PAPERS TO ACCOMPANY THE STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. WESLEY INDEX. OPINIONS ON PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. Page. 374 375 379 383 385 Greene, Brig. Gen. F. V. Bourns, Frank S., major and chief surgeon Bell, J. F., major of Engineers - Dewey, Rear-Admiral George Jewett, Charles L., lieutenant-colonel, judge-advocate CORRESPONDENCE WITH GENERAL AGUINALDO. Anderson, Gen. T. M. (July 4) Advises commanding general Philippine Aguinaldo, General. (July 5) Expresses gratitude to General Anderson for Anderson, General. (July 6) Acknowledges letter of 5th instant from Jones, Major and Quartermaster. (July 17) Informs General Aguinaldo Memorandum. (July 17) General Aguinaldo and secretary called upon Anderson, General. (July 19) Introduces to General Aguinaldo Maj. J. F. 386 390 390 391 391 392 392 393 Anderson, General. (July 21) Asks passes and such other assistance as Anderson, General (July 27). Transmits last letter he received from insur- Anderson, General (July 27). With a view to obtain information as to approaches to Manila, requests Aguinaldo to give the officers making reconnoissance all possible assistance.. Aguinaldo, General (August 1). Informs Consul Williams that he is impressed by the note of July 8, and thanks him for kind words therein. Thinks the islands will be in effect one of the richest and pleasantest countries of the globe if the capital and industry of North Americans come to develop the soil. In reference to annexation, does not think his people can be made to believe this. Makes suggestions as to the expectations of his people and desires that Mr. Williams inform Washington that the Filipinos have abandoned savagery, etc Aguinaldo, General (August 14) to General Anderson with regard to his being allowed to enter Manila, and the desirability of preventing conflict between the two forces.. Aguinaldo, General (August 13) to General Anderson in reference to difficulties between Filipino forces and American forces, and the strict orders he gave his chiefs to preserve great respect for American forces... Merritt, General. With regard to a memorandum from General Aguinaldo addressed to General Anderson which purports to contain a statement of certain desires on the part of the Filipinos. Sets forth concessions which will be granted Filipinos after certain conditions are complied with. Dated August 20... Aguinaldo, General. (August 21.) Agrees to withdraw his forces from the suburbs to the line indicated by General Merritt if the within promises and conditions are agreed to Page. 393 393 394 394 395 396 396 397 397 397 399 399 400 400 Aguinaldo, General. (August 24.) Telegram to General Merritt in regard Merritt, General. Letter to Aguinaldo acknowledging communication of Aguinaldo, General. (August 27.) Is surprised that the General thinks his Page. 401 401 402 402 MEMORANDUM CONCERNING THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. [Made August 27, 1898.] By Gen. F. V. GREENE, U. S. V. If the United States evacuate these islands, anarchy and civil war will immediately ensue and lead to foreign intervention. The insurgents were furnished arms and the moral support of the Navy prior to our arrival, and we can not ignore obligations, either to the insurgents or to foreign nations, which our own acts have imposed upon us. The Spanish Government is completely demoralized, and Spanish power is dead beyond possibility of resurrection. Spain would be unable to govern these islands if we surrendered them. Spaniards individually stand in great fear of the insurgents. The Spanish Government is disorganized and their treasury bankrupt, with a large floating debt. The loss of property has been great. On the other hand, the Filipinos can not govern the country without the support of some strong nation. They acknowledge this themselves, and say their desire is for independence under American protection; but they have only vague ideas as to what our relative positions would bewhat part we should take in collecting and expending the revenue and administering the government. The hatred between the Spanish and natives is very intense and can not be eradicated. The natives are all Roman Catholics and devoted to the church, but have bitter hatred for monastic ordersDominican, Franciscan, and Recollects. They insist that these be sent out of the country or they will murder them. These friars own the greater part of the land, and have grown rich by oppressing the native husbandmen. Aguinaldo's army numbers 10,000 to 15,000 men in vicinity of Manila, who have arms and ammunition, but no regular organization. They receive no pay, and are held together by hope of booty when they enter Manila. They are composed largely of young men and boys from surrounding country, who have no property and nothing to lose in a civil war. Aguinaldo has two or three ships, and is sending armed men to the northern portions of Luzon and to other islands. TheSpaniards there, being cut off from communication with Manila and Spain, can not be reenforced. The result will be an extension of the civil war and further destruction of property. There are in Manila itself nearly 200,000 native Filipinos, among whom are large numbers with more or less Spanish and Chinese blood who are men of character, education, ability, and wealth. They hate the Spanish, are unfriendly toward other nations, and look only to America for assistance. They are not altogether in sympathy with Aguinaldo, fearing the entry of his army into Manila almost as much as the Spaniards fear it. They say Aguinaldo is not fitted either by ability or experience to be the head of a native government, and doubt if he would be elected President in an honest election. Principal foreign interests here are British, and their feel ing is unanimous in favor of American occupation. They have already forwarded a memorial to their Government asking for it as the only way to protect life and property. Altogether the situation here is somewhat similar to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, and Egypt in 1882, and the only practicable solution seems to be on lines somewhat similar to those adopted in those cases. The length of our occupation would depend on circumstances as developed in the future, but should be determined solely in our discretion without obligation to or consultation with other powers. This plan can only be worked out by careful study by the Paris Commission, and they should have advice and full information from some one who has been here during our occupation and thoroughly understands the situation. It is not understood in America, and unless properly dealt with at Paris will inevitably lead to future complications and possibly war. The currency of the country is silver. The Mexican dollar is preferred, and worth about 47 cents gold, but the gold dollar will not buy in labor or merchandise any more than the Mexican dollar, and any attempt to establish a gold basis for currency would ruin any business in the islands. The total revenue is about $17,000,000 Mexican, derived about 35 per cent from customs, 50 per cent from internal taxes, and 15 per cent from state lottery and sale of monopolies. More than two-thirds of the internal revenue comes from poll tax or cedula, which is very unpopular. The country was self-supporting and free of debt until the insurrection broke out about two years ago, but the expenses of the civil war have disorganized finances. There is a bonded debt, Series A, $15,000,000 Mexican, held in Spain, for which the colony never received any consideration, and another debt, Series B, same amount, which was forced on the people here, and the validity of which is open to question. Both debts are secured by first liens on custom-house receipts, but this does not appear to have been respected. MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, August 29, 1898. Maj. Gen. WESLEY MERRITT, U. S. A., Manila, Philippine Islands. SIR: In obedience to your request I have the honor to submit the following: Although the Island of Luzon is the largest of the Philippine group, and likewise the most important, there are others of great importance, especially from the commercial view-point. The most important of these are known as the Visayas, and include the islands of Panay, Negros, Zebu, Samar, Leyte, Masbate, Romblon, Tablas, and Cibuyan. The Island of Zebu, on which the City of Cebu is situated, is almost entirely under cultivation, there being but little of the original for ests to be found. Here are cultivated sugar, to a limited extent hemp, Indian corn, and other products. Here, likewise, are found mines of coal and deposits of petroleum, both as yet undeveloped. Panay, on which the city of Iloilo, the second port in commercial importance in the islands, is situated, is also well under cultivation, there being but few places in the northwest and west still covered with forests. Both of these islands are inhabited by the Visayan race, |