The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-01-29
HIS SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED
TO AN AMERICAN.
WILL NOT TRUST YANKEYs
Grandiloquent Harangue in Which
Filipino Leader Is Compared
to Washington.

New York, Jan. 26-The World to-
morrow will publish what it claims
to be a we'll authenticated interview
with Aguinaldo obtained by an Amerl-
can, the trusted agent of Carlo Rubi-
no, a prominent merchant in Manila.
It was forwarded here through the
mails.
Aguinaldo was found in the Fill
pino capital by Senior Rubino's agent,
the identity of whom is kept an in
violate secret, but it is known that he
is an American. In years gone by he
was a high salaried employee of Russell
& Co., of Hong Kong, Manila, Yoko-
hama, Canton, Shanghai, San Fran
cisco and New York. The firm was
the oldest American house in the
orient and the richest. It went down
in the crash of '93.
"My letters to Aguinaldo," says
Senior Rubino's agent, "were carefully
scrutinized by him and his aides.de-
camp before / was taken fully into his
confidence. But as they were from
those who he knew to be his trusted
friends he received me without re-
straint or hesitation. I renamed
there four days and was the recipient
of his full confidence and had from
him a most unreserved expression of
his sentiments and purposes, as we'll as
his ideas concerning the condition of
his country and the great struggle now
on there.
II was astonished at his knowledge
of the history OF the United States
and it's great statesmen since the war
of the revolution. The subject of
amnesty was gone over very thorough
". I asked him if he would accept
the amnesty offered by the commits
sioners sent out by the United States
government.
HE replied: No, I will not &C
cept amnesty. I would not trust
them. I have not forgotten the pro-
LESSONS of friendship and of support
given me by Dewey and Otis and all
of them, especially Wildman. My
army fought with and for them tc
beat the Spanish and promises most
solemnly given that we were to have
independence were made. These
solemn promises have been %repudiatec
by them all. No; amnesty means
slavery and obedience to the will Of
Mckinley
,"How about the people p" I asked
"Do you not believe the condition o.
your people would be improved i
they accepted the amnesty nov
offe1ed?'
"'No,' he replied. ITO accep
amnesty means shame, slavery ant
degradation. Personally it means i'm
prisonment for me. What else am I t.
| expect? and what for my poor peopl
but serfdom? What would your fore
fathers have said Of George Washing
ton had he accepted amnesty from
George Ill? He fought from 1875 t
1882 and all offers of amnesty wer
very properly treated with scorn.
""Ehey can offer me what they like
: I reply liberty, right of the Filipino
9 to govern themselves and a govern
: ment of our own.'
t "6ut,' said I, here are assurance
v - Assurances and promises, he in
: terposed with great warmth. ar
d given only to be disregarded and re
pudiated. I tell you l will neve
d trust them, 0 will my people; never
Say to them that their amnesty wi
e not be considered. My people woul
no longer respect me were I to do SO
h "Then it may be war for many years
I said. You must know that til
a American government is strong
q powerful and rich.'
# Enthusiastically, he replied, IAN
it may be a long and terrible strugg
s. for liberty, but until the Filipino NJ
IS tion shall have a government Of i
D. own, this war will go on"