The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-04
CITY NEWS IT WORRIED "AGGY"
The Freely Expressed Sympathy Of
Helen M. Cougar on Recent
Visit to Manila. ].
Sentiments Said to Be seditious and
Reasonable Create Something
Of Commotion.

Mrs. Helen M. Cougar the temperance
lecturer. labor sym thizer and free sill
Yer advocate, seems to be on a trip of
investigation in the orient. At any rate.
she spent a week or two in Manila in
December and stirred UP a great COM
notion. Much of this Mrs. Cougar
claimed on her departure, was due to the
misrepresentation of occurrences in the
course of her stay. In an interview with
AgunaldO she gave utterance to anti
! imperialistic sentiments. In giving his
version of the Aguinaldo converse ton,
Mrs. Cougars interpreter makes Mrs.
Cougars utterances appear quite differ
ent from. her own statements and open
to charges of treason and sedition, which
| she does not hesitate to make. Indeed,
he quotes himself saying to Mrs.
Cougar when they left the Aguinaldo. resi-
dence at Malate:
Madam, had you been here year or
more ago and expressed as much SYM
pathy and given as much encouragement
to the insurrection, you would probably
have been found the next morning doing
ponce duty around some military bar
| racks under guard or your way to
Hongkong by courtesy Of Conolel Crow
| der"
Mrs. Cougar gave her own version of
the interview in which the difference in
| wording was not so striking as its in
| tent and the construction placed upon it.
| She said: Il told Aguinaldo that desired
| to express my admiration Of the brave
| fight that he had made against the Span
iards for the independence of his coun-
try. That no right minded person in the
world thought the less of him for his
brave stand in the interests of his coun-
| trymen.' As she was reported Mrs.
| Cougar was not credited with restrict
ing her admiration to Aguinaldo's de-
tense of her country against the Spanish.
The other point that was given prom
| 1nence as reasonable is herewith given
! in Mrs. Cougars words
| Il then told Aguinaldo that the United
| States intended to eventually give the
| Fllipinos complete Independence, and thai
| | hoped the time would come when he
| would see it. as he was still a young man
and liable to live for many. many years,
| and L even said that as he was. young
he might possibly be elected to the presi-
| dency of the Filipino republic when the
| United States did give them their ulti-
! mate Independence, and that I sincerely
! wished that SO noble a patriot would
come into the highest position that he
deserved" s'....- ..-...=-.-- 49,.
In reply to the interpreters threat of
| prison for such utterances Mrs. Cougar
said she dared the authorities to arrest
| her in the matter 1.-The people of the
United States she said. do not want
to see the people of the Philippine islands
held down, to- the present form of govern
ment forever The people of the United
| Stats are tired of this form of English
| imperialism and the territory of the
| United States is free and equal I told
/ Aguinaldo that 1 knew Mr.. Bryan very
| well and admired him very much and
| that / had done all could to elect him, -
! On the strength of the first published
| interview DR.. Pentecost, who was hold
| ing evangelistic meetings in Manila, re-
| buked her at his meetings for uttering
sentiments that he branded as "un-
American. unpatriotica> and disloyal" ~
| One Of the points made. in the news
papers and in letters published in the con
! troversy was that Willie what Mrs.
Cougar really said might have been all
right if it had been said at home. it
was threatening and dangerous in Manila
! MRS. Cougar on the other hand stood
on the, right and expediency of free
| speech. She said: IF the United States
| government or the Philippine islands have
arrived at a state so nearly approa ching
| imperialism as to check the free ex-
preston of opinion on the part of citi.
zens. am sorry for the country
Agulnaldo was not pleased with the
fresh notoriety that he gained unwilling
| ~ and worried himself nearly i'll ovel
the report and wrote to Governor Tai
expressing his regret over the occurrence
The matter was given great prominence,
IN the Manila newspapers.