consul Wildman is
having all his pains for nothing. But il
we were trying to there would be no
question about landing them. Dewey's
ships cannot patrol the whole coast line
of Luzon."