The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-26
TIME SERVERS.
Leaders of the New Party in
the Philippines
Are So Characterized by Presi-
dent of Madrid Junta.
COMES TO BE FREE.
Would Rather Be an American
Than a Filipino Slave.
Says War viii Go on Under
Aguinaldo's Leadership.

New York, Dec. 26.-Rafael Del Pan
Fontela, a refugee from the Philippine
islands, and first president of the Mad
rid juntas has just arrived in New York
from Canada.
'I came here to be free" he explained
''It was impossible for me to be other
than a slave to America when 1 lived
with my wife and five children in Ma
Mia, so I have come where won't have
to be subservient. Americans are not
subservient to Americans and while /
don't approve of the American methods
employed in the Philippines, I'd rather
be a free American than an enslaVed
Filipino
Senor FonteIa was a lawyer and editor
in Manila. When the war began he was
Aguinaldo's chief adviser.
Driven out of the Philippines by the
American soldiers he fed with his wife
and five small children to Madrid. There
he established the first Filipino junta
and was made its president.
With an idea that such a junta would
flourish in Canada he left Madrid and
went to Montreal. He has been there
for the past several weeks
You hear so much of American inde-
pendence in Canada he continued, that
I determined to come here and get some
of it,
Senior Fontela explained that it was
safe for him to return to the Philippines
and resume his law practice and the
publication of his newspapers We're he
4 am no hypocrite. . he explained. and
can't take such an oath when my people
are in a struggle which must end IN
death or freedom. / will not return to
the Philippines until independence has
been gained.
"The impression has got abroad that
Aguinaldo is dead. This is nonsense.
He has a large following and every man
under him is there to do or die The
war has just begun unless America ac-
=. -,E
Regarding the formation of a new
party which the United States officials
say will rally the Fiiipinos to the CO
lonial policy, Senior Fontela said:
This scheme is doomed to failure The
leaders, Buencamino and Paterno, are
leaders without a party. They are time
servers. During the Spanish domina,-
tiOn they were more Spanish than the
Spaniards During the effective life of
the Filipino republic they were ardent
patriots.
When the United States troops cap
tured the Filipino capital, Tarlac, these
men allowed themselves to be taken
prisoners and have since professed ar
dent enthusiasm for United States Su-
is sure to be rejected by the Filipinos,
who will apply to them the proverb
which, being translated, is The same
dog with different collars
Last June Buencamino made an at
tempt to organize a party for autonomy.
No one responded. In October PaternO
tried to organize festivals in Manila and
asked Filipino revolutionists to coop
crate with him in asking for a broad
plan of self government. The United
States people can hardly have forgotten
the complete failure of the Manila fes-
tivals and the indifference with which
the people treated Senor Paterno's eff
forts.
Now Paterno and Buencamino join
their forces, proposing to organize a new
party, a federal party AS the force
of each amounts to zero, their united
forces will be double zero"