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
"On July 1st," says General Anderson, in the North American Review
article above quoted, "I called on Aguinaldo with Admiral Dewey." Of
the Admiral's dealings with the insurgent chief prior to this time,
the General says in this same article:
"Whether Admiral Dewey and Consuls Pratt, Wildman, and Williams did
or did not give Aguinaldo assurances that a Filipino government would
be recognized, the Filipinos certainly thought so, probably inferring
this from their acts rather than from their statements." This last
quoted passage was read to Admiral Dewey by a member of the Senate
Committee in 1902, along with other parts of the magazine article
cited, and he was asked to comment on the same. He said:
"These are General Anderson's statements. They are very interesting,
indeed; I am here to make my own statements."
He had stated that he never did specifically promise Aguinaldo
independence, and the questioner was trying to show that his acts had
amounted to assurances and therefore had committed the Government to
giving the Filipinos their independence. Then Senator Patterson began
another question, and had gotten as far as "I want to know whether
your views--" when out came this, as of a sailor-man clearing decks
for action:
"I do not like your questions a bit. I did not like them yesterday and
I do not like them to-day." So the Admiral's feelings were respected
and the question was not pressed. There is no doubt at all that in
the Philippines in the summer of 1898 the army turned the back of its
hand to Aguinaldo as soon as it got there and baldly repudiated what
the navy had done in the way of befriending the Filipinos. But both
had acted under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army
and Navy--the President. The Admiral's sensitiveness on the subject
ought to have been respected. And it was.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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