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

! six months Of vigorous siege and Of total
| abandonment I understand how you can
| prefer us TO the others. The way to
make this surrender is to join us and
proclaim the federation Of the Filipino re-
| public with the Spanish republic, recog-
nizing the craftsmanship Of our honorable
president, Senior Emilio Aguinaldo. A fra
ternal embrace viii take place between
FYlipinos. visayans and spaniards; there
will be hurrahs for Spain and the Philip
| pines united as federal republic.
| This letter demonstrates how base and
| treacherous Aguinaldo had been from the
very beginning. It shows that as early
| as June 9-before Manila was captured
-he was in negotiation with Gen. Angus
tin. the Spanish commander, for the pur-
| pose Of combining with him against our
forces. He was ready then, as he was
| in the case Of Gen. Rios, who proved
to some extent more plant, to make conn
mon cause with the Spaniards against
| our forces
He was seeking independence for
| his people, not from their Old-time
| OppressOr, Spain. hut from their de-
liverers, the United States.
/ But there was one condition he was
careful to interpolate, and that was that
"the chieftainship of our honorable presf-
dent, Senior Emilio Aguinaldo' should be
| recognized. He was all along willing to
negotiate and traffic with Spaniards as he
had been in December. 1897. at Biac ma
| Bato If he could in some way, be taken
care Of, he preferred the Spaniards to the
Americans. On the 9th day Of July, 1898.
he appointed Generals Garcia and Ri
carte of his army to negotiate with the
| Spanish governor general for the sur
render Of Manila to his forces, in utter
disregard of Dewey and his fleet and OF
our forces under Gen. Anderson.
On the 10th of December, the treaty Of
peace was signed at Paris. Ever since
the capture of Manila, Aguinaldo and the
insurgents had maintained their military
lines around the city on the plea Of being
/ prepared to meet the Spaniards in case
they returned. Up to that time they at
fected to fear that the United States
would surrender the country to Spain,
and claimed that all their military pre-
parations and investments were intended
to protect themselves against the Span
iards. not against our forces. But as
soon as the report of the treaty of peaco
reached Manila. they threw off the mask.
The first open move was their occupation
of Iloilo, to which have referred. This
was followed, on the 9Th Of January, 1899,
by a proclamation from Aguinaldo prac-
tically declaring war against the United
| States. In this proclamation he states:
THUS it is that my government is dis
posed to open hostilities if the American
troops attempt to take forcible possess
S1a
their heads be all the blood which may be
she'd.
In the early part of January, 1890, Agui-
naldo, through a friend and former COM
panion, organized a large number of clubs
in Manila. with a total membership OF
10000, ostensibly for education and
amusement, but really for hostile pur-
poses against our forces. These clubs had
a military organization and were COM
manded by Filipino officers. appointed by
Aguinaldo's government At the same
time large quantity OF arms
and bolos were secretly introduced.
stored and hidden away for future
hostile use of these clubs. The
purpose of all these arrangements was to
, provide for a rising and attack of the
Filipinos within the city upon our forces
at the same time the insurgents attacked
thelH from the outside.
A general massacre of our forces
and of all white people within the
. city was contemplated.
: On the 7th of January, Aguinaldo wrote
from Malolos to friend in Manila,
among other things, follows:
II beg you to leave with your family
and to come here to Malolos, but not be-
, cause I wish to brighten you. l merely
, wish to warn you for your satisfaction,
although it is not yet the day or the
week.
Gen. Otis, in his report, wildly de-
| scribes, in the following terse language.
. the critical events transpiring and the at
t:tude assumed by Aguinado and the in
suraents during the month preceding their
attack of lTeb. A.
. During thi1 period rapidly succeeding
significant eve1-ts were fast approaching a
state of war, and strongly indicated the
fixed determination of the insurgent gov
eminent to drive the United States from
. Luzon as soon as it could gather its
armed men in sufficient numbers. 1t he'd
appropriated the railway, every engine.
and most Of it's rolling stock. 1t was
. perfecting its ntrenchments around US,
planting its guns, concentrating it's troops,
dnD DT1ilSlIS up lis dIMy supplies, luOuku
. still publicly asserting it's desire for peace.
With the cunning which it had always at
tempted to practice in it's amateur d.
plomacy it endeavored to force the Unit
ed States to commit the first physical act
t of hostility in the way Of musketry fire,
in order to appeal to the sympathies of
the foreign public for a seemingly OPP
pressed people, which it falsely claimed
to represent. In this it signally failed.
The knitting and attempted shooting of our
picket sentries brought no hostile re-
Spouse except the killing, by the intended
victim. of the assassin who had so dex-
terously used the knife upon him. The
excitement within the city was very
noticeable, and the cruelty of the Amer
ioano' was the theme. No one seemed to
be possessed of any fixed determination
but the Tagal. All others were watch
ing for new demonstrations and waiting
for developments. Manila is unparalleled
/ for diversity Of race and babel OF tongues:
also for it's grade of enlightenment from
ho rhor no RI 70 highest c}xi1.