The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-08-30
ARTHUR ROPES. General Bditor.
AguinaldO and the War In LuzOn.

events, there has been surprise that
Aguinaldo was enlisted at all in the
service of the United States, and fur
ther surprise that having been enlisted
when his purposes were developed,
and became well understood-that he
was not taken into :custody and placed
where he could not become the leader
OF formidable instruction. In this
respect at least the management of af-
fairs at Manila seems to be open to
criticism.
Aguinaldo's history, as it became
known later in this country, ought to
have been, in the beginning, familiar
knowledge to the agents of the United
States in the East. He had been
doubly a traitor. He was rebel
against Spain, and he sold himself and
betrayed the cause of his followers to
Spain for sum of money and retired
to the continent of Asia to enjoy the
fruits of treachery. This was the mans
bbhtub WnCh u COhoul VI bnO ~ hlbOu
States took him up in Singapore, and
became party to an agreement under
which Aguinaldo, violating the con-
tract with Spain under which he had
left Manila with half million dollars
of Spanish gold to his credit at Hong
Kong, was enlisted, or put in the way
of being enlisted, into the service of
the United States in the war with
Spain. A man with such a history
ought to have been regarded by Amer
leans with extreme distrust and treated
with greatest caution. What, it would
seem, might have been foreseen of
such man happened. A traitor to
Spain, traitor to his countrymen in
rebellion against Spain and the recip-
lent of the latter's price of treason, dis
regarding finally the compact with
Spain under which he had departed
from the Philippines and again engag-
ing in war against that power, what
assurance could there have been that
he would not betray the United States
when time and opportunity favored?
When it was clear that he was obey
ing an instinct for treason, which had
been appealed to and stimulated by
Mr.. Hoar and his co-conspirators in
the United States, in an after-view of
the whole matter it appears surprising
that the American representatives on
the spot did not anticipate the event of
February by arresting Aguinado and
knocking out the brains of the rebel
lion-did not do then what it is alleged
the President has recently expressed
wish shall be done, and for which some
10000 Americans will be enlisted-cap-
ture Aguinaldo, believing that in that
event the war will soon be ended.
A measure which might have been of
easy accomplishment in January,
after the original error of employing
Aguinaldo in the war against Spain
and thus affording him every facility
for intrenching himself in the Philip
pines, has since employed the active
attention of the United States, cost
many lives and millions of treasure,
and is yet unaccomplished, thanks to
cunning and slippery leader, but great.
er thanks to the aid and encourage
ment, moral and material, he has had
from seditious citizens of the United
States. 1t is the purpose of the United
States to introduce into the Philippines
the ways of civilization. That is the
great object of the effort to subdue
Aguinaldo, and the incentive without
which the forces of the United States
now on the islands of that archipelago
would be recalled, and no others would
be sent. But for this leading purpose
and high incentive the main prop Of
the rebellion could long ago have been
knocked out and peace restored. How,
and why this means of ending the war
has not been employed, the Brooklyn
Eagle thus sets forth:
Aguinaldo might have been killed or cap
tured long ago had it been deemed best
to give the Filipinos an example in treach-
cry that would have been forever a re-
proach to US, for to our own credit be it
spoken, we have treated the natives with
the respectful consideration due to brave
foeman, whipping him in every encounter,
but never abusing or reviling him or neg
lecting his wounds after he was caught.
There are hundreds Of Filipinos, without a
doubt, who would have assassinsted Aguin-
aldo for hundred dollars, and been glad
to do it, since by that act they would not
only have earned what would appear to
them as prodgious sum of money, but
would have restored peace to their harried
lands and relieved the communities from
the expressions of petty tyrsnt. 1t is bet
ter that secret and underhand means should
not be attempted to gain or maintain pres
tige in the Philippines. Such advances al
are made will be permanent IL they are ad