The Minneapolis journal., 1902-05-06

inal (signed9 Marion E. Beall, transla-
tor,g division Of insular affairs, war de-
partnlent, Washington, May :, 1901 E
II certify that the note on this tele-
gram in answer to the request of General
Noriel and Colonel Catlles is in the hand
writing Of Emilio AguinaldO and is iden-
teal with that of hundreds of other manu-
scripts on tile in this division known to,
have been written by him,-R. H. Vande-
man captain Twenty first United States
infantry in charge Of military informa
uon division. adjutant generals office, di-
vision of the Philippines, Manila, P. l.,
Feb 2S, 1907 ta..@ IA
Story of an Autf-Amerlcan Plot.
1t will be noticed that this telegram
bears date of Jan. 1S and the reply of
Aguinaldo San. Il, or three weeks before
the collision between the American troops
and the forces of Aguinaldo near Manila.
It will further be noticed that Aguinaldo
wanted the chief Of them all, who rep
Vesents our future enemies in Manila,
captured meaning General Anderson. of
the American forces. The claim having
been made by the admirers OF Aguinialdo,
1.-The second George Washington" that he
wanted 20 establish a Filipino republic,
his friends in the senate will now have
an opportunity TO eN1iain what he meant
by promising his followers such titles as,
MARQUIS Of Malate and Count Of Manila,
motions, if they succeeded in routing the
Americans. s.
This. tclecraIn in facsimile will be in
troducpd in the senate debate. by Senator
Spooner CT some other republican in
few days, and it is thought the defenders
of Aguinaldo, the patriot. who had war
':forced upou him will tind it a difficult
matter to explain. 81,
Republicans Taking Their Turn.
The republicans OF the senate have
their lighting clothes on now, and pro-
pose to meet the enemy in daily combat in
the arena and debate. They know they
have turned the tide, and point 10 the
statement mado By Senator Rawllns late
this afternoon that he acquitted the
American army of wrong doing and laid
all the hlnmo at the doors OF those re-
sponsibe for the policy. This is taken by
the republicans as meaning that the
democrats have heard from the country
and learned that wholesale attacks upon
the army are not popular with the people.
The older democratic senators privately
I tell the republicans that they have never
Endorsed the attitude of the younger
democratic senators. who have taken. the
lead in this fight, and that they think an
attack on our soldiers in the field a pres
ent most foolish sort of political cam
paigning. Mr.. Rawlins' statement is
held to be the first confession OF the
weakness of that position.
Leading republican senators declare
they will pass the Philippine bill If they
have to stay here all summer The demo-
Gratis still show fight, and the debate is
a expected to continue for two or three
weeks at least.
Looking for 81 Victim.
One of the peculiarities Of American
public feeling is that it always demands a
victim to appease its wrath. Let it be-
, come dPpDjv stirred over Things that an
pear to be going wrong and it inStinctive-
ly~ reaches out for q Sacrifcial Offering.
Usually cabinet officers scalp is con-
sidered about the proper thing. General
Alger was thus offered up in 1898, and
here in Washington most public men who
were familiar with the facts look upon
that episode as one of the few stains on
the administration of William Mckinley.
During the last few weeks an effort has
been made to make a victim of General
Alger's successor. Secretary Root. It was
started by a mugWump organ in London,
which for a long time has been seeing red
whenever the Philippines came within
view. few democratic papers naturally
took up the cry, and here and there an
independent journal. But for the most
part the American press declined to per-
nit itself to be led into any such hys-
terra. Some of. the ablest independent Or
democratic papers, like the New York
Times or the Brooklyn Eagle, hastened TO
the seCretarys defense and to a pooh
poohing of what to them seemed the
wholly superauous excitement caused by
~ the disclosures of regTettable occur
rences in the Philippines. 1t is now ad-
r mitted hy almost every one in Washing
ton, including the democrats, that the
movement against Mr.~RQQt has conn
pletely collapsed. He has, ,Het been found
guilty Of any short-eeratbgs~ or ofenses,
and no serious minded person now pre-.
E tends to the contrary.
yi;dicatio1o Of Mr. Root.
For few days4there wsaS9 feeling that
perhaps Mr. Root had committed a seri-
Gus error in falling to send to congress
the much talked-of Gardener report.
There was just-enough Of the appearance
of ''suppression' to arouse criticism.
But now that all. the facts are known, the
secretary is admitted to- haze been wholly
blamelesS in that ma tter--3e was quite
right, even dem0CratieosGnatO confess,
in not voluntarily making the report pub
e lie. It was nothing butz=an unsupported
and. general charge agains t. army officers.
Such charges are received-bF the heads Of
government departments every day and II
they rushed into print with all of them
they would convert the administration
machinery in te-a sort of school for scan
dal, much Of it malicious and trivial In
stead Of printing such things they investi-
gate them, giving both. accuser and ac-
cused a chance to be heard. That is what
Secretary Root did in this. case Three
weeks before the senate committee had
learned. from General Miles, then acting
as advisor of the democratic members,
: that this report was in existence, Secre-
tary Root had ordered it carefully inVesti-
gated by the proper authorities and that
the necessary punishments be inflicted.
A week before the senate committee asked
for the report he cabled General Chaffee
to give Gardener a chance to prove his
charges. When the senate called for the
document it was promptly sent in. Now
Gardener himself fails to come to time
with satisfactory evidence, and Senators
say Mr. Roots vindication, if he had
needed any, is complete.