of antiquated models. Very exaggerated notions of this force were current among the Spanish troops. The idea circulated that it would require one hundred thousand men to take the position. So the Governor-General, Primo de Rivera, concluded that it would be better to resort to the use of money. It was agreed by Governor-General Primo de Rivera that certain concessions should be made by the Spaniards, among which were representation in the Cortez of Spain, the sending away of the friars which was the principal question-the right of association, and a free press.

"Primo de Rivera stated that he had authority from Madrid to give two million dollars, Mexican, if necessary, in order to bring about a cessation of hostilities; the amount agreed upon, however, as acceptable to the Filipinos, was one million two hundred thousand dollars. This money was to be paid when Aguinaldo and his cabinet and his leading officers arrived in Hong Kong. No definite time was fixed during which these men were to remain away from the Philippines; and if the promises made by Spain were not fulfilled they had the right to return.

"It appears that Paterno, who served as mediator, only offered Aguinaldo four hundred thousand dollars. Two hundred thousand* dollars was paid to Aguinaldo when he arrived in Hong Kong. The balance of the money was to be paid when the Filipinos had delivered up their arms. The whole arrangement was not acceptable to the people. They were angry because a matter of business had been made of the revolution, and they had no confidence in the Spaniards.

"As a matter of fact these promises were never carried out. The civil guard began to whip and to shoot and abuse the people as before; and it is stated that in the province of Manila more than two hundred men were executed."

[SENATE DOCUMENT 62, PAGES 337, 338.]

Letter of the Consul-General of the United States at Hong Kong to J. B. Moore, Acting Secretary, Department of State, Washington. "No. 63.]

CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES,

HONG KONG, July 18, 1898.

SIR: [Summary of omitted paragraphs: Spain cannot regain the Philippines. Superior character of Filipino leaders. Their object in fighting.]

* According to other authorities, $400,000. See below.

"There has been a systematic attempt to blacken the name of Aguinaldo and his cabinet, on account of the questionable terms of their surrender to Spanish forces a year ago this month. It has been said that they sold their country for gold, but this has been conclusively disproved, not only by their own statements but by the speech of the late Governor General Rivera in the Spanish Senate, June 11th, 1898. He said that Aguinaldo undertook to submit if the Spanish Government would give a certain sum to the widows and orphans of the insurgents. He then admits that only a tenth part of this sum was ever given to Aguinaldo, and that the other promises made he did not find it expedient to keep.

"I was in Hong Kong September, 1897, when Aguinaldo and his leaders arrived under contract with the Spanish Government. They waited until the first of November for the payment of the promised money and the fulfilment of the promised reforms. Only $400,000 Mexican was ever placed to their credit in the banks.

[Summary of omissions: Interviews with insurgent delegations.]

"Immediately on the arrival of Aguinaldo at Cavite he issued a proclamation, which I had outlined for him before he left, forbidding pillage, and making it a criminal offence to maltreat neutrals. He, of course, organized a government of which he was dictator, an absolutely necessary step if he hoped to maintain control over the natives; and from that date until the present time he has been uninterruptedly successful in the field, and dignified and just as the head of his government. According to his own statements to me by 1 letter, he has been approached by both the Spaniards and the Germans, and has had tempting offers made to him by the Catholic Church. He has been watched very closely by Admiral Dewey, Consul Williams, and his own junta here in Hong Kong, and nothing of moment has occurred which would lead any one to believe that he was not carrying out to the letter the promises made to me in this consulate.

"The insurgents are fighting for freedom from the Spanish rule, and rely upon the well-known sense of justice that controls all actions of our government as to their future.

"In conclusion, I wish to put myself on record as stating that the insurgent government of the Philippine Islands cannot be dealt with as though they were North American Indians, willing to be removed from one reservation to another at the whim of their masters. If the United States decides not to retain the Philippine Islands, its ten

million people will demand independence, and the attempt of any foreign nation to obtain territory or coaling stations will be resisted with the same spirit with which they fought the Spaniards..

I have the honor, etc.,

ROUNSEVELLE WILDMAN,

Consul-General.”

[SENATE DOCUMENT 62, PAGE 328.]

Letter of the United States Consul at Manila to William R. Day, Secretary of State, Washington.

"Special.]

U. S. S. BALTIMORE,

CONSULATE OF THE United States,

MANILA BAY, OFF CAVITE.

MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, May 24, 1898.

"SIR: [Summary of ommitted paragraphs: Increased strength of insurgents. Their supply of ammunition.]

"To-day I have executed a power of attorney whereby General Aguinaldo releases to his attorneys in fact $400,000, now in bank in Hong Kong, so that money therefrom can pay for 3,000 stand of arms bought there and expected here to-morrow.

[37,000 insurgents ready to aid U. S. forces.]

[SENATE DOCUMENT 62, PAGE 421.]

From "Memoranda concerning the situation in the Philippines on Aug. 30, 1898, by F. V. Greene, Major-General Volunteers, and accompanying papers."

[Presented to the Treaty Commissioners by General Merritt.]

"In August, 1896, an insurrection broke out in Cavite under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo, and soon spread to other provinces on both sides of Manila. It continued with varying successes on both sides, and the trial and execution of numerous insurgents, until December, 1897, when the Governor-General, Primo de Rivera, entered into written agreement with Aguinaldo, the substance of the document, which is in possession of Senor Felipe Agoncillo, who accompanies me to Washington, being attached hereto, and marked A. In brief, it required that Aguinaldo and the other insurgent leaders should leave the country, the Government agreeing to pay them eight hundred

thousand dollars in silver and promising to introduce numerous reforms, including representation in the Spanish Cortez, freedom of the press, general amnesty for all insurgents, and the expulsion or secularization of the monastic orders.

"Aguinaldo and his associates went to Hong Kong and Singapore. A portion of the money, four hundred thousand dollars, was deposited in banks at Hong Kong, and a lawsuit soon arose between Aguinaldo and one of his subordinate chiefs named Artacho, which is interesting on account of the very honorable position taken by Aguinaldo. Artacho sued for a division of the money among the insurgents according to rank. Aguinaldo claimed that the money was a trust fund, and was to remain on deposit until it was seen whether the Spaniards would carry out their promised reforms, and if they failed to do so, it was to be used to defray the expenses of a new insurrection. The suit was settled out of court by paying Artacho $5,000.

"No steps have been taken to introduce the reforms, more than two thousand insurgents, who had been deported to Fernando Po and other places, are still in confinement, and Aguinaldo is now using the money to carry on the operations of the present insurrection."

[SENATE DOCUMENT 62, PAGE 462.]

From "Statement of Mr. John Foreman,* October 8, 1898, before the United States Peace Commission at Paris."

"They [the Spaniards] said, 'The Cubans have laid down their arms, and everything is quiet; why should we do anything more; we have accomplished what we wanted.' He [Martinez Campos] said, ‘I have given my word of honor; my personal honor is affected.' But they said, 'Oh, you have fallen out of power, and you will never come in again. It is a very good trick. You have got each one to lay down his arms and go to his house, and now let the reforms go; never mind the engagement.' They had done the same with the treaty or agreement of Biac-na-Bato made with Emilio Aguinaldo, the rebel general. They paid, of course, the first instalment, which had to be paid simultaneously with the exile of Aguinaldo and the thirty-two rebel leaders, and which was deposited in the Shanghai bank, but they paid no more. One of the conditions was that the families and others connected with the rebellion should not be molested in any form or sense whatever; but

*Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, author of "The Philippine Islands," etc.

immediately that Aguinaldo left for Hong Kong the priests started to persecute those left behind, and the result was that another chief - I knew his father well. Alejandrino. He had fled, but

turned up

returned, and is one of the leaders now."

[The above quotations tend to show: 1. That the $400,000 was accepted by Aguinaldo as a guarantee of good faith on the part of the Spanish Government that certain reforms should be accorded the Filipinos; 2. That the money was at once deposited in bank with the understanding that it was to be spent for the Filipino cause in the event of the non-fulfilment of the promises made by the Spanish Government; 3. That the reforms not being carried out, the money was spent, as intended, for the Filipino cause; and 4. That since Spain refused to fulfil her half of the contract, Aguinaldo, in returning to the Philippine Islands, was guilty of no breach of faith.]

AGUINALDO'S POLICY.

April 24, 1898, an interview occurred between Aguinaldo and E. S. Pratt, United States Consul-General at Singapore. In this interview Mr. Pratt says (Senate Document 62, page 342) that he learned "from General Aguinaldo the state of and object sought to be obtained by the present insurrection movement," but does not, in this letter, state details. On May 5, 1898, Mr. Pratt writes to William R. Day, Secretary of State (letter to be found on page 343 of Senate Document 62) that this interview, which he had "endeavored so hard to prevent being disclosed," was "in substance made public in yesterday's edition of the Singapore Free Press, from the enclosed copy of which," etc. The facts" he says, "are in the main, correctly given." The enclosed article contains (page 345) the statement of Aguinaldo's policy, which is reprinted below. The date of the statement, it will be observed above, is April 24, two days before the war was declared between Spain and America, and also before Aguinaldo's return to the Philippines to renew his leadership of the revolt against Spain.

"General Aguinaldo's policy embraces the independence of the Philippines, whose internal affairs would be controlled under European and American advisers. American protection would be desirable temporarily, on the same lines as that which might be instituted hereafter in Cuba. The ports of the Philippines would be free to the trade of the world, safeguards being enacted against an influx of Chinese aliens who would compete with the industrial population of the country. There would be a complete reform of the present corrupt judicature of the country under experienced European law