Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-01
AMERICANS AND FILIPIN0S.
DR.. Seaman s. knapp's Patriotic Re-
ply to Senator HOar.

/ From the Christian Advocate
My attention has been called to the letter
of Senator Hoar in your issue of April o.
1t is due the American people that the facts
| should be correctly stated. whether they
favor the retention of the Philippines or the
reverse, and it is not in harmony with the
spirit Of our race to allow great questions
to he settled by arrogant assertion from
any source. however exalted. Allow me
to state the case of the United States
against the Aguinaldo government, as 1
understand it, from some personal knowl-
edge of conditions in the Philippines.
!. The assumption that We are trying to
| impose a government on the Filiplnos with
out their consent cannot be maintained in
! the light Of the following facts, perfectly
authentic and easily proved: (a) Aguinaldo
and his voluntary following represented at
the commencement of hoSulites less than
one-teptn of the territory Of the Philippine
Islands. ald never had even nominal con-
troll over more than two-sevenths. The
people CT the other nire-tenths OF the terri
tory were opposed to him and his ambitious
schemes tbl Over 90 per cent of the prop
erty interests in the one-tenIh of territory
within the provinces OF his Tagalog sup
porters were opposed to him and mis- plan
! of government. They had faith in his
sincerity.
:. AgGinaido was fugitive in Asia, and
Sanize a following he signed a written
agreement with the officials of the United
States government, consisting of four ar
ticles, two OF which l recall: ta) That he
would, in all material respects, be obedient
to the autI2rilieS Of the United States in
the Philippines. Oh In case the United
States elected TO hold the Philippines, that
| he would do all in his power to bring the
natives into harmony with this plan. This
was stated to me by a responsible official
who was present when this agreement was
signed.
j. Arms and ammunition were furnished
him under the terms of this agreement
4. With American arms and support il
was easy for Aguinaldo and his followers
to overawe people without any weapons for
defense.
5. Early in his career the so-called Ag1,i-
naluo government made sweeping confis-
cations of personal and real property,
eXamiSed maps and plats of 1875. GEO acres
OF improved real estate in provinces ad-
jacent to Manila which had been contis-
Gated by him, and this was but a small
portion of the real estate thus seized In
addition to wholesale confiscation foreign
owners were not allowed to visit their es-
tates in the country without paving heavy
tribute for the privilege
q. The heightened declarations for a free
government by Aguinaldo have been MAIN
ly formulated to influence American pub
lie opinion. In reality his government has
been extremely despotic and tyrapnical as
evidenced by the summary beheadins OF
General Legarda, his secretary of the
treasury, for advising against prolonging
the contest with the United States, and by
his disregard Of property rights.
Z. From the first there has been no effert
or apparent desire upon the part of the
Agunaldo government to make amicable
adjustment with the United States The
insurgents believed they could easily defeat
the American forces, at least they openly