Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-05

Through the courtesy of DIR. Dominador
Gomez we are enabled today to give the
readers of Ell Concrete the first fruits Of
fine chapter of the great work Of the pa
triot Mabini, entitled THE Philippine Rev
olution." The prologue to this work will
bear the title 1.-The Social Revolution,
written by DR.. Dominador Gomez during
the time that he was detained In the Par
Ian station. for which reason the general
title OF the naturalization book will be
the 1.-TWO Revolutions" Here is the chap
ter of the magnificent work of the immortal
paralytic!
CHAPTER x.
End Of the Fall of the Revolution.
CAS- had foreseen, our improvised militia
men could not Withstand the first onslaught
of the disciplined troops of the Union.
Moreover. 1t must be confessed that the
Philippine troops stationed around Manila
were not prepared for an attack on that
night. Gen. Ricarte. who commanded the
southern detachments and Gen. San Miguel,
commanding the eastern zone of the city.
where the attack began, were in Malolos on
that night. Little accustomed to war, the
Filipino commanders and officers barely
realized the value of military drill and dis
c1pline: hence, the services rendered by the
detachments were far from regular and
orderly. The Filipino general staff had
neither studied nor formulated q plan for
the advance retreat of the troops in case
of rupture of hostilities; and Sr. Aguinal-
do, who appreciated very slightly the ad-
vantage of unity In command and move
mentS. had not prepared the necessary
means FOR prompt restoration of commu-
nicat1on between the several subdivisions of
the army whenever hurried retreat should
occasion an interruption in the telegraph
line. Sr. Aguinaldo desired to retain the
immediate command of the forces around
Manila. directing them from his residence
IN Malolos. although he could not wholly
the obligations of this office owing to his
duties as head of the government and to
the caprice Of personally dispatching many
matters which ought to be acted upon nv
the departments of the central administra-
tion. 1t was not until after the outbreak of
hostilities. when telegraphic communicat ton
was already interrupted. that he appointed
Gen. Luna to command the forces opera ting
around Manila; but by that time the sew.
eral subdivisions of the army had already
evacuated their former positions and com.
slow. Oil"
Besides, owing to the secretary of war
having disapproved one of his measures
Luna shortly afterward resigned this com
mand, although he again assumed the com,
mand of the defensive Operations north nf
Manila when the Filipino government was
compelled 10 Withdraw from Malolos to San
lsidro; province of Nueva Ecija. Luna sue
FORMING several companies from DISCHARGED
soldiers from the former native army or
ganized by the Spanish government and
upon TINS foundation, established strict dis
clphne 10 put an end to the decentralization
OF our troops: but many commanders ieaI-
Gus of his authority, failed to furnish hir,
enicient and needful cooperation This re-
suited in the forcible reduction of con-,
manders who disregarded his authority tho
prosecution of such as abandoned their
posts pefore the enemy, or the disarming
OF troops who disobeyed his orders
Luna Not Faithfully Supported.
nevertheless, Luna would have succeeded
In imposing and maintaining discipline de-
spite all these difficulties if ST. Aguinaldo
has supported him with all the power of bis
prestige and authority; but the latter also
was beginning to feel jealousy on noting
that the former was little by little coming
to the fore by reason of his valor, dash and
military knowledge. All these, disgruntIed
at the conduct of Luna, made him believe
That he was conspiring to wrest from him
the supreme authority. After the taking
OF the Calumpit bridge by the American
forces. due principally to the scarcity of
ammunition, Luna came to see me at San
lsldro to beg that l would aid him in con-
vincing Aguinaldo that the time had ar
rived to adopt the guerrilla system
promised to do what he asked though IN
forming him that l was distrustful of the
had very little weight for the reason that
not being soldier. but rather a man of let
tiers, my military knowledge must be slight
II not nil
could not keep my promise, for I did
not see Sr. Aguinaldo again after the con
ference for some time-on the very occasion
that he came to consult me on the advisa-
pllty or 1nadv1sability of change in the
cap!net. Unable to overcome the dictates
or del1cacy even under those circumstances
1 answered affirmatively; and, after having
turned over my Office to my successor the
very excellent Don Senior Pedro A. Palermo
at the beginning of May, 1899, retired to
the pueblo of Rosales, near by Bayambang
some weeks later Sr. Aguinaldo tele-
sraphed to Luna requesting him to meet
MN at Cabanatuan for conference; but
when the latter reached this pueblo he did
not find the former at his residence, and
Was treacherously assassinated by the SOL
diers on guard there. Col Francisco Ro-
man. who accompanied him. died with him
While Luna was being murdered ST. Agut-
naldo was at Tarlac assuming command of
the forces the deceased had organized.
Prior to his death Luna had his headauar-
tiers In Bayambang and had been in Ben
guet to Investigate whether the place would
furnish good defensive conditions In the
event of retreat. More still. he had al
ready begun to send there the heavier
pieces of necessary ordnance Neyerthe-
less, ST. Aguinaldo established himself ana
his government in Tarlac and amused him
self with political and literary work,
by landing troops at San Fabian, while the
cavalry, making a detour by San Jose and
Umingan. took San Quintin and Tayug,
thus cutting off Aguinaldo's lines of re-
treat and administering mortal blow to
the revolution.
Luna's Real Purpose.
II cannot believe, even now that Luna
worked to wrest from Sr. Aguinaldo the
high position he occupied; but 1t Is certain
that he did aspire to become the head of
the cabinet in place Of ST.. Palermo, with
whom he did not agree. as the autonomous
program of the latter was an infraction of
the fundamental law of the state and, as
such, constituted punishable offense. This
Is shown by an announcement which the
newspaper. La Independence. inspired by
Luna, published a few days before his
DEATH in which 1t was said that the Fa.
ternO-Buencamino cabinet was to be re-
placed by another, of which Luna was the
head and secretary of war at the same
time. When, a few days later. he received
the telegram from Sr. Aguinaldo summon
ing him to Cabanatuan. Luna may have
thought, perhaps. that the purpose of the
con ference was the new cabinet