Woodruff County news., 1902-07-03
Admiral Dewey Resumes His Tes- timony Before the Senate Phil
 ippines Committee.
MORE SIDE LIGHTS ON AGUINAsDO.
The Admiral Tells Senator Carmack That He is Making Too Much Of AguinaIdo, Who Was a Mere Fig urehead Representing Stronger Men Than Himself.

! days testimony given by Admiral | Dewey before the senate committee on the Philippines, began with a ref erence to the statement made by the admiral at the first days proceeding I-concerning the proffer made by the Spanish governor-general to surren- der to him. Senator Carmack called attention to the fact that the press reports made it appear that he had said that, during the next A hours after the destruction of the Spanish fleet, on May 1, there had been sev- eral proffers of surrender on the part of the governor. The admiral re- piled that he had said that between May 1 and August 13 the governor general had sent word to him more than once that he would Se pleased to surrender to the navy. The first proffer, he said, was made in May, through the English consul, and sub sequent proffers were made through the Belgian consul. At the time, the admiral admitted, Aguinaldo had be- gun operations around Manila, and was working toward the city.
 The Admiral Dodged.
 Taking up the thread of the inves- tigation where it was dropped Fri day, Senator Carmack asked the wit ness if all the trouble in the Philip pines had been due to Aguinaldo. =
 ''I won't say that" the admiral re- piled, .but,'' he continued, 'I will re- peat that if we had had 5000 troops at Manila on May 1 the city could have been taken possession of, and we would have had, at least for the time, no trouble with the natives. They were our friends then"
 Making Too Much of AguinaIdO.
 In reply to other questions put by Senator Carmack, concerning Agui- naldo, the admiral said:
 ''I think you are making too much of Aguinaldo. He was a mere figure head, and was surrounded by stronger men than himself. Mabini was one of these, and Gen. Luna, whom he had killed, was another"
 Replying to another question, the admiral said it was the general report throughout the east that, in 1897 ,Agui- naldo had betrayed his people to the Spaniards for money. Nor did he remember that this report had been denied by American officers in the Philippines. Among other officers quoted in this connection was Gen. Greene, and the admiral called atten- ton to the fact that Gen. Greene had not given his authority. "If," he said, "Agoncillo told him I don't think the authority was good"
 "Why do you say that Aguinaldo took the lions share of the property gathered by the insurgents?'
 AguinaIdo Lived Like n Prince.
 Because he was living at Malolos like a prince. He had nothing when he landed in Manila, and could have procured the means for this ostenta- tion in no other way. He began inn mediately after arrival to take every dollar in sight. It may be ungrate- full in me to state the fact, but it is true that he sent cattle to me herds of them-for the ships. The stock were taken from the Philippine people,"
 
 circumstance at the time?"
 "No; that is war, as you know"
 Made the Country Support Him.
 Continuing his reply to this ques- tion, the admiral said the Philippine army was then only a mob and with out organization, and had to be fed and clothed. "He did as many have done-he made the country support him.
 Did you regard that proceeding as pillage and loot?'
 ''Wen, we didn't do that way For instance, took all the coal in sight, but paid for it."
 Senator Patterson-"Do you refer to Aguinaldo taking property for the support of the army as loot and pill lage?"
 Admiral Dewey-"That is one part of it."
 Senator Carmack-"Yo didn't ob- iect at that time?''
 Admiral Dewey-"No, but he soon got beyond me"
 Not Required to Answer. A number of questions were asked in regard to statements made by Gen. | Greene, Bell and others, but the wit ness asked to be excused from crit icising officers of the army, and the | chair Senator Beveridge) said that | he was not required to answer any | questions the replies to which would involve such criticism. Thereupon, the admiral said he was ''very glad" and Senator Carmack said he knew of no such rule, but he supposed he | would have to submit.