The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-05-04
BACK TO LUNA
Filipino Representatives Sent to
Manila for Conference
With Otis
Have Returned With the Answer
of the American Com
mander.
Recognition OfTheir Congress De-
MED, But a General Amnesty
Promised.
Generally Believed They VIII Re-
turn With Fresh Proposals
From Luna.

MANILA, May l.-o p. m.-Ihe con-
ference between General Otis and
Colonel Manuel Argueleses and Lieu
tenant Jose Bernal who came from
General Luna under flag of truce to
ask for cessation hostilities, was fruit
less. 1t is understood that the Filipino
commissioners were given the terms
upon which the Americans will consent
to negotiate. The Filipinos admit that
they have been defeated, and it is ex-
pected that they will return with fresh
proposals from General Luna.
The ENJOYS from General Luna were
very Hospitality treated by General Otis,
who provided them with house and
with guard and permitted them to
visit friends here. Returning to the
palace the ENJOYS saw an illustration OF
American resources. A long train Of
wagons and pack mules was just start
ing with provisions for General Lawton,
who has reached Marunco.
Conference Was Long.
The conference at the palace lasted
three hours, Mr.. Jacob G.. Schurman of
the United States commission attend
ing. and Admiral Dewey dropped in for
an hour. The discussion was mostly
between General Otis and Colonel Ar
gueleses, who had been selected for the
mission by General Luna because he
had known General Otis. Colonel Ar
gueleses served on the Filipino commits
sion which met the American authori-
ties before the war in an endeavor to
smooth over the impending trouble.
Mr. Schurman emerged from the
palace between the shock haired, half
savage looking emissaries, and the three
drove unattended to the Office of the
United States Philippine commission,
wnere they talked informally for about
an hour. Manila is divided between
two opinions, the majority believing
that the Filipinos desire peace, while
others think they are sparring for time
in which to rehabilitate their demoral-
lied army. The latter opinion gained
color from the fact that reinforcenents
have been sent to the south, opposite
the American lines.
Colonel Argueleses, who is lawyer,
splendidly illustrated the Malay subtlety
at words. While he declared, with APP
parent frankness, that the Filipino lead
ers wanted chance to give up the
struggle gracefully, through congress,
instead OF surrendering ANONYMOUSLY,
he asked for a fortnight's armistice so
that the congress might be summoned
On May /, he endeavored to commit the
to greater concessions, and
wanted terms guaranteed by treaty.
He was told that recognition of the Fill
ipino government was impossible, and
he was given to understand that writ
ten order of amnesty for all insurgents
was the utmost that could be given.
Colonel Argueleses argued that Spain
had given similar guarantees and broken
them, and he laid much stress on the
Spaniards' honor.
Want to Retire With. Honor.
He persistently declared that the Fill
pinos must be permitted to retire with
honor. In conversation with Mr.. Schur-
man, Colonel Argueleses revived the
question of independence and was re-
ferred to the statement in the commits
sioners' proclamation that the Filipinos
would be given an increasing measure
of self-government, as soon as they
proved themselves worthy of it. Mr..
Schurman warned Argueleses that the
longer war was waged and the more were
killed, the stronger would be the ami
mosities hindering an amicable cooper
alton between the peoples for the pros
perity of the islands.
5 The insurgents have an instruction
on their own hands, the Macabebes,
traditional foes of the Tagals, are rising
in the north, while the burden of thou
sands of hungry and disconnected peo-
pie who fled before the American army
and who are camping behind the Fill
Pine lines, multiplies the troubles of the
Filipino government, the headquarters
of which is now at Isadro, having been
removed northward when Calumpit
fell. s h. re-a-,5