PHILIPPINE
13
PHILIPPINE
they were not of long duration, and they did not in
any way interfere with the firmer control of the islands
which Spain was year by year obtaining, or with the
healthy growth of the Church throughout the archi-
Spanish sovereignty in the Philippines was threat-
ened by the capture of Manila by the British under
Draper in 1762. There were only 600 Spanish soldiers
to resist a force of 6000 British with their Indian
allies. Their depredations were so dreadful that
Draper put a stop to them after three days. The city
remained under British sovereignty until 1764.
There were several uprisings by the natives during the beginning of the nineteenth century. One of the most serious of these was that headed by Apolinario de La Cruz, who called himself King of the Tagalogs. By attributing to himself supernatural power, he gat here 1 about him a large number of deluded fanatics, men, women, and children. He was apprehended and put to death. An event of great importance was the introduction in 1S60 of shallow-draught steel gunboats to be used against the piratical Moros of Mindanao. For cen- turies they had rav- aged the Visayan islands, carrying off annually about a thousand prisoners. A severe eart hquake in Manila in 1S63 destroyed the chief pubhc buildings, the cathedral, and other churches, except that of San Agustin.
Some native clergy participated in a seri- ous revolt against Spanish authority which occurred at Cavite in 1S72. ThreeFilipino priests who were implicated in the uprising, Gomez, Zamora, and Burgos, were executed. It is said that the spirit of insurrection which manifested itself so strongly during the last quartcrof the nineteenth century was the result of the establishment of certain secret societies. The first Masonic lodge of the Philippines was founded at Cavite in 1860. Lodges were later formed at Zamboanga (in Mindanao), Manila, and Cebu. Euro- peans only were admitted at first, but afterwards na- tives were received. The lodges were founded by anti- clericals, and naturally anti-clericals flocked largely to the standard. There was no idea then of separation froni the mother countrj', but only of a more liberal form of government. After the insurrection at Cavite in 1872, the Spanish Masons separated themselves from the revolutionary ones. Xew societies were grad- ually formed, the most celebrated being the Liga Filipina, founded by the popular hero Dr. Rizal. Practically all the members were Masons, and men of means and education.
A more powerful society and a powerful factor in the insurrection of 1896, recalUng the American Ku- Klux Klan, was the Katipunan. Its symbol KKK was literally anti-Spanish, for there is no K in Spanish. The full title of the society was "The Sovereign Wor- shipful .\.ssociation of the Sons of the Countrj'". The members (from 10.000 to 50.000) were poor people who subscribed little sums monthly for the purchase of arms, etc. Later a woman's lodge was organized. .■Vccording to Sawyer "the Katipunan atlopted some of the Masonic paraphernalia, and some of its initia- tory ceremonipii, but were in no sense Masonic
Negritos of
lodges" (p. 83). In 1896 another insurrection broke
out near Manila, in Cavite province. Aguinaldo. a
young school teacher, became prominent about this
time. The spirit of revolt spread through the neigh-
bouring provinces; there were several engagements,
until finally, .\guinaldo, at the head of the remnant
of rebels, left Cavite and took refuge near Angat in
the Province of Bulacdn. As it would have taken a
long time to dislodge them, a method of conciliation
was adopted. The result was the pact of Biak-
nabato, signed 14 Dec, 1897. By the terms of this
agreement the Filipinos were not to plot against Span-
ish sovereignty for a period of three years; Aguinaldo
and other followers were to be deported, for a period
to be fi-xed by Spain. In return they were to receive
the sum of 8500,000 as indemnity; and those who had
not taken up arms were to be given 83.50,000 as reim-
bursement for the losses they had incurred. The lead-
ers of the insurrection of 1896 exercised despotic
power, and ill-treated and robbed those of their coun-
trymen who would
not join them. An-
dres Bonifacio, the
terrible president of
the Katipunan, ulti-
mately became a vic-
tim of these despots.
30,000 Filipinos are
reported to have lost
their lives in the re-
beUion of 1896.
In 1898 hostilities broke out between Spain and the United States. On 24 .\pril, 1898, Aguinaldo met the American Consul at Singapore, Mr. Pratt ; two dayslater he proceeded to Hong Kong. The Amer- ican squadron under Commodore (now Admiral ) Dewey destroyed the Span- ish ships in Manila Bay. Aguinaldo and seven- teen followers landed at Cavite from the L'nited States vessel Hugh McCullough and were furnished arms by Dewey. Aguinaldo proclaimed dictator- ial government, and asked recognition from foreign powers. The .\merican troops took Manila on 13 .\ugust. A treaty of peace was signed at Paris by the terms of which the Philippines were ceded to the United States, and the latter paid Spain the sum of 820,000,000. It was later discovered that certain islands near Borneo were not included in the boun- daries fixed by the peace commission. These were also ceded to the United States, which paid an addi- tional 8100,000. The Filipinos had organized a gov- ernment of their own. the capital being at Malolos, in the Province of Bulacdn. Fighting between them and the Americans began on 4 Feb., 1899; but by the end of the year, all organized opposition was prac- tically at an end. Aguinaldo was captured in April, 1901, and on 1 July of the same year the insurrection was declared to be extinct, the administration was turned over to the civil Government, and Judge Taft (now President) was appointed governor.
American Government: General. — The Spanish laws remain in force to-day, except as changed bj' military order, Act of Congress, or .\ct of the Philippine Com- mission. The first Philippine Commission was ap- pointed by President McKinley Jan., 1899. The sec- ond Philippine Commission was sent to the islands in 19(K). Its object was to establish a civil government based on the recommendations of the first commission. The principles that were to guide this commission are
