The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-06-12
LOPEZ ON BUENCAMlNO.
THE SOMEWHAT TORTUO US
 COURSE.
Has Been Subject Co Three Temporal and Two Spiritual Powers Within Three Years.

Has Been subject Co Three TempOrnI
 and Two Spiritual Powers Within
 Three Years.
 senor Buencamino, the Filipino, who
 has recently been giving testimony in
 Washington before the house Philip pines committee, has been made the subject of a statement by another Fili- pino, also in this country, but of diff ferent vieWs--SiXto Lopez Senor Lo- peg writes:
 l have no desire to say anything in personal disparagement of Don Felipe Bueneamino, for personally l have nothing against him. He is undoubted- ly man of ability and attractive per sonality, and if he had adhered to any one political or religious creed he would have occupied a high place in the opin- ion of his fellow-countrymen It is dis tasteful to me to have to publicly criti- else one of my own race when he is, like myself, a sojourner An a foreign land, but l regard the issue as being too important to permit of any false delica- ey, or to allow mere personal inclina- ton to interfere with ones conception of duty It is but right that the people of America. should know something of Senor Buencamino's public career in or der that they may be able to test the value of his evidence by the moral stamina of the man, and thus discover whether he is a trustworthy represen- tative of the Filipinos. Senor Buen- camino is a kind of modern barber of Seville and vicar of Bray rolled into one. His public career may be fitly de- scribed ill the language of the apostle with slight addition; he has been
 'All things to all men"-in the ascend ant! When Spain was supreme, he was fopenly) an ardent lover of the Span- fards and everything Spanish When Aguinaldo was strong and apparently about to be successful, Buencamino was a Filipino patriot sof the first water. As soon as America was in the ascend ant, Buencamino discovered that patri- otism to his own country was stale and unprofitable, and he has since become So ardent supporter of federal union with the United States that he appa- rently cannot now bear to be called a
 
 friends that if China were to purchase the Philippines, Buencamino would be- come Chinaman and wear a queue
 In his student days he joined with other students in a kind of secret soci- ety for reform and ultimate freedom from Spain. This was undoubtedly to his credit. But when the society was discovered by the authorities and many of the students were expelled from the university, it was significant that Don Felipe escaped scot free, becoming forthwith an ardent Spanish patriot During the insurrection of 1S96-7 against Spain he was so much of Spanish patriot for the insurrection did not seem likely to prove successfully that he volunteered as a soldier under Spain, and later organized Filipino militia to fight against his own coun- trymen. He was a colonel of one of these Filipino regiments when the Spanish war began, and when Aguinaldo returned with Admiral Dewey to Cavite Colonel Buencamino went on 8 mission to Aguinaldo to in- duce him to fight with Spain against America. Aguinaldo indignantly repu- diated the suggestion, and convinced that America and the Fil- ipinos were going to win, and that the latter were to have independence. That was sufficient for Don Felipe. He nev- CT returned to the Spanish fold, but h joined Aguinaldo and protest ed his eternal love of liberty. The Fil- lpnos were so indignant, however, at what they regarded as his treachery during the former insurrection that they declared they would have nothing to do with him. But Aguinaldo, desir- Ing that there should be peace and uni ty among the F'ilipinos at time when unity was so necessary, forgave Buen- camino, accepted his protestations of loyalty to the new regime, and, foolish y, as we all thought at the time, gave him the office of foreign secretary in the new government-this on accaunt l of his ability and his Knowledge of in- law. The return for all this generosity will be shown presently.
 During his term of office as foreign | Buencamino wrote an extra ordinary memorial to the United | States Senate and House of Represen- which, when divested of it's ef- | fusive fiattery, shows evidence of marked ability. In it, however, he | makes a most serious charge against | he late President Mckinley by bluntly | declaring that the American forces, 'in | with the orders of President | Mckinley, commenced hostilities | against our forces for the purpose of | American sovereignty in | 1ur archipelago by force of arms" I | nave been told that Buencamino was very angry with me when l wrote to | ,ur government pointing out that such | ] charge ought not to have been made | lnless there was the most absolute l