The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-19
AGUINALDo's PROCLAMATION
ENCOURAGING HIS PEOPLE.
President Sends to the Senate Batch
of Letters Bearing Upon Insur-
rection in the Philippines-Na-
tives' Contempt Fer Valor of the
American Soldiers.


the Philippine army to the general
commanding the second zone" of the
events of Feb. 2, 1899, in Tondo.
He says that on hearing the alarm of
fire he Immediately ordered twenty men
who gathered to hold themselves ready
so that when the designated hour ar
rived 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 of the barracks, as was
agreed upon in the meeting with Dro-
send Loman.
The result was that on marching to
the scene of operations we found the
CalZadal Azcaraga was filled with
Americans, and with them were a num-
Der of country people who cried out,
brothers TO the strife, for now is the
hour This is what men were saying
TO that crowd, and at the proper time
they sounded the call of our army, 'Ad-
vance and fire. The sight of that
strange scene threw us into confusion,
for We believed that all we had pre-
pared from the beginning, as we'll as
what We saw, was prepared by the en-
envy and his SPIES
Ordered a Retreat.
He then ordered a retreat, and when
they met the Americans the colonel
says the latter gave his forces two vol
leys. He adds that his men, with their
daggers in a hand-to-hand conflict,
FORCED the Americans to retire.
Another letter, dated at Tarlac, Oct.
% last, signed by J. NJ. Lebab, COM
mends an unknown Filipino officer
whom, the writer says, will go to Ma
Mia commanded by our government to
throw some dynamite bombs and set
ire to the houses and principal build
lnss especially those occupied by for
eigners.''
Among other documents is an I'm
signed letter to General Rios of the
Spanish army, and in command at
Iloilo, dated at Malolos, Oct. %. 1898.
apparently inspired by AguinaIdo. In
TINS letter the writer says that his de-
sire is 10 yet save from shipwreck the
sovereignty of Spain in these islands,"
He then proceeds:
Il am informed that YOU are consid-
ering surrendeTing the place to us or
TO the Americans; after six months of
vigorous siege and of total abandon
ment, / understand how you can pre-
Ter US to others. The way to make this
surrender is to join us and proclaim
the federation of the Filipino repub-
lie with the Spanish republic, recognize
ing the craftsmanship of our honorable
president, Senior Emilio Aguinaldo: a
fraternal embrace will take place be
tween Filipino, Vizayans and Span
iards.
Hurrahs For Spain.
There will be hurrahs for Spain and
the F1hpinoS unite as a federal repub-
mil IL
mon army; you will be promoted TO a
lieutenant general. Those who want,
can go back at our expense and the
flags of Spain and the Filipinos will
float side by side.
You will give an account of this to
Madrid, and in the meantime we shall
fight the Americans together. We shall
conquer and then we shall wait and
adjust our future relations. The sur
render Of the heroic column you COM
mand is the greatest outrage which
can be inflicted upon those valiant men
since they have suffered the humilia-
ton which their unfortunate compan-
ions suffer here.
And you, the able and upright and
valiant general, are you going to sing
a treaty With the Americans? God pre-
serve you from it, sir. Your transfer
to our side does not really involve
treason to Spain, since the moment
sovereignty passed, you are free to
transfer your allegiance. This is in ac-
cOrdance with the principles of ma
tiOnal honor, and it would serve as the
first base of the new alliance between
Spain and the Filipinos, and then from
both come honor and applause for you
as having been the one fortunate
enough TO effect it,
Bore No Signature.
Both the preceding documents and
the one Immediately following, were on
paper used in the private office of
AguinaldO. but neither Of them bore
any signature. The second document in
this connection, which is not dated, is
apparently a letter of instructions to
the Filipino commissioners who were to
accompany the American troops to
Iloilo. They were told not to recognize
the sovereignty of the American gov
eminent and upon disembarl1ing the
commissioners were to prepare the Fill
ipinO forces to attack the Spaniards.
some hours before the Americans can
enter the place.
They are told that in case either the
Spaniards or Americans want to treat
and make promises, to believe nothing
and pay attention to nothing, but press
both of them"
If the attack should not take place
until after the entry of the Americans,
the Filipinos were instructed that they
must continue to enter the city, pre-
pairing to occupy and taking possess
sion of the ground. but without firing
a shot unless the Americans COM
mence
In case the Americans should begin.
the Filipinos were to attack immedi-
ately, and not to give up until killed.
Contempt For Americans.
In this connection the Iloiloans were
assured that the Americans were val
orous only in appearance and would
soon yield if met by valor. If the
Filipinos should get possession of Ilo-
lilo before the Decentralization of the
Americans, then the Filipinos were to
conceal themselves well, in order to
deceive the Americans. and make them
think we are more than we are, in
fact"
In this" the instruction continues.
let them appear, and when they are
in due range of our rifles there should
be a general discharge, SO that as
many men as possible will be killed
at once. We can calculate one of our
soldiers being worth four of theirs, so
that in the hour of victory after the
combat we should have less losses than
theirs
Another document relates TO the con-
ference sought by General Otis with
Filipino leaders relative to the exDedi-
ton to Iloilo. and says that General
Otis tried to secure a 6eputation of ma
tives to accompany the expedition in
order to conciliate the insurgents there
There is note with this document,
saying that General Otis had indicated
that it was the purpose of the United
States TO annex the Philippines, bus