January 14, 1899.]
colony has sprung up. The natives as a rule have gone out to Jaro, ou the mainland. To- day the city is deserted, save for the soldiers, and flags of all nations fly from empty houses.
The American Vice-Consul, Mr. Chiene, and family have come to live on the Newport, the General's flagship,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
read in a high voice the message of the Am- ericans and asked the multitude, upon his resolution, to reply unanimously We will not accept, we prefer to die fighting in the very bowels of the Filipino mountains against this domination."
Proclamations will not induce the Filipinos to permit American soldiers to occupy the city, Possession is nine tenths of the law, say the Filipinos; we have the city, we got it by fighting and agreement with Spain, we believe we can hold it and oppose anyone who may try to take it from us. if we are defeated we shall not go ont until the town is burning. If the Americans want Iloilo they must fight.
6th December.
The transport Francisco Reyes came in on Monday last with 550 Filipino soldiers, who were all wed to land without interference. Al. together 1,500 soldiers have been landed in this manner since our arrival, and this is not count- ing the hundreds that have come from other islands on schooners and small boats. Fully two thousand five hundred men with rifles are in the city; a German after a trip ashore estimated four thousand. but this is an ex The Petrel arrived from Manila this morning aggeration. On Tuesday some of the Irene's | accompanied by the steamer Butuan. crew went out for boat drill towed by a lauuch carrying, it is reported. some small guns. Their course lay along the freat of the fort toward the mouth of the river, round a buoy, and back. Suddenly all the boats freed from the launch turned and started in the directiou of the ship with all possible speed. On the beach were a number of armed Filipinos and others hurriedly coming out of the barracks. It is supposed that Filipinos misconstrued the drill of the Germans.
The Spanish gunbout Elcano is still lying just off the fort, aud it was reported around the fleet that some 2,000 stands of arms had been landed by her. The atter was in. vestigated and found to be untrue, as a very close watch has been kept upon her by the Baltimore. The little iron steamer Samar, of Manila, has been impressed an:l fitted with two Hotchkiss 1.65 cm. guns and two Gatlings; she carries a guard of fifty infantrymen and should prove a valuable factor in the river fighting. In addition a large cases, or barge, has been seized, and its thick plauking backed up by hemp bales will be an excellent battery. It is so large that two hundred men can easily be used to advantage; on this several 3.2 in. guns will probably be mounted.
Iloilo is located on a small island separated from the mainland by a river, and the country is such that by proper manipulation a body of troops the number of the expedition could be landed successfully and thrown out so as to cut off all chance of escape to the mountains. With the co-operatiou of the Baltimore and small gun- boats the problem would be very much simplified. Thus the whole uative army could be bottled up in the city, where a severe defeat might be administered and the arms captured. If there is a fight the Americans will try to punish the natives very severely as on object lesson.
CONCILIATION IS IMPOSSIBLE.
THE DEADLOCK IN THE PHILIPPNS.
A GROWL FROM AN EX-CONFEDERATE
CAPTAIN,
To an outsider the present position of affairs in the Philippines is inexplicable. Outside Manila and Cavite the Island of Luzon is in the hands of Aguinaldo and his followers. Iloilo is also in possession of the Insurgents, while General Miller and the troops with which be was sent to occupy the town are cooped up in the transports anxiously waiting for orders. There may be justification for the Micawber like policy of the United States with regard to the Thilippines, but this justification is kept a profound secret by the officials, and couse- quently the enquiry has become general, "What in the word are they driving at " and other foreigners at Manila and Iloilo have begun to g umble, whilst the Spaniards and the natives, as might be expected, ascribe this in-
action to weakness.
Americans
A native of
Among the passengers who arrived in Hong- kong from Manila on Tuesday by the Sunkiang was Captain John McCafferty, a mining engineer from San Francisco. Kentucky the Captain-notwithstanding the fact that he has almost reached the allotted span of life, that he served in the Confederate Army during the civil war, and that he has gone through some rough experiences in numerous expeditions against the Indians -is a bale old gentleman, with apparently many years of vigorous life before him. He weut down to the Philippines about a cou- ple of months ago with a view to seeing if there was anything in his line there, but the deadlock prevented him from doing any- thing, and he has returned to Hongkong, whence he purposes going across the mainland to
to
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visit a certain mining property of which a countryman of his has charge. Captain Mc afferty is by no means satisfied with the way things are being managed in the Archipelago, and the other day he freely unburdened himself to a representative of the Daily Press. Said he:
Scarcely an officer in the expedition believes that the city of Iloilo can be occupied without a battle. The sooner this is realized by the authorities, the more speedy will be the settle- ment of the problem. The great mistake was made in not being able to come to Iloilo earlier; next it was a mistake not to have landed the very morning of the arrival of the expedition, wheu there could be no defence and the population was divided. Next, when the General had
On my arrival at Manila Consul Wil. lisios gave me received orders allowing him to force if neces
a letter of introduction to Aguinaldo, with a view to my securing a pass sary the recognition of the sovereignty of the United States and the orders had gone through from him to visit the mountain ranges and so the ships, boats had been lowered and other forth. Aguinaldo, however, declined to give preparations made, it was a mistake to consider me one, ascribing as his reason that the country the petition of a handful of foreigners who
was very unsettled and that his relations with General Otis were unsatisfactory. I was at oame off to the Newport in great buste aud begged that the hostilities be postponed nutil liberty to go where I pleased, but at my own the natives could communicate with their Gen-risk, and of course this reply suggested to me erals. Boats were ordered on ship again, guards released, and everyone settled down to wait, while the foreigners' petition went to General Otis at Manila. War is war and private inter- ests must sometimes suffer. Enough said on the subject, which could bear considerably more. Every hour of delay is an hour of strength to the Filipinos, and worse than this, the state of semi-siege now existing is producing a feeling of ill-will bordering on hatred toward the Americans that will spread and grow into theed, interior, and such sentiment wants to be avoided cost. Earlier in the game such a
at even
state not have been possible if stern
measures had been taken.
A local paper of the 31st ult, prints the following account of a meeting cal ed to discuss the communication of General Miller:-"The President of the Revolutionary Government
the advisability of returning to Manila and awaiting further developments. On the 28th December I set sail for Iloilo, the same vessel -the Elcano-conveying several Spanish and Filipino passengers to the same place. The Baltimore and the Charleston, with the trans- ports Newport and Arizona, had left for Iloilo two days before, so I fully expected to find the place in charge of General Miller and his troops. I was consequently greatly disappoint- if no humiliated, on seeing our soldier boys still boxed up in the transports.
On our arrival our captain-a Filipino- boarded the Baltimore and asked permission to enter the port, but his request was refused. We; therefore, lay at anchor until the next morning, when General Miller directed our ship to enter provided the Insurgents do not object l' Although advised not to do so, I visited several
27
of the lusurgent barracks, and I am satisfied that there were not 500 Insurgent soldiers in the town, and even they were poorly providba for. No matter what may be said, to the contrary, I am confident that 500 Americans could have landed and taken the place without having fired a shot. There are no defeddés whatever, except the old Spanish forts, which could not have held more than 50 môn, there is a barracks near in which are 100 troops.
"There may have been several thousand Insurgents in the foot-hills adjacent to Iloilo, but I am still curious to know how General Miller could have arrived at such a point as to ask the Insurgents for pernilssion to aconpy any place instead of disembarking and taking possession, after which he could have smilingly said, 'Como está“ VP' (• Hów do you do?)
The greater portion of the inhabitants of Iloilo have left for Manila and other places, it baving been rumoured that as the Insurgents refused to allow them to take possession the Americans purposed bombarding and destroy. ing the place. Therefore the non-combatants more especially the Spanish element and also many Filipinos, retired, leaving the town practically deserted. There are a few foreign business men there, but business is practically
at a standstill.
•
After carefully examining the situation I feel as a loyal American exceedingly grieved over what I consider to be the blundering policy pursued by our commanding officers in Manila. I am satisfied that they have been mischievously misinformed, and thereby misled; otherwise they are incompetent.
"It was most humiliating upon my arrival at Iloilo to bear our Spanish passengers
vising with the Filipinos in their jeering observations, one which was frequently repeated being · Muy valiente tropioa" (meaning that the people of the tropics were very brave, ie., they having pro- vented the Americans from landing and taking Iloilo).
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'
to
While I was going though Iloilo English- men and Germans were constantly remarking me, 'What do you Americans mean? Why do you not land and take possession of the place; it is very funny ? Naturally I left Iloilo feeling exceedingly dissatisfied with conditions existing there.
the
"On my arrival at Manila I deemed it my duty to call upon Carter Bell, A.D.C. to General Utis. believing I could furnish him with information which might be useful to the Commander-in-Chief. He requested me to call upon General Otis and this I re luctantly did. I had a long conversation with him, but when I left him I had the impression that he attached more value to the information furnished him by the Spanish General at one time in command at Iloilo than to that which I gave to him.
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During the interview I informed General Otis that I was about to call upon Aguinaldo and again ask him for a pass to enable me to go through the country, upon which the General replied, No American should ask a rebel for I then said, 'General, Ing anything,' clearly that were I to attempt to go outside your lines and solicit the good will of the Filipinos it would be most displeasing to you. Therefore as a loyal American citizen it 18 my duty to to nothing which would displease our Commander-in-Chief. I have, therefore, nothing to do but to return home." To this the General replied, 'I think you should.”
44
I am now clearly of opinion that Generál Otis is not the man for the exalted position which he holds. If he were he would not sllude directly or indirectly to Aguinaldo as a rebel. Even if he were it would not be policy for an American Governor to allude to him in such terms. But when General Otis refers to Agni- naldo as a rebel he uses a term which is not correct. Spain did not sell the inhabitants of
Internationally perhaps Spai the Islands. may have had a legal right to dispose of the Philippines but she had no right, morally of legally, to sell the inhabitants to the United States or to any other country. Therefore Aguinaldo, though he may have legally been a rebel to the Government of Spain, should not be designated a rebel merely because he is unë able to recognise the Government of the United
.