New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1902-07-02
'BIL0in.E% IGU|NALDO.
Admiral Dewey, in His Testimony,
Declares the Filipino Was a
Mere Figurehead.
LIVED HIGH on INSURGENTS PROPERTY

LIVED HIGH on INSURGENTS PROPERTY
Robbed People of Cattle to Feed
Dewey's Men--AdmiraI Repeats
i Story Current In East That Agui-
i naIdo IN 1897 Had betrayed His
i People to Spaniards for MONEY.
Washington, June 80. The third
days testimony given by Admiral
Dewey before the senate committee on:
the Philippines began with a refer
ence to the statements made by the.
Admiral at the first days proceeding
concerning the proffer made by the.
/ Spanish governor general to surrender
to him, Senator Cormack called atten-.
/ ton to the fact that the press reports
/ made it appear that he had said that
| during the next "a hours after the de-.
struction of the Spanish feet on May
/ there had been several proffers to
surrender on the part of the governor.
| The admiral replied that he had said
that between May and August 13 the
governor general had sent word to
him more than once that he would be
! pleased to surrender to the navy. The
first proffer, he said was made in May
| through the English consul. At the
time, the admiral admitted, Aguinaldo
had begun operations around Manila
and was working toward the city.
Taking up the thread of the investi-
cation where it was dropped Friday
Senator Carmack asked the witness if
all the trouble in the Philippines had
been due to Aguinaldo.
| st won't say that" the admiral replied,
'but." he continued, II will repeat that If
we had had 5000 troops at Manila on May
| i, the city could have been taken possess
! sion of and we would have had, at least for
| the time, no trouble with the natives.
They. were our friends them
! In reply to other questions put by Sem
ator Carmack concerning Aguinaldo, the
| admiral said:
| II think you are making too much of
Aguinaldo. He was mere figurehead, and
| was surrounded by stronger men than him.
| self Mahini was one of these, and Gen.
Luna whom he had killed. was another"
! Replying to another question the ad-
| miral said it was the general report
| throughout the east that in 1897 Aguinaldo
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 direction was Gen. Green.
and the admiral called attention to the
; authority "If." he said. "Agoncillo told
! him. 1 don't think the authority was
| good"
"Wny do you say that Aguinald'o took
| the lions share of the property gathered
| by the insurgents''
! because ne was living at Malolos like
| prince. He had nothing when he landed
| at Manila and he could have procured
| the means for this ostentation in no other
| way. He began Immediately after arrival
| to take every dollar in sight 1t may be
ungrateful in me to state the fact. but it
of them-for the ships. The stock were
| taken from the Philippine people"
''Was any statement made of this cir
| cumstance at the timer"
mo; that is war. as you know"
Filipino Army a Mob.
Continuing his reply to this question, the
| admiral said the Philippine army was then
| only mob, and without organization, and
had to be fed and clothed. He did as
| many have done-he made the country
support him.
"Did you regard the proceeding as pill
lage and loot"
"Well, we didn't do that way. For in
stance, I took all the coal in sight, but I
paid for it,
| Senator Patterson-Do you refer to Agui
naldo taking property for the support Of
the army as loot and pillage?
Admiral Dewey-That is one part of it.
| Senator Carmack-You didn't object at
| that time? -.
Admiral Dewey-No. but he soon got be-
yond me-
! Objects to Criticising Army officers.
A number of questions were asked in re-
gard to statements made by Gems. Green,
Bell, and others, but the witness asked 70
be excused from criticising officers of the
army, and the chair (Senator Beveridge)
said that he would not be required to an
swer any questions the replies to which
would involve such criticism. /Thereupon
the admiral said he was livery glad,' and
Senator Carmack said he knew of no such
rule, but supposed he would have to. sub
nit. The admiral added that mo- opinions
!by others would change his own opinion
of Aguinaldo. 3
Senator Carmack-Then is that a fact
that you took a man to Manila to be a.
leader Of the native people who had but
recently betrayed these people for a bribe?
Admiral Dewey-I think that would have
made no difference; the country was under
la reign of terror. *
| ''Then you wanted a. man who could or
ganize the natives?' u
,"No, I didn't want anyone. Agutnaldo and
his people were forced upon me by Consul
Pratt and others. - g$sFaGt~t .s-.a5. - Y
"Did the consul and others have any
power to force these people upon you?" ]
Eyes, by constant pressure. Ididn't want
the Filipino refugees, because / didn't be-
lieve that a half dozen Of them would do
any good, in view of the report that thou
sands would rise up in instruction upon
our arrival at d Manila. Il thought they
iwould play a very small part
I "Then you placed the country at the
mercy of man who would plumber and
Irob. notwithstanding you had no need Of
his services q .ss ls4 RS
| This question the admiral declined to
answer, and Senator Patterson took the
witness. asking If Aguinaldo had eyer
talked ito him on the basis of selling out
to the Americans. The admiral replied in
the negative, and Mr.. Patterson then
asked if the Philippine leader had ever
asked him for money The reply was that
q Aguinaldo had asked him to exchange gold
q for Mexican dollars. 5s<ss# Il u
II was pretty sure as to where he had
gotten the dollars as he hadn't brought
them with him, g said the admiral and