Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-11
Colonel Bryan's Bolivar.

The advice of an old cook book Is to
first catch your hare before making a
ragout of it, and now that Aguinaldo
has been shared it is in order to see
what kind of an animal has fallen into
our hands. A year ago Hoar found IN
him a second Hampden. Atkinson an
other Washington and Bryan a rein
carnation of Bolivar. They stopped just
a little short of the opinion that his
veins pulsed ichor but We're united in
the declaration that he was Of the stun
that heroes are made Of They knew
better then; everybody knows it now.
They attempted to make an imposing
and heroic figure out of a very common
piece of mingled Chinese and Filipino
clay, and in clustering effort to justify
their conception of him Aguinaldo pro-
lorged a hopeless contest which he
would otherwise have abandoned months
ago. He has in him no element either Of
craftsmanship or heroism. In patriot
ism and intelligent purpose he is nearer
a Shacknastv Jim or Geronimo than a
Bolivar. According to his own adj
mission. he has never been in a battle
or taken any personal risk in cause
to which he has fatuously sacrificed so
| many of the lives of his ignorant and
deluded followers.
Aguinaldo is simply vain. insincere.
selfish and impractical political dis
turber: this and nothing more. He does
not know the meaning of the word lib
erty as applied to popular government
and has no rational conception of demo-
cratic fundamentals forms or processes
or of any governing system that is not
| either oligarchic or personally tyranni-
| cal. He received Just education enough
| i'll a church school to raise him above
| the commonality of his tribe to confuse
| his mind with vague political theories.
| and to inspire him with an ambition to
! advance his fortunes by posing as a
| champion of the people. Their oppres-
| sions We're acute under Spanish rule ana
| fully warranted the protest of armed
revolt into which they Were easily per-
suaded by their leaders. the most Of
whom We're probably honest and CON
scientious While a few Of the more
prominent We're prompted almost wholly
! by personal and mercenarv motives To
this latter class belonged Aguinaldo--
! a scheming. hoastful and AGGRESSIVE
youth. tinseled With a Display Of a little
of the learning of the schools and we'll
| calculated to win the admiration and
| confidence of the Filipino masses who
scarcely knew fer what purpose they
were in arms. N
The revolt continued until it BEGAN tc
alarm the Spanish authorities of the
group. when they put an end to it by
| bribng Aguiraldo and half a dozen
other trusted leaders in the movement
the consideration being STIMULATED sun
il Mexican dollars to be paid to them II
Hong Kong. and (for the sake of aopear.
anceS) the promise Of certain admins.
trative reforms in the island govern.
ment, which would have been of hui
little relief to the people had they beer
inaugurated. This was plain betraya
Of the Filipino people and their cause
by Aguinaldo and his fellow coosnra
tors. All of them left for Hong Hon,
at once to divide the silver placed t
, their credit there. and Aeuinaldo did no
return to the islands until Dewey's vic
tory at Manila onened an opportunit
to him for a more ambitious dea
through the people he had BETRAYED HI,
who We're still blind to the full exten
of his perfidy. Although he had sol
the patriot cause and had a part of tn