The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-21
BEGS FOR HIS PEOPLE
Distress in the Philippines
Arouses AguinaIdo.
Petitions Congress for Loan to Avert Disaster
and for the Purpose of Developing
the Islands.
(By the Associated Press.)

Washington, Jan. 2g.-Secretary Root
today transmitted to the Senate ana
House copies of a petition received by
him, through Governor Taft, from Agul-
naldo, the late insurgent leader in the
Philippines. The petition is a remark
able presentation of the conditions now
existing in the Philippines, and Secretary
Root FASTENED to send it to Congress,
because it went long way toward sup
porting the statement he had made to
the committees of that body, and also
demonstrating the necessity for prompt
and exhaustive action on the part of
Congress to prevent disaster and dis
tress in the archipelago. The Secre-
tary's letter of transmittal was very
short, simply rcciting the character OF
the document and alluding to the pic
turesquc and graphic manner in which
Aguinaldo had described the conditions
in the Philippines. The secretary at
tached particular Importance to Aguin-
aldo's profession of a desire to do every
thing in his power to aid the Americans
in carrying out relief measures and de-
veloping the islands. The petition says
in part:
Profoundly impressed by the sorrows
and calamties which afflict my people,
and bearing in mind the good intentions
which have inspired the acts of the civil
commission. L hav taken heart to pre-
sent project of purely economic char
acter which, in my opinion, would rem
edy, if not completely, at least in great
part, the precarious situation in which
we all find ourselves.
Il propose to the honorable civil COM
mission to obtain from Congress a
United States Treasury loan of twenty
million dollars, gold, in cash, and also
credit of eighty million dollars. gold,
which will guarantee the issue of paper
to serve as money in the islands. This
sum shall be used for the development
and Improvement of Philippine agricul-
ture, and shall be paid within twenty
years. the payments being made in three
installments.
when the loan and credit were APP
proved and the above mentioned sum
here in the Philippines a bank would be
opened, which could be called Omitted
States American Agricultural Philippine
Bank" and which should be under the
inspection and supervisio nof the insular
government.
after the civil commission had die
tated the proper regulations and estab-
lished all the necessary safeguards for
the security and stability of the bank.
the bank would begin to operate, MAX
ing available for the agricuIturalists
such sums as they should ask for in
compliance with the necessary formali-
ties, at an annual maximum interest Of
four per cent, payable semi annually.
in case Filipinos should wish to ac-
quire the bank BIZ making of it Joint
stock company without otherwise alter
ing its organization and methods the
government would Concede to them the
title, without prejudice to it's right to
require repayment of the amounts in
Cured by the foundation of said bank
or other necessary expenses.
1T may be that when this project is
known I shall be called an enthusiast
and a dreamer. ard it will be said that
I ought not to involve myself in matters
that force mo out of the retired life
which I have intended to follow since my
Imprisonment, and which, as l believe,
nothing that I have done has broken into
until the present time. But the ccntem-
plation of the bitter misfortunes which
Cypress this suffering people, exhausted
by evils and calamities without num-
her, obliges me to leave my retirement
to fulfill what ! believe to be my duty.
Respectfully,
(Signed) EMILIO AGUINALDO FANNY"