th him, either direct
or indirect, until after Manila had been taken. General Merritt then
received one of Aguinaldo's staff officers in his office as Military
Governor. The interview lasted more than an hour. General Merritt
referred to his proclamation as showing the conditions under which
the American troops had come to Manila and the nature of the Military
Government, which would be maintained until further orders from
Washington. He agreed upon the lines outside of the city of Manila,
up to which the insurgent troops could come, but no further with arms
in their hands. He asked for possession of the water works, which
was given, and, while expressing our friendship and sympathy for the
Philippine people, he stated very positively that the United States
Government had placed at his disposal an ample force for carrying
out his instructions, and even if the services of Aguinaldo's forces
had been needed as allies he should not have felt at liberty to
accept them.

The problem of how to deal with Aguinaldo's Government and troops
will necessarily be accompanied with embarrassment and difficulty,
and will require much tact and skill in its solution. The United States
Government, through its Naval Commander, has, to some extent, made use
of them for a distinct military purpose, viz.: to harass and annoy the
Spanish troops, to wear them out in the trenches, to blockade Manila
on the land side, and to do as much damage as possible to the Spanish
Government prior to the arrival of our troops, and for this purpose
the Admiral allowed them to take the arms and munitions which he had
captured at Cavite, and their ships to pass in and out of Manila Bay
in their expeditions against other Provinces. But the Admiral has
been very careful to give Aguinaldo no assurances of recognition
and no pledges or promises of any description. The services which
Aguinaldo and his adherents rendered in preparing the way for attack
on Manila are certainly entitled to consideration, but, after all,
they were small in comparison with what was done by our fleet and army.

There is no reason to believe that Aguinaldo's Government has any
elements of stability. In the first place, Aguinaldo is a young man
of twenty-three years. Prior to the insurrection of 1896 he had been
a schoolmaster, and afterward Gobernadorcillo and Municipal Captain
in one of the pueblos in the Province of Cavite. He is not devoid of
ability, and he is surrounded by clever wr