The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-08-21

large army while we were peacefully rest
ing in Manila, actually sumbering over
| the crater of an active volcano, was that
| they must be in a position to defend Their
country in the event the United States
should withdraw and Spain should under
take to reassert her authority. Here was
the place for the United States to say
she was not going to withdraw. and that
| there was no need of an army to dispute
| the authority of Spain. The matter would
have been brought to an issue at once,
and ! believe the FilipinOs, if given as
surances that they would eventually be
| given lf-government, would have sub
mitted, disbanded their army. and the in
surrectiOn would have been saved. AT
| all events the insurrectiOn would never
| have gained the force and consistency il
acquired during the subsequent months of
inactivity and evasion Oh our part we
should have been able to quell it in short
order, and millions of dollars and thou
sands of lives would have been saved.
The policy of delay and evasion was
pursued nothing was done to satisfy the
| feelings or ambitions of the Fiipinos.
while at the same time nothing was done
| to prevent those feelings from becoming
crystaliZed into large army and a form
of Government both of which we have
been compelled to overthrow at great cost
to us and the Filipinos as well. / am
aware this was done in Difference to the
| technical title of Spain, and not in con-
| sideration of any rights of the Filipnos;
but Spain was in no position to object,
had we taken the position from the first
that whatever settlement we made with
| her would include the passing of title to
| the islands to us, and proceeded to ad-
| minister the Government and head off this
Tagal insurrectiOn. Spain had no actual
authority in the islands. 1t had been
! completely overthrow and had vanished
We paid dearly and did a great wrong
to the FilipinOs by our too punctilious def
| erence to its ghost.
THE FIRST FILIPINO CONGRESS.
A Congress to frame a Constitution was
called by AguinaldO and, believe, began
it's sessions about Nov. l in the Govern
ment Building Of Bulucan Province in
Malolos. My recollection is that there
were delegates present from only one isl
and Of the group, that of Luzon; that of
the Is provinces in this one island but
six were represented, those Immediately
around Manila. and of all the tribes but
one participated in organizing this Gov
eminent, the Tagal tribe. Nor We're these
observation-disclosures in any sense repre-
sentative of the people of even the few
provinces from which they came. They
were almost exclusively OF the Mestizo
class. and were not elected by the people
A few of the leaders in each district Sc
lected them, and they went solely as rep
| resentatives of the MestiZo oligarchy, in
whose interest they framed the Govern
ment. They completed their labors early
in January and promulgated the Consti-
tuition direct. without submitting it to
vote or for the approval of any persons
whomsOeyer except the members of the
convention. They elected AguinaldO Pres
/ ident, and installed him themselves, about
the 18th Of March. This was the Con
stitutiOn and Government set up for the
Philippines by this little cOterie of Tagal
leaders. without the direct authorization
or consent of the masses and without even
the knowledge of three-fcurths of them.
That such as knew of it were not in the
main prepared to accept it l will not say.
for they had never had voice in any
Government in their lives and had learned
to bow down to despotic power abject-
~, and despotic power was what this
Constitution provided for.
There WAS also the notion among the
masses intelligent enough to know what
was going on that in some way the Fill
ipinos were governing themselves, and this
idea had taken considerable root among
them, as an idea only, and not because
they really understood and appreciated
what self -gOvernment really meant. In this
| refer only to the Tagals. They would
have to impose this Government on other
tribes by military force. as indeed thew
Gid IN the provinces OF Albay and the
Camarines. To be sure, there has been
rebellion against the authority of the
United States in other islands and by
other tribes. but it was expressive OF the
general idea of throwing off authority and
not because they wanted this Tagal Gov
eminent. On the contrary. it is quite GER
tain that state of civil war would fol-
low the retirement Of the United States
and the inevitable effort of the Tagals Il,
govern the archipelago and dominate tho
other tribes. This state would be far
worse than any condition that has pre-
vailed while we have been subduing the
insurrection and would inevitably lead to
the necessity Of the United States step
ping in again and assuming control.