Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-09-28

directed to their peace and prosperity, their
advancement and welI-being. not for our az.
grandizement nor for pride of might, not for
II trade Or commerce, not for exploitation but
for humanity and civilization, and for the
protection of the vast majority of the popu-
lation who welcome our sovereignty against
the designing minority whose first demand
after the surrender of Manila by the Span
fsh army was to enter the city that they
might loot it and destroy those not in SYM
pathy with their selfish and treacherous de-
signs.
Civil Service TO Rule.
Nobody who will avail himself of the facts
will longer hold that there was any alliance
between our soldiers and the insurgents or
TO them. Long before their leader had
reached Manila they had resolved, IL the
commander of the American navy would
give them arms with which TO fight the
Spanish army. they would later turn upon
US. which they did murderously and without
the shadow of cause or Justification.
There ;uay be those without the means of
full Information who believe that we were
In alliance with the insurgents and that we
| assured them that they should have indie
pendence. To such let me repeat the facts:
On the 26th of May. 1898. Admiral Dewey
was instructed by me to make no allia ance
NTH any party & OF faction in the Philippines
cause in the future. and he replied under
date of June 6, 1898:
| Have acted according to spirit of depart
| ment's instructions from the beginning, and
have entered into no alliance with the In
surgents or with any faction. This squadron
can reduce the defenses OF Manila at any
moment. but 1t IL considered useless until
| the arrival of sufficient United States forces
to retain possession.
Denies Any Compact.
In the report of the first Philippine com
mission, submitted on Nov. 2 1899 Admiral
Dewey, one of Its members. said:
No alliance of any kind was entered into
with .Aguinaido nor was any promise of in
dependence made to him at any time
General Merritt arrived in the Philippines
on July -25, 1885, aud dispatch from Ad-
mral Dewey to the government at Wash
merritt arrived yesterday Situation Is
| most critical at Manila The Spanish may
surrender at any moment. Merritt's most
difficult problem Will be how to deal with
| the insurgents under -Aguinaido. who have
become aggressive and even threatening to-
ward our army"
gents as early as July, 1898, before the pro-
tocot was signed, while we were still en-
gagged in active war with Spain. Even then
the insurgents were threatening our army.
FiIipinos Took No Part.
On Aug. 13 Manila was captured, and of
this aud subsequent events the Philippine
commission says:
When the City of Manila was taken, Aug.
| 13, the Fiipinos took no part in the attack.
but came following in With view to ioet.
! ing the city and were only prevented from
| doing so by our forces preventing them from
| entering. Aguinaldo claimed that he had
| the right to occupy the city. He demanded
+; OF General Merritt the palace of Malacanan
for himself and the cession of ali the
churches of Manila, also that part of the
money taken from the Spaniards as spoils
of war should be given up, and, above all.
that ne should be given the arms of the
Spanish prisoners. All these demands were
refused"
No Promises Made.
Generals Merritt, Greene and Anderson,
who were In command at the beginning OF
our occupation and until the surrender of
Manila, state that there was alliance
with the Insurgents and no promise to them
OF independence. On Aug II, 1898, General
Merritt was instructed that there must be
no joint occupation of Manila with the In
surgents. General Anderson, under date of