The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-10-03


On hearin. Ne alarm which was gsven 4
at Haya, ii The said district. and the out
cries Of tn people and the sound Of our
bugles, which we're clearly heard there.
7 Immediately ordered the men who had
gathered, twenty men in the district Of
Mamanti, to hold themselves ready 50
that when the designated hour arrived
they would be ready to 60 to Meistc
where the American barracks are, and set
on fire the houses about there In order to
Interfere with their coming out from the
barracks, as was agreed upon in the
meeting with D. Rosendo Limon. The
result was that on marching to the scene
of operations we found the Calzada Of
Azearraga was filled with Americans. and
with them were number of country
people, who cried out, Brothers, to the
strife, for now Is the hour This is what
the mem were saying to that crowd. and
at the proper time they sounded the call
Of our army, Advance and fire.
These details which have thus given
you show the treacherous and barbarous
character Of the leading Filipino insur-
gents.
I have thus aimed, in this brief but au-
thentic narrative of Aguinaldo and his
instruction, to show you the inception
and nature Of the Tagal rebellion in Luz
zon, and the character and purposes Of
Aguinaldo and his military chiefs.
1t is evident that lust of power and
self-aggrandizeme rather than
the real freedom of the FillpinOs,
has been the aim and purpose of
AxuinaldO and his chiefs from the
beginning till the present time.
The instruction which he and they
started in 1896 they abandoned for g
price in December, 1897. When war came
on with Spain and Dewey was about to
start for Manila, they saw an opening
and easy way to start another insurrec-
ton. To Dewey they professed desire
to aid him in expelling the Spaniards-
their hereditary tyrants and oppressors.
Among themselves they planned.
through the aid of Dewey and his
forces, to enter LuzOn. procure
arms and start an insurrectiOn. Os-
tensfbIy against Spain, but really in
hostility to the United States. They
came to LuzOn under false pretenses
and with base trcachery In their
hearts.
They had no sooner landed and gotten
their insurrection af1oat and armed their
forces with weapons, furnished by Dewey,
than they began to open negotiations
with the Spanish commander, for the
purpose of combining with him to
expel our forces from Manila. Fail
ing to get this cooperation, they
laid siege to Manila for the pur-
pose of capturing and looting 1T be-
fore the arrival Of our forces When our
troops finally landed, they received them
in an unfriendly and hostile spirit, and
continued to harass and annoy them in
various ways. And when Manila was
captured by our forces, without their co.
operation, and they were not permitted
to enter and loot the city. they threY off
the mask and assumed a belligerent at
titude to our forces. They next opened
negotiations with Gen. Rios at Iliolo, for
the purpose of making common cause,
and combining him against our forces,
and through his pliancy they secured pos
session of the city before the arrival of
our forces.
When Manila surrendered and there
were no longer any Spaniards to fight,
they renewed their siege against the city
and our forces with increased vigor. They
planned to burn, sack and loot the city,
and to strike down and slaughter every
living human being in 1t, except their
own people; and two brutal, though 'abor-
tive, attempts were made to carry out
the barbarous and demoniac plan. as.,..
If we study the records and proceedings
of their so-called government, 1t is APP
parent that it is nothing but a pure
dictatorship-a mere military olgarchy
of AgufnaIdo and his chiefs GALL Chinese
Mestizos)-with no basis of choice or con-
sent among the masses. 1t exists and is
iS through
ignorance. Ignorace of the Americans.
their character and system of govern
ment; and fear of Aguinaldo- his junta
and armed followers. Is it not plain to
any unbiased mind, after studying the
! record of Aguinaldo and hiss junta ever
since the Instruction of 1896, that 1t is
as much our moral duty to relieve the
Filipino people from the incubus and
tyrrany of this military Olgarchy as of
Spanish rule? 1t would be a greater mis-
fortune and greater calamity to hand the
Filipino people over to the mercies Of
such government than to have left them
in the hands of the Spaniards Is it not
I our moral as we'll as our legal duty TO
suppress, first of all. this insurrection,
started under such false pretenses with
such treachery and under such auspices
and leadership as this Tagal rebellion in
! LuZon?
| We acquired the islands fairly by
| conquest. ratified and confirmed by
| a treaty, which had the indOrseme mt
| of Mr. Bryan. He was ut Washing
| ton ON the eve of it's ratification and
! urged his party to Join In ratifyin&
the treaty. The fnsurreetfOn of
| 1898 would never have had an I'm
| ceptiOn nor fl0urished but for the
| fact that our nag was I'm the islands,
| and permitted Aguinaldo and his
chiefs to land.
Coming into the islands under our flag.
our protection. and our assistance, as
they did, Aguinaldo and his chiefs had
no more legal or moral right to set up a
claim or title hostile to the United States
than tenant, coming into possession by
the permission of his landlord. has the
right to question set up a hostile title
! to the latter We acquired, by conquest
and treaty, as complete a title to the
| Philippine islands as to Porto Rico, and
| we have taken no more steps to obtain
the consent of the Porto Ricans than Of
the Filipinos. The government we have
established for the Porto Ricans is gov