nt forty miles from Manila, proves that they
have come to an understanding that the soldiers of the United States
are not in the Philippines for their health entirely, or purely in
the interest of universal benevolence. The Filipinos must know, too,
that they could never themselves have captured Manila. It is not
inapt to say that the real center of the rebellion against Spain is,
as it has been for years, at Hongkong.

I reserved what seemed the most interesting question of the interview
with the Philippine leader to the last. It was whether a condition
of pacification was the expulsion of the Catholic priests as a
class. This was presented with reference to the threats that had
been made in my hearing that the priests must go or die, for they
were the breeders of all trouble. Must all of them be removed in
some way or another? If not, where would the line be drawn? The
lips of the General were parted and his voice quite low and gentle,
the tongue to a remarkable degree doing the talking, as he replied,
plainly picking words cautiously and measuring them. The able and
acute interpreter dealt them out rapidly, and his rendering gave
token that the Filipinos have already had lessons in diplomacy--even
in the Spanish style of polite prevarication--or, if that may be a
shade too strong, let us say elusive reservation--the use of language
that is more shady than silence, the framing of phrases that may
be interpreted so as not to close but to continue discussion and
leave wide fields for controversy. The General did not refer to his
counselors, or the congress that is in the background and advertised
as if it were a new force.

The words of the interpreter for him were:

"The General says the priests to whom objection is made, and with whom
we have a mortal quarrel, are not our own priests, but the Spaniards'
and those of the orders. We respect the Catholic church. We respect
our own priests, and, if they are friends of our country, will protect
them. Our war is not upon the Catholic church, but upon the friars,
who have been the most cruel enemies. We cannot have them here. They
must go away. Let them go to Spain. We are willing that they may go
to their own country. We do not want them. There is no peace until
they go."

I said my information was that the objectionable Orders expressly
proscribed by the insurgents were the Dominicans, Augustines,
Franciscans and Recollects, but that the Jesuits were not
included. Th