The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-09-07

On hearing the alarm which was given
at Haya, in the said district, and the out
cries Of the people and the sound of our
bugles, which were clearly heard there,
I Immediately ordered the men who had
gathered, twenty men in the district of
Mamanti, to hold themselves ready so
that when the designated hour arrived
they would be ready to go to Meisic,
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 a number of our country
people, who cried out, Brothers, to the
strife, for now is the hour This is what
the men 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.
have thus aimed in this brief but au-
thentic narrative Of Aguinaldo and his
insurrection, 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
Observation-Disclosures rather than
the real freedom of the Fi1ipinOs,
has been the aim and purpose OF
Aguinaldo and his chiefs from the
beginning till the present time.
The instruction which he and they
started in 1896 they abandoned for q
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 protested a 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 LusOn, procure
arms and start an insurrectfOn, Os-
tcusibly against Spain, but really in
stiIity to the United States. They
to LuEOn under false pretenses
:. :! with base treachery in their
hearts.
They had no sooner landed and gotten
their instruction afloat 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 untriendly 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 threw of
the mask and assumed a belligerent att
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,
living human being in it, except their
own people; and two brutal, though abor-
tive, attempts were made to carry out
the barbarous and demoniac plan.
If we study the records and proceedings
of their so-called government, it is APP
parent that it is nothing but pure
relationships mere military ongarchy
of Aguinaldo and his chiefs Gall Chinese
Mestizos)-with no basis of choice or con-
sent among the masses. 1t exists and is
tolerated, such as it is. through fear and
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 his 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 oligarchy 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 a government than to have left them
in the hands of the Spaniards. Is it not
our moral as well 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
q treaty, which had the Enforcement
of MIR. Bryan. He was at Washing
ton ON the eve of its ratification and
urged his party to join in ratifying
the treaty. The insurrection of
1898 would never have had an in
ception nor hOurlshed but for the
fact that our flag was in 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
claim or title hostile to the United States
than tenant, coming into possession by
the permission of his landlord, has the
right to question or set up 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
eminent we have given them, and not
government they have given themselves.
MERELY A TAGAL AFFAIR.
According to the most conservative
data. the Philippine group embrace an
area of about 10000 square miles and
population Of 100000 Luzon has a little
more than one-third Of this area and a
little less than one-half OF this population