PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



625 



inds export copra, indigo, gold dust, birds' nests, 



.ll'tv. sapanwood, mats, hats, hides, trepang, gum 



aaciga, mother-of-pearl, tortoise shell, cigars, and 



jtton. In spite of the high protective duties about 



per cent, of the imports of late years have come 



am Great Britain, 21 per cent, from China and 

 long-Kong, and only 13 per cent, from Spain. Of 

 he exports, tobacco and cigars go to Europe and 

 Isia while most of the hemp has been taken by the 

 Jnited States. The Manila hemp is superior to 



it grown in any other part of the world. The 

 igar, which is of the lowest quality, also finds its 



ly.to the United States, as well as some of the 



her products, but little has been imported hitherto 



jm America except kerosene oil. Before the 



American tariff was placed upon raw sugar nearly 



,11 the sugar went to San Francisco. In 1897 Great 



Jritain took more sugar and Japan nearly as much 



the United States. Of the hemp Great Britain 



sk four sevenths and the United States nearly all 

 le rest. Of the tobacco 75 per cent, went to Spain, 



i per cent, to Great Britain. France received nine 

 enths of the copra product and Great Britain the 

 ftmainder. 



The following table gives the trade of the Philip- 

 ine Islands with different countries according to 

 be latest reports, namely, for 1895 in the case of 

 pain ; 1896 for France, Germany, Belgium, the 

 traits Settlements, and Victoria ; and 1897 for the 

 there : 



The trade in these years was much smaller than 

 the average, owing to the internal disturbances. 

 From Great Britain in 1893 the imports amounted 

 to $3,500,000 and the exports of Philippine produce 

 to Great Britain were $10,607,000 in value.; from 

 France the imports have fallen from $2,000,000, 

 while the exports to France have trebled. Chinese 

 imports have also declined, but the exports to China 

 are twice as much as in 1893. 



Conflict between the Americans and the 

 Filipinos. Emilio Aguinaldo, the young leader 

 of the Philippine insurgents, having proclaimed 

 "ihnself first Dictator and then President of the 

 lilippine Republic, sought on every occasion to 

 atain from the American commanders an assur- 

 ace that the United States forces would evacuate 

 le islands after having expelled the Spaniards. 

 >ee UNITED STATES.) Gen. Anderson, in reply to 

 }is inquiry as to what the Americans intended to 

 told him that the United States had never been 

 colonizing power. Gen. Merritt he could not 

 raw into a discussion of the intentions of the 

 Jnited States, nor extract from him any recogni- 

 on of his provisional Government. From the 

 rst arrival of the American troops he prevented 

 leir getting transportation or labor from the 

 utives, because of his failure to obtain official rec- 

 ?nition ; and hence friction arose from the begin- 

 ing. Aguinaldo proclaimed a provisional Govern- 

 ment of the Philippine Republic at Bacoor in June, 

 'he people in the provinces north of Manila rallied 

 rebellion against the Spaniards, and Aguinaldo 

 itrenched his forces in a circle around the outskirts 

 VOL. xxxvin. 40 A 



of Manila. One of the first points seized was the 

 waterworks near San Juan del Monte. When the 

 first American troops arrived, they encamped in the 

 rear of the Philippine line on the shore of the bay. 

 The Philippine commander was induced after some 

 negotiation to withdraw his forces at this point 

 and allow the Americans to occupy the trenches. 

 Aguinaldo already jealous of the American occu- 

 pation before Manila was captured without his co- 

 operation and protected by the American troops 

 from the Filipinos had removed his Government 

 to Malolos, commanding the railroad to Dagupan. 

 After the surrender of the Spaniards in August he 

 turned the water off, but was induced to let it on 

 again, without compliance being given to his de- 

 mands. Gen. Merritt held no official intercourse 

 with the insurgent Government. When there was 

 danger of the sacking of Manila by the impatient 

 Filipinos, or a collision with the American troops, 

 who still surrounded the city, Gen. Otis in Septem- 

 ber insisted upon their evacuating the suburbs. 

 Reluctantly and surlily they complied with his 

 demands, taking up positions farther back and 

 occupying some of the Spanish blockhouses. They 

 were massed, especially, near Caloocan and the reser- 

 voir at Santa Mesa and San Juan. To avert com- 

 plications, the United States forces took up posi- 

 tions on an interior line facing the Filipinos. The 

 waterworks were strongly guarded, and there the 

 first collision between the Americans and Aguinal- 

 do's troops took place. The forces of Aguinaldo, 

 which grew to an army of 25,000 or more, were 

 drawn from the five or six provinces north of Ma- 

 nila, but the northern provinces of Luzon were 

 under the control of another leader, whose party 

 was not hostile to the Church and did not plunder 

 monasteries, like the followers of Aguinaldo. In 

 the island of Panay the emissaries of the latter or- 

 ganized an insurrection before the arrival of the 

 United States expedition, and the insurgents oc- 

 cupied Iloilo and held it in defiance of the Amer- 

 ican troops until they were expelled in February. 



Major-Gen. Otis, who was appointed to the com- 

 mand of the military forces of the United States, 

 after the signature of the treaty of peace with Spain, 

 issued a proclamation under the President's in- 

 structions announcing the cession of the islands to 

 the United States, and the extension of the military 

 Government established in Manila to the whole of 

 the ceded territory. The Americans came, not as 

 invaders or conquerors but as friends, to protect 

 the natives in their homes and employments, in 

 their personal and religious rights; and all persons 

 who by active aid or honest submission co-operated 

 with the Government of the United States to give 

 effect to these beneficent purposes were promised 

 the reward of its support and protection : all others 

 would be brought within its lawful rule, with firm- 

 ness but without severity. The paramount aim of 

 the military Administration was to win the con- 

 fidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants by 

 proving that the mission of the United States was 

 one of benevolent assimilation, substituting the 

 mild sway of justice and right for arbitrary rule. 

 Aguinaldo reconstructed his Cabinet, selecting 

 men determined on resistance to American domin- 

 ion Mabini as Minister of Foreign Affaire and 

 Premier, Teodoro Sandica as Minister of the In- 

 terior, and Gregorico Gonzaga as Minister of Pub- 

 lic Works, while Gen. Baldoraero Aguinaldo re- 

 mained Minister of War, and Gen. Trias Minister 

 of Finance. Gen. Rios, late Spanish commandant 

 at Iloilo, endeavored to obtain the release of 11,000 

 Spanish troops held as prisoners by the insurgents, 

 and 1,900 civilians, including provincial governors 

 and other officials, besides priests and monks and 

 many women. His mission proving fruitless, Gen. 



