PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



699 



before the taking of San Ildefonso. The whole 

 population of the valley fled at the approach of 

 the Americans, terrified by the tales of cruelty 

 and barbarity that their leaders falsely charged 

 against United States soldiers. Gen. MacArthur's 

 forces remained encamped for some time at San 

 Fernando until the railroad bridges could be re- 

 stored. The rebel soldiers were invariably strick- 

 en with panic when the Americans approached 

 \vithin gunshot. They abandoned their trenches 

 and threw down their rifles if they saw only a 

 scouting party. 



A proposal from Aguinaldo to treat for peace 

 was brought to Gen. Lawton's camp, and an 

 arrangement was made for Filipino commission- 

 ers to go to Manila to confer with the American 

 Philippine commissioners. Gen. Lawton in the 

 meantime pushed on first to San- Miguel, then to 

 San Isidro, and on May 17 attacked the insurgent 

 force in the flank and rear and drove them out 

 of the trenches and the town into the mountains, 

 having given them no time to reconcentrate their 

 scattered troops. The Filipinos had, however, 

 removed their arsenal and supplies and the Span- 

 ish and American prisoners long before the ap- 

 pearance of the American advanced guard. The 

 Spanish Government was willing to pay a ransom 

 of $7,000,000 for the release of the captured Span- 

 iards, but the United States authorities would 

 not consent to allow such a contribution to be 

 made to Aguinaldo's war chest. The Filipino 

 peace commissioners, some of whom were ap- 

 pointed from the residents of Manila, met the 

 American commissioners on May 22. They again 

 asked for an armistice until the Philippine people 

 could be consulted. Aguinaldo was busily pre- 

 paring for further fighting at the same time that 

 the commissioners were treating. The first sug- 

 gestion of peace had come after the fall of Malo- 

 los from prominent citizens of Manila, Spanish 

 half-castes, who had supported the rebellion, but 

 were not in full accord with the Chinese half- 

 castes that supplied the brains and the money 

 and expected to reap the benefits of the revolu- 

 tion. After the principles of the future American 

 rule in the islands had been laid down in the 

 manifesto of the American commissioners, the 

 Spanish mestizos were said to prefer the system 

 offered to the rule of their fellow-countrymen of 

 Chinese descent. The influence of these citizens 

 of Manila in favor of peace was insignificant, 

 however, compared with that of some of the 

 active promoters of the rebellion, sugar planters 

 and large landowners, who now began to feel the 

 strain of the pecuniary sacrifices they had made 

 and to foresee possible ruinous losses from the 

 failure of the insurrection. When the Filipino 

 Congress met at San Isidro on May 5 this ele- 

 ment was in the majority, and the result of the 

 discussion was the appointment of 7 delegates 

 to open negotiations with Gen. Otis on the basis 

 of the proclamation of the American commission- 

 ers. Aguinaldo agreed, provided the terms to be 

 obtained should prove satisfactory to the army. 

 Gen. Luna, however, who was Secretary of War, 

 and Mabini, the Secretary of State, were in favor 

 of continuing the war. Some time before this 

 Gen. Luna had taken over from Aguinaldo the 

 command of the forces in the field, which made 

 him at this juncture the master of the situation 

 and the practical dictator. He concentrated the 

 army at Tarlac, a strong position on the railroad 

 about 20 miles north of San Fernando, the Ameri- 

 can advanced position, and laid plans to get 

 hold of the persons of the peace delegates of 

 the Congress. Two of these he beheaded, as 

 Aguinaldo had beheaded the first influential citi- 



zen of Manila who had gone to his headquarters 

 to plead for peace, three of the delegates were 

 induced to support Luna's views, and two es- 

 caped through the lines and reached Manila in 

 safety. Gen. Luna then took upon himself the 

 direction of peace negotiations, but they were 

 apparently intended, like the previous proposal 

 for a month's truce, to tide over the remainder 

 of the campaigning season until the rains should 

 completely paralyze the active operations of the 

 American army. Before another campaign the 

 Government could be reorganized, the demoral- 

 ized Filipino army toned up at least to the pitch 

 of guerrilla fighting, and perhaps the American 

 nation would become tired of the attempt to sub- 

 due the insurrection. Luna's ambition to become 

 dictator was defeated, and the ascendency of 

 Aguinaldo was restored. 



An attack on the Spanish garrison at Zam- 

 boanga, on the island of Mindanao, determined 

 the Spanish Government to withdraw the troops 

 that had been left in the Philippines under Gen. 

 Rios in the hope that they might aid in securing 

 the release of the Spanish prisoners. Aguinaldo 

 refused to treat with the Spanish general or with 

 the American commander, and a Frenchman, M. 

 Dumarais, who went into the rebel lines to nego- 

 tiate, was killed by the Filipinos. Gen. Otis was 

 obliged to detail troops to take the place of the 

 Spanish garrisons when they abandoned Zam- 

 boanga and Jolo. 



The Filipino peace commissioners learned at 

 their interview with the Philippine commission 

 that President McKinley purposed appointing, 

 pending the lasting decision to be made by Con- 

 gress, an American governor general, who should 

 be assisted by a cabinet composed of Americans, 

 Filipinos, or both, and that the judges of the 

 courts to be nominated by the President might 

 be either Americans or natives. There would be 

 also an advisory legislative council to be elected 

 by the Filipinos. The request of the Filipino 

 commissioners for an armistice was denied. The 

 activity of the American troops was, in fact, re.- 

 doubled. While Gen. Mac Arthur was preparing 

 to occupy cities south and west of San Fernando, 

 Gen. Lawton drove the rebels westward from San 

 Antonio, Cario, and Arayat, and, joined by Major 

 Kobbe's column, which operated from gunboats 

 on the Rio Grande, advanced to Santa Ana and 

 Candaba on May 22. Gen. Luna's army mean- 

 while was melting away. In the country that 

 the American troops passed through a temporary 

 civil administration was inaugurated. The inhab- 

 itants of the provinces of Bulucan and Pampanga, 

 losing their dread of Americans, returned to their 

 homes. Some of the volunteer regiments, reduced 

 to skeletons through casualties and sickness, were 

 anxious to be relieved from duty at the front 

 or to be sent home, but cheerfully continued their 

 arduous work when informed that they would 

 receive their discharge at the end of May. 



Regular troops, set free by the reduction of the 

 army of occupation in Cuba and Puerto Rico, 

 were sent over to take the place of the disbanded 

 volunteers. Gen. Otis informed the War Depart- 

 ment that it was important that his command 

 should not fall below 30,000 men. The Philippine 

 generals had on their rolls at least 70,000 men. 

 When any of them returned to their homes their 

 places were taken in the ranks by others who 

 had fought before and left the army for a time to 

 resume their ordinary occupations. These were 

 the volunteers, who were able to render aid and 

 comfort to the insurgents even after resuming 

 the garb of peaceful citizens and the character of 

 amiyos, and who often kept their arms in hiding, 



