and Sandico. Yocson was the chief who carried
on the war in the northern provinces during the absence of Aguinaldo
and his companions (_vide_ pp. 399, 407). The Americans had no less
difficulty in dealing with the natives than with the Spaniards. There
were frequent altercations between individual rebels and American
soldiers which, in one case at least, near Cavite, resulted very
seriously. The rebels were irritated because they considered
themselves slighted, and that their importance as a factor in the
hostilities was not duly recognized; in reality, there was nothing
for them to do in co-operation with the Americans, who at any time
could have brought matters to a crisis without them (by shelling the
city) but for considerations of humanity. Aguinaldo's enemies were
naturally the Spaniards, and he kept his forces actively employed in
harassing them in the outlying districts; his troops had just gained
a great victory in Dagupan (Pangasinan), where, on July 22, the whole
Spanish garrison and a number of civilian Spaniards had to capitulate
in due written form. But experience had taught him that any day an
attempt might be made to create a rival faction. Such a contingency
had been actually provided for in Article 29 of the Statutes of the
Revolutionary Government already cited. Presumably with a view to
maintaining his prestige and keeping his individuality well before
the people, he was constantly issuing edicts and proclamations. He was
wise enough to understand the proverbs, "_L'union fait la force_," and
"A house divided against itself shall surely fall." Not the least of
his talents was that of being able to keep united a force of 30,000 to
40,000 Filipinos for any object. His proclamation of the Constitution
of the Revolutionary Government on June 23 implied a declaration of
independence. He really sought to draw the American authorities into
a recognition of it; but he did not seem to see, what others saw, the
inopportunity of their doing so at that stage of America's relations
with Spain. The generals were not the arbiters of the _political_
situation. Then Aguinaldo adopted a course quite independently of
the Great Power which had undertaken the solution of the Philippine
question, and addressed a Memorandum to the foreign Governments, with a
copy of an Act of Independence. The result was altogether negative; not
a single Power chose to embarrass America, at that critical period, by
a recognition of Aguinald