The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-27
AGUINALD0 TALKS
ALLEGED INTERVIEW WITH NEW
YORK WORLD.
WILL NOT ACCEPT AMNESTY.
DEWEY, OTIS AND wILDMAN DE-
CEIVED HIM.

And He VIII Not Trust Mckinley
NOw-Amnesty Means slavery and
Obedience to the VIII of NRcKIn-
ley-shOVvs Thorough FnmiIiarfty
with American History-StruggIe
viii Continue Until FilIppinOs
Have n Government of Their own
One Patterned After the United
States.
New York. Jan. 26.-The World to-mor-
row will publish what 1t claims to be an
authenticated interview with Aguinaldo,
obtained by an American, trusted agent
of Carlo Rubino. a prominent merchant
in Manila. 1t was forwarded here through
the mails.
Aguinaldo was found in the Filipino cap
ltal by Senior Rubino's agent, the Identity
of whom is kept an lnviolate secret, but
1t is known that he is an American In
years gone by he was a high salaried
emp,oye Of Russell & Co, of Hong Kong,
Manila Yokohama, Canton, Shanghai,
San Francisco and New York. The frm
was the oldest American house in tho
Orient, and the richest. II went down
in the crash of 1888.
MY letters to Aguinaldo," says Senior
Rubnos agent, were carefully scrutin-
lied by him and his aides de camp be-
fore / was taken fully into his conf
dence. But as they were from those whom
he knew to be his trusted friends he re-
ceived me without restraint or hesits-
tion. remained there four days and was
the recipient OF his full confidence and
had from him the most unreserved ex-
preston of his sentiments and purposes
as well as his ideas concerning the con-
dition OF his country and the great strug-
gle now going on there.
Il 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 thoroughly. / asked him
IL he would accept amnesty offered by the
commissioners sent out by the United
States government.
He replied: No viii not accept am
nesty ] would not trust them. l have
not forgotten the professions OF friend
| ship and of support given me by Dewey
| and Otis and all of them, especially Wild
man. My amy fought with and for them
to beat the Spanish under promises most
solemnly given that we were to have in
dependence All these solemn promises
have been repud ated by them all NO,
amnesty means slavery and obedience to
the win Of Mckinley
How about the people?' / asked. DO
! you not believe the condition of your peo-
pie would be improved If tn y accepted
the amnesty now offered?'
" No he replied. To accept amnesty
means shame, infamy, slavery, degrada-
tion. Personally, 1t means Imprisonment
for me- What else am | to expect? And
what for my poor people but serfdom?
What would their forefathers have said
of George Washington had he accepted
amnesty from George III? He fought
from 1776 to 1882, and all offers of amnesty
were properly treated with scorn They
were right You ask me what we want
/ reply, liberty. The right Of the Fiji
pinos to govern themselves, a govern
ment of our own
" But said /, here are assurances
" Assurances and promises, he inter-
posed with great warmth, given only to
be disregarded and repudiated. / tell you
/ VIII never trust them. Nor will my
people Neverl Say. to them that their
amnesty win not be considered. MY peo-
pie would no longer respect me were 1 to
do So
" Then 1t may be war for many years.
l said. You must know that the Ameri-
can government is strong, powerful and
rich.
" 'Unquestionably,' ne replied, and II
may be long and terrible struggle for
liberty. But, until the Filipino nation shall
have a government of its own, this war
will go OIL. / believe that If there were
change Of administration we would gain
our freedom. We will have a republic
patterned mainly after that Of the United
States. Their original system is admira-
bic, but net as administered now.'"