numerous banners bearing inscriptions. offensive to the American element. There was one American flag, of insignificant size, displayed. This particular rabble stopped in front of the hall of the Veteran Army of the Philippines, when a native band lustily played "Aguinaldo's March," amid the cheers of hundreds of native on-lookers, and the catcalls and shouts of derision of the men in line. The band then rendered a dirge, and the procession moved on while the Filipinos rent the air with their acclamations. Being Sunday, the hall was vacant.

In the early evening the procession marched through the streets of the city to the Luneta, where it was reinforced by several other aggregations of natives that had converged from their respective parts of Manila. In Wallace Field, facing the Luneta, on the opposite side of the inner driveway, this great throng of natives held an election ratification.

The incidents already outlined, and those of a similar nature, which had been numerous, and extended over a period of months prior to the time under consideration, were noted with growing indignation by the individual Americans, who finally saw that the natives were bent on showing public disrespect to the flag and to the national anthem, the former being insulted in various ways wherever they came in contact with it, and the rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" being ridiculed, particularly at the public concerts given on the Luneta.

In addition to all this, individual Americans suffered insulting slurs, individually and collectively. The whole unnatural movement against everything American finally revived the old Katipunan precepts, which were carried into every political gathering of the Liga de Nacionalista, and in some instances into that of the Nacionalista

Party proper, and there expounded as the true and only doctrine of the people. During the closing days of the campaign, when politics was in a ferment, the Katipunan banner became more and more conspicuous. The Americans regarded the whole proceeding as significant of a growing sentiment opposed to the continuance of American rule in these Islands, and the comments of the local American press seemed to sustain this view.

At the annual encampment of the Veteran Army of the Philippines, held in Manila on August 12 and 13, 1907, the delegates from the provincial posts reported that in their respective localities politics were shifting from bad to worse, and there was a decided expression among the veterans of the organization that the time was ripe to bring the whole matter to an issue. The day following the adjournment of the encampment, at an impromptu meeting

of a number of Americans, in Manila, it was decided by them, after serious and thorough discussion, to call a public meeting to protest against the insults offered to the flag, and through resolutions to be adopted to ask the Philippine Commission to take the necessary steps to prevent and to punish further indignities to the national emblem, and to punish the authors of seditious utterances against the United States Government. As a result of this decision there met a few days. later, according to previous agreement, a number of the representative Americans of Manila, who organized what became known as the General Committee. This body chose from among its members various officers to serve on its Executive Committee, and also named sub-committees, which were duly and regularly constituted.

Plans having been definitely made, the General Committee published a

call for a mass-meeting of the Americans in the Philippines, the demonstration to be held on the night of August 23, 1907, at the Grand Opera House, in Manila, and the sub-committees were directed to make the necessary preliminary arrangements looking to the furtherance of this pro

gram.

Pending the approaching date of this mass-meeting, and after the publication in the press and by placards and announcements of the convention decided upon, the Philippine Commission, realizing the seriousness of the situation, passed an amendment to the original Sedition Law, and also, on the afternoon of Friday, on the evening of which day the mass-meeting was held, enacted what is now popularly known as the Flag Law, and which is published in full, together with the text of the amendment to the Sedition Law, as an Appendix to this little volume.