The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-01-23

which they are as ignorant OF as chill
dren- Aguinaldo is h link between
the mestizo element and n masses.
The pupet of Palermo, he possesses a
certain ~oracular influence Yer his peo-
pie, for TO him the look for guidance,
blind to the fact that the words that
emanat from him are the result OF
Paterno's lessons. Palermo is the
boss" Aguinaido the mask. He has
the cold keen eye of a leader and the
quiet, self-contained modesty of his
humblest follower. Aguinaldo was born
at Cavite Viejo thirty years ago. His
father, Don Carlos, was a truck farm
FAULT OF THE MESTTSO NO. ?"
er OF the native class. but rose 10 some
Importance among his followers n
was thrice elected mayor of Cavite-
A~guinaldo's education was of the most
limited kind. For a year or two he at
tended the school Of Santo Tomas IN
Manila, but the death Of his father
called him TO Cavite, where he took UP
the work of the farm Here he soon
made himself prominent and trouble
some by his connection with the Kat
punan League, organized by Ri7o'
against the friars. The governor gen.
eral, to win his sympathies, appointed
him captain municipal Of Cavite r.
1895.
ANDRES BONIFACIO.
ASulildlOOS HIGIlLOI duu lutOI III Nv
art OF revolutions was Andres Bonita
cic, ( schOonLaSler of Cavite, IND h
original conspirator in the revolution
against the Spanish, which resulted in
the B~ias-na-bato treat arranged by
Palermo and General Primo de Rivera,
the governor general of the Philip
pines. B~onifacia influenced Aguinaldo
to join the revolution of sc, acquainting
him of the intention of the S~paniards
TO secretly murder all the members of
the Katipunan. Thereupon A~guinaldo,
grasping the opportunity of leadership,
had B~onifacio secretly killed, and. plac-
ed himself ait the head OF the move
ment against the Spanish, organized
the natives, pilfered the converts and
priests houses, enlisted the support of
many civil guards, n began the re-
volt against the friars and the state.
The natives f1ocked to his standard,
and ne soon found himself the COM
mander-in-chief of the majority of the
natives of Luzon. Me old c~hieftains
Of the north and south, full of griey-
anceS against the rule of the friarS,
quickly joined him, and the whole
archipelago was plunged into rebellion.
The Spanish drove Aguinaldo to the
mountains, but ultimately compromised
with him. His career from then till
now is current news. Aguinaldo IS not
a pure Tagalog. His maternal grand
IdIntT was d 1HlldIldH, anu ITOI1 HlIn
he inherited the stoical qualities and
craft of speech hat have made him
such a power among his people. His
ambition is 10 lead, and his heartless-
ness enables him without compunction
to cause the assassination of all who
threaten to rival him Had he been
successful in establishing a kingdom he
would have ruled with as tyrannical a
despotism as ever did a Chinese vice
roy. His genius is not confined to
leadership, but he has the a~StuteneSs
10 gather around him such aids as Pa
terno, Sandico and men of their stamp,
clever, cunning and wealthy, the scions
of the best blood of Spain intermixed
with that of the native races. Agui-
naldo stands today the figurehead of
the ~insurrection, and not until his sur
render or death will the misguided Fill
ipinos be able ito comprehend, accept
or consider the beneficent intentions Of
the United States.
Aguinaldo's wife is a Chinese mesti-
"a, and has made herself conspicuous
in the revolutionary army by organic
ing a Red Gross" hospital orr and
placing herself at the head of it.