The Irish standard., 1902-07-12
quest, but he did provide that no
Americans blood should be shed, a

quest, but he did provide that no
Americans blood should be shed, a
stipulation which was almost il not
quite carried out when the American
troops rushed over the walls in Aug
ust."
Admiral Dewey said that he told
General Merritt of the arrangement for
the surrender of the city, and that he
supposed until later it was known il
the army, but General Macarthur said
before the committee that he did not
know of it, and General Greene. Who
accompanied him into Manila, was also
ignorant of the agreement.
The 10000 American boys who cap
tured the city never dreamed that they
were fighting a sham battle. They
stormed the trenches for ten miles
around and drove the Spaniards into
the walled city after six hours fight
ing and then the white flag went up.
The fifty American bays killed, wound
ed, and missing, did not know the
Spaniards We're making sham fight,
and had they known the surrender was
prealTanged by Dewey and Governor
General August before the latter with
his fanny sailed on German man-of-
war for Hongkong, they would have
escaped unhurt in all probability
How many Spaniards We're killed by
the Americans Dewey does not know,
and neither do we. But the American
sons of prominent politicians received
many promotions for their gallantry!
Looking at things in a calm, dis
passionate way, it seems to us that
Dewey is not the great man he is
cracked-up to be. He was commander
of the fleet that destroyed the Spanish
ships at Manila, but was not the vic
tory gained by his captains? Had he
been at Santiago instead Of Sohley and
done what Schley did, Teddy Roose-
welt would say it was the captains
fought the battle and won the glorious
victory. The Spanish ships at Manila
were cooped up While those ut Santiago
had emerged from the harbor, and if
Dewey was in Sohley's place, with
Sampson ten miles away, there might
have been Il different story to tell.
The actual commander of a land or
sea engagement always gets credit
when he wins and censure when he
loses, but the magnanimous Teddy,
who could not steer the Oracle Mower
from Minnehaha to Fort Smelling, had
the sublime audacity to decide that the
most brilliant sea battle in American
annals since the days Of Paul Jones
was not won by Admiral Schley be-
cause he happened to be a Democrat
from Maryland. The future historian
in writing of the Spanish-American
war will reverse Teddy's decision and
place Schley's achievement at Santiago
over that of Dewey at Manila.
OF course, our Zenith City contem-
porary will not agree with us in any
thing we say on this subject. If it
divests itself Of blind partisanship it
will not deny that Dewey was preiu-
diced against Agunaldo in the evil
tience given by him at Washington.
He said Aguinaldo was a figurehead,
but before the Paris commission Gen
eral Merritt said he was ''the head
and front of the insurrection." Dewey
said the consuls at Singapore and
Hongkong had forced Aguinaldo upon
him, but in dispatch to Consul Pratt
he said: '.rell Aguinaldo come soon
as possible"
He said Agllinaldo had betrayed hin
people for Spanish gold and caused
General Luna to be killed: that he
lived in luxury on loot; that he was
not worthy of his confidence; and yet
he furnished him with arms and told
him to organize the Filipinos to fight
the Spanards after having an UNDER
standing with the encouragement in
Manila.
He saws he attached little impor-
lance to Aguinaldo despite the fact
that in his report to the first Philip
pine commission he said that he al
lowed Aguinaldo to land at Cavite to
organize an army for "the purpose OF
strengthening the United States forces
and weakening those of the enemy
All of which proves that Dewey has a
mighty poor memory, and that what he
said lately should be taken with a big
grain of salt. No wonder he refused
to answer questions put to him by
Democratic senators.
CATHOLIC DECREASE IN AMERICA.
Last winter the Catholic press Of the |