The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-08-05
b[AMES ACUiNALD0
FOR FALL OF CAUSE
Defeat of Filipinos Dated From
Assassination Of General
Luna, Says Historian.

MANILA, July l6.--The reentry of
Emilio Aguinaldo into Philippine poll.
ties by his participation in the organ
ization of the party known as the
Consolidation Nacional.'' lends spe.
cial interest to suppressed history of
the Philippine insurreetion written by
a Filipino who was at one time mem
Der of General Agrinaldo 3 Malolos
cabinet. The author, Apolinario Ma.
bini, was one of the irreconcilables
sent tc the island of Guam for several
months as exiles and died several years
ago. i., .lst sebt5
Senior Mabini' s history is distinctly
unfavorable to General Aguinaldo, and
this fact led to its being suppressed by
the adherents of the one time Filipino
leader, later turned farmer, but now
mixing again in politics. One chapter
OF the history, however, has been pre-
served, and makes interesting reading,
as it discusses from the inside someSin.
cidents of the closing days of the IN.
surrection. The preserved part is head.
cd Chapter X, End and Fall of the
Revolution
Filipinos Unprepared.
Gas had been foreseen, our impro.
vised militia could not Withstand the
first charge of the disciplined troops OF
the (American) Union,' chapter X
reads. Further, it must be confessed
that the Filipino troops in detachments
about Manila were not on that night
prepared for an attack. The Filipino
general staff had not thought of, nor
formed, the scheme for the advance or
retreat of the troops in the event of
the breaking out of hostilities.
General Aguinaldo, who appreciated
little the advantages of unity in the
command and the movements, had not
prepared the requisite means for the
prompt reestablishment of eommunica.
ton between the different parts of the
army against the time when disorder.
~ retreat should occasion the inter.
ruption Of the telegraph line. NN
General Aguinaldo wanted to re.
tain direct command over the forces
which were about Manila, although he
could not give himself up entirely to
the proper carrying out of the respon.
sibihties of this position because of
his engagements as chief of the gov.
ernment and also because of his caprice
OF attending to many matters himself
which ought to have been handled by
the departments of the central govern
ment.
Praise for General Luna.
only after the breaking out of hos.
tilities did he name General Luna chief
of the forces operating in the vicinity
OF Manila; but then the different parts
of the army already had been dislOdged
from Their positions and communication
between them was difficult and slow.
Taking charge Of the operations to-
the north of Manila when the Filipino
government retired from Malolos I'd
Nueva Ecija, General Luna succeeded
in reforming our forces at Calnmpit
creating companies of disciplined sol.
diers from the native army, and upon
this foundation he established strict
discipline to overcome the demoraliza-
ton, of our troops. Yet many of. the
leaders, jealous of their authority, fail
ed to give him needed and effective
cooperation.
Called to Conference and Slain,
Gin spite of all, General Luna
would have succeeded in preserving dis
cipline, If General Aguinaldo had back.
ed him up. But General Aquinaldo,
too, began to feel jealousy ON seeing
General Luna gradually gaining respect
through his bravery and military knowl-
edge.
"All of those who were peeved at
General Luna s course made General
Aguinaldo believe that General Luna
was conspiring to snatch from him the
supreme authority. Following the tax.
ing of the bridge at Calumpit by the
American forces, General Aguinaldu
summoned General Luna to Kabanatuan
for conference. When General Luna
arrived there he did not find General
Aguinaldo at his residence, and was
treacherously assassinated by the sol.
diers on guard While General Lima was
dying, General Aguinaldo was taking
charge of the forces which General Lu-
ma had organized.
General Aguinaldo established his
government at Tarlac and diverted him.
self with political and literary Lahore,
carelessness of which General Otis
took advantage to disembark troops at
San Fernando, while the cavalry took
San Quintin and Tayug, thus cutting all
Of General Aguinaldo lines of retreat
and giving mortal blow to the revo-
luton. ~ ettfS
"TO say that if General Aguinaldo,
that the mortal blow given by General
Luna, had backed him up with all his
forces, the revolution would have tri.
umphed would be much presumption,
but have not the slightest doubt that
the Americans would have had much
higher opinion of the valor and mill.
tary capacity of the Filipinos.
With General Luna alive l am sure
that the mortal blow given by General
Otis. would have been stopped, or at
least evaded for the time, and there
would not have. been clearly demon.
strated the inaptitude of General Aguil
naldo as a military commander. Be
sides, to get rid of General Luna, Gen
eral Aguinaldo made use of the very
soldiers whom General Luna had pun
ished for breaches of discipline. Gen.
eral Aguinaldo then killed the disei.
pline, destroying. his own army. With
the fall of General Luna, its staunchest
Supporter, the revolution fell. aud the
ignominy of the fall all fell back on
General Aguinaldo. "
/
Chairman Caldwell, Commissioners F.
b. MeStocker and T. NJ. Church aud En-.