Admiral Dewey has made the following statements relative to the importance of Aguinaldo's military operations:-- "Then he began operations toward Manila, and he did wonderfully well. He whipped the Spaniards battle after battle, and finally put one of those old smoothbore guns on a barge, and he wanted to take this up--wanted me to tow it up so he could attack the city with it. I said, 'Oh, no, no; we can do nothing until our troops come.' I knew he could not take the city without the assistance of the navy, without my assistance, and I knew that what he was doing--driving the Spaniards in--was saving our own troops, because our own men perhaps would have had to do that same thing. He and I were always on the most friendly terms; we had never had any differences. He considered me as his liberator, as his friend. I think he had the highest admiration for us because we had whipped the Spaniards who had been riding them down for three hundred years. * * * * * "_Senator Patterson_ (continuing). You sent this short dispatch to the Secretary of the Navy:-- "'Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader, visited the _Olympia_ yesterday. He expects to make general attack on May 31. Doubt his ability to succeed. Situation remains unchanged.' "Do you recall that visit? "_Admiral Dewey_. Yes. "_Senator Patterson_. He came to tell you, did he, that he was going to make a general attack, and you-- "_Admiral Dewey_. Yes. "_Senator Patterson_. And you doubted his ability to succeed? "_Admiral Dewey_. And he wanted me to assist him. He wanted me to tow one of his guns up into position. I knew he could not take the city; of course he could not. "_Senator Patterson_. Did you urge that he should not make the attack? "_Admiral Dewey_. I do not remember that; very likely I did. "_Senator Patterson_. And was he not persuaded or restrained by you from doing so? "_Admiral Dewey_. I do not remember; but it is very likely. I did not want to see a lot of them killed unnecessarily, because I knew they could not take that walled city. They had no artillery, and they could not take it, I knew very well, and I wanted the situation to remain as it was until our troops came to occupy it. "_Senator Patterson_. But you found that whenever you expressed a strong objection to anything being done at that time that Aguinaldo yielded to your request? "_Admiral Dewey_. Up to the time the army came he did everything I requested. I had not much to do with him after the army came." [101] But Dewey's influence over Aguinaldo was not sufficient to prevent his looting, as the following extracts from his testimony show:--