Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-07-02
DEWEY ON THE STAND
The Admiral Makes an Interesting
Contribution to History.
says He Never Asked Nor Received Hell,
from the Filipinos-A Sample of
the Spanish Method of
"Fightlng."

Washington, June 27.-Admiral
Dewey made statement before the
senate committee on the Philippines
Thursday afternoon concerning the
early operations at Manila when he
was In command of the American ma
val forces in the Philippine waters.
The admiraPs statement contributed
an important addition to the history
of the surrender of the city of Ma
Mia. This consisted of a positive
statement by the admiral to the eff
fect that the city had not been sur
rendered to him at the time that the
spanish fleet was sunk and that when
the city did surrender it was in pur-
suance of definite Understanding
between himself and the Spanish gov
ernor-general.
The admiral was questioned by
Senator Lodge. He said he had first
heard from Aguinaldo and his friends
about April 1, 1898, a month before
the battle in Manila bay, when it
became certain that there was to he
war. II then heard that there were
number of Filipinos who desired to
accompany the feet to Manila" he
continued. 'All of them were vounp
and earnest. / did not attach much
Importance to them or to what they
said. The day we left Hong Kong I
deceived telegram from Consul
General Pratt, located at Singapore,
saying that Aguinaldo was at Singa-
pore and would join me at Hong
Kong. l replied all right; tell him to
come aboard; but / attached so little
Importance to the message that I
sailed without Aguinaldo and before
he arrived. There were then many
promises as to what the Filipinos
would do, but / did not depend upon
them. Consul Williams assured me
that upon our arrival and the firing
of the first gun 10000 Filipinos would
rise. None did arise and 1 frequently
joked him on this point
Admiral Dewey said the Spanish
governor wanted to surrender the
city to him after the destruction of
the fleet and that he dewey would
have accepted the formal surrender
if he had had 5000 troops to garrison
the city. He told about Aguinaldo's
arrival, saying that he put him
ashore and told him to organize his
people. Aguinaldo came back dis
couraged and wanted to go to japan,
Int the admiral told him to ,ntinue
his efforts. The admiral said he paid
no attention to Aguinaldo's first
proclamation of independence Of the
Filipinos. Speaking of Aguin aldo's
military operations he said lie did
wonderfully in whipping the Spanish.
Admiral Dewey said emph atically
that he never had recognized Agui-
naldo's government, nor did lie salute
Aguinaldo's flag; he never called
Aguinaldo general but addressed
him as Don Emilio" The admiral
said he had never given the Philip
pine republic the slightest recogni-
ton; that he had no authority to
do so and did not consider it an or
ganized government. He said the
Spaniards were fearful of the Fill
pinos entering Manila and therefore
surrendered to him in advance He
said there was no need for the loss
of a man in the capture of the city.
No gun would have been fired but for
the desire of the governor who said
his honor demanded that few shots
be fired, 80 / had to fire and kill
few people," said the admiral. ''but
the Spaniards did not fire because
he had warned them not to do so.'