The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-29
DEWEY DELIGHTED TO
HEAR OF CAPTURE

New York, March 2S.-Admiral Dewey
was at the Albemarle hotel today and
was interviewed as to the probable eff
feet OF the capture of AguinaldO- He
said:
u am delighted to hear this news.
OF course we had the warning a. few
days ago that it might occur, but it
looked like a very risky undertaking,
and if Funston had lost his life every
one would have said I told you so.
1t appears to be very creditable piece
or work on the part of Funston and
in keeping with previous exploits It
was, in fact, a case of fighting the devil
with fire. If a large force had gone
against Aguinaldo. he would not have
been found, but this was a kind Of
strategy of their own thought and
appears to have succeeded perfectly.
AguinaIdo is a most amiable little
fellow He does not have the education
with which he has been credited and
he was not really the brains of the in
surrection. Mabini was really the
brains of the Filipino rebellion and
Aguinaido was the active leader.
ADMIT did not give him credit foz the
aDllles that he has shown, but he is
certainly not man of very great
ability.
One thing wonder about is that
the dispatches today from Manila de-
scribe him as talking freely. When
hrst saw him he was notably reticent
and a good deal of his strength came
from the fact that he did not talk
much The people believed he was in
Vulnerabl however. and that no harm
could 1be done to him. There was a
story current. in fact, that a dozen
men had stood up and fred at him as
a test. l suppose there were no bull
lets. IN the guns. That story went
everywhere. The people are intensely
SuperSutious ana they believed that no
narm could befan him. 1t will take
some time now for the news of his
capture to become circulated aad the
hrst report will be doubted, but when
Ihey are convinced of it 1 believe that
ORGANIZED resistance. will collapse
What do you think ought to be done
with AguinaldO?"
Wei, it seems to me as good a
thlng that could be done for the pres
ent would be to send him to Guam.
IL IS the same climate as the PhiliD-
pines ana there viii be no hardship in
the change, and there would be no
chance to pose
Admiral Dewey continued: Looking
over the events of the past two wears
1 am sometimes impressed with the
ldea that possibly the trouble with the
FIlpinos migat have been avoided. but
When 4 say that, say it because hind
signt is great deal better than fore
slght. L have no criticism for any
one, but 1T can be seen now how the
americans who first went there hurt
the pride of the F'ilipinos. If we had
made a greater effort to hatter them. it
is possible the thing would nave gone
more smoothly, but I wish to say that
at the beginning 1 don't believe Agui-
naldo had any idea of Independence at
al. They simply hated the Spaniards.
Ihey hated them. L say, and they
wanted to get rid of them by any means
possible. They looked upon us as their
deliverers, and they did everything we
told them to. Afteward I think it was
simply a case Of success turning a
mans head in the case of AguinaIdo.
| don't believe that at first he had any
idea of attempting to set up an inde-
pendent republic.
AS to the matter of our relations
with the Filipinos, the history has never
yet been written. L have all the letters
and documents pertaining to it, and I
expect some day to write the history of
the affair. When all of the documents
are published it viii be perfectly clear
that no obligations rested upon the
American forces to treat the FiIipinos
as allies - s..1s - .-~a 80
'.Aguinaldo was. always, as l said. a
most amiable man. and personally I
would not>wish him the slightest harm.
but believe, as 1 said. that his capture
means the end of organized resistance =