The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912 — John Shaqi
The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912Blount, James H. (James Henderson)
History
The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912
Blount, James H. (James Henderson)
Philippines -- History -- 1898-1946; Philippines -- Politics and government -- 1898-1935
He then proceeds with further details of the event, without
self-laudation. The Singapore papers which he encloses, however, not
handicapped by the inexorable modesty of official correspondence,
give a glowing account of the presentation of the "address," and
of the serenade and toasts which followed. Says one of them, the
Straits Times:
The United States consulate at Singapore was yesterday afternoon
in an unusual state of bustle. That bustle extended itself to
Raffles Hotel, of which the consulate forms an outlying part. From
a period shortly prior to 5 o'clock, afternoon, the natives of
the Philippines resident in Singapore began to assemble at the
consulate. Their object was to present an address to Hon. Spencer
Pratt, United States Consul-General, and, partly, to serenade him,
for which purpose some twenty-five or thirty of the Filipinos
came equipped with musical instruments.
First there was music by the band. Then followed the formal reading and
presentation of the address by a Dr. Santos, representing the Filipino
community of Singapore. The address pledged the "eternal gratitude"
of the Filipino people to Admiral Dewey and the honored addressee,
alluded to the glories of independence, and to how Aguinaldo had been
enabled by the arrangement so happily effected with Admiral Dewey
by Consul Pratt to arouse 8,000,000 of Filipinos to take up arms
"in defence of those principles of justice and liberty of which your
country is the foremost champion" and trusted "that the United States
* * * will efficaciously second the programme arranged between you,
sir, and General Aguinaldo in this port of Singapore, and secure to
us our independence under the protection of the United States."
Mr. Pratt arose and "proceeded speaking in French," says the
newspaper--it does not say Alabama French, but that is doubtless what
it was--"to state his belief that the Filipinos would prove and were
now proving themselves fit for self-government." The gentleman from
Alabama then went on to review the mighty events and developments of
the preceding six weeks, Dewey's victory of May 1st,
the brilliant achievements of your own distinguished leader,
General Emilio Aguinaldo, co-operating on land with the Americans
at sea, etc. You have just reason to be proud of what has
been and is being accomplished by General Aguinaldo and your
fellow-countrymen under his command. When, six weeks ago, I
learned that General Aguinaldo had arrived incognito in Singapore,
I immediately sought him out. An hour's interview convinced me
that he was the man for the occasion; and, having communicated
with Admiral Dewey, I accordingly arranged for him to join the
latter, which he did at Cavite. The rest you know.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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