The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-06
ADMIRAL DEWEY
IS DELIGHTED

NEW YORK, March 2S.-Admiral
Dewey was at the Albemarle Hotel to-
day and was interviewed as to the
probable effect of the capture of Agui-
naldo. He said:
L 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 a very creditable piece
of work on the part of Funston, and
In keeping with his previous exploits
1t was, in fact, a case of fighting the
devil with fire. If a large force had
gone against AguinaIdo he would not
have been found, but this was a kind
of strategy of their own, though. and
appears to have succeeded perfectly.
'Aguinaldo is a most amiable little
fellow. He does not have the educa
ton with which he has been credited
and he was not really the brains of the
instruction. Malbini was really the
brains of the Filipino rebellion, and
Aguinaldo was the active leader. l ad-
nit | did not give him credit for the
abilities that he has shown, but he is
certainly not a man of very great 'abil-
ity.
AGUINALDO RETICENT
CIle tHliiS L WOfliet dDOul Is tndJ
the dispatches today from Manila de-
scribe him as talking freely When I
first saw him he was notably reticent
and a good deal of his strength came
from the fact that he did not talk
much. People believed him invulnera-
BILE, however, and that no harm could
be done to him. There was a story cur
rent in fact, that dozen men had
stood up and fired at him as Il test.
suppose there were no bullets in the
guns. That story went everywhere.
The people are intensely superstitious
and they believed that no harm could
befall him. 1t will take some time now
for the news of his capture to become
circulated, and the first report will be
doubted. but when they are convinced
of it / believe that organized resist
ance will collapse. OF course there will
be sporadic disorder for a long time to
come, but l do not believe that there
will be anything serious"
GUAM FOR AGUINALDO.
What do you think ought to be done
with Aguinaldo?"
We'll, it seems to me that as good a
thing as could be done FOR the present
would be to send him to Guam. 1t is
the same sort of climate as the Phil
ippines, and there will be no hardships
in the change, but there would be no
chance for him to pose.
Looking over the events of the past
two years, L am sometimes impressed
with the idea that possibly the trouble
with the Filipinos might have been
avoided, but when l say It, I say it
because hindsight is a great deal bet
ter than foresight. | have no criticism
for any one, but it can be seen now
how the Americans who first went
there hurt the pride of the Filipinos.
MIGHT HAVE AVOIDED TROUBLE
IF we had made a greater effort to
flatter them, 1t is possible the thing
would have gone more smoothly; but L
wish to say that, at the beginning, I
don't believe Aguinaldo had any Idea
of independence at all. They simply
hated the Spaniards. They hated them,
1 say, and they wanted TO get rid of
them in any way possible. They looked
upon us as their deliverers, and they
did anything we told them to. After
ward l think it was simply a case of
success turning a mans head in the
case of Aguinaldo. I don't believe that
at first he had any idea of attempting
, to set up an Independent republic. AS
to the matter of our relations with the
Filipinos, the history has never yet
been written. I have all the letters
and documents pertaining TO 1t. and
expect someday to write the history of
the affair. When all of the documents
are published it will be perfectly clear
! that no obligation rested upon the Am
| erican forces to treat the Filipinos as
allies.
"Aguinaldo was always, as I said
| a most amiable man, and personally
would not wish him the slightest harm
| but I believe, as I said, that his cap
ture means the end of organized resist
| ance."
|