as it was, that they might
render you such assistance as you needed?

"_Admiral Dewey_. They were assisting us, but incidentally they were
fighting their enemy; they were fighting an enemy which had been
their enemy for three hundred years.

"_Senator Patterson_. I understand that, Admiral.

"_Admiral Dewey_. While assisting us they were fighting their own
battles, too.

"_The Chairman_. You were encouraging insurrection against a common
enemy with which you were at war?

"_Admiral Dewey_. I think so. I had in my mind an illustration
furnished by the civil war. I was in the South in the civil war, and
the only friends we had in the South were the negroes, and we made
use of them; they assisted us on many occasions. I had that in mind;
I said these people were our friends, and 'we have come here and they
will help us just exactly as the negroes helped us in the civil war.'

"_Senator Patterson_. The negroes were expecting their freedom--

"_Admiral Dewey_. The Filipinos were slaves, too.

"_Senator Patterson_. What were the Filipinos expecting?

"_Admiral Dewey_. They wanted to get rid of the Spaniards; I do not
think they looked much beyond that. I cannot recall but I have in
mind that the one thing they had in their minds was to get rid of
the Spaniards and then to accept us, and that would have occurred--I
have thought that many times--if we had had troops to occupy Manila
on the 1st day of May before the insurrection got started; these
people would have accepted us as their friends, and they would have
been our loyal friends--I don't know for how long, but they would
have been our friends then.

"_Senator Patterson_. You learned from Pratt, or Wildman, or Williams,
very early, did you not, that the Filipinos wanted their own country
and to rule their own country; that that is what they were expecting?

"_Admiral Dewey_. I heard from Williams that there was an insurrection
there against the Spaniards. The Spaniards were very cruel to them,
and I think they did not look much beyond getting rid of them. There
was one, Dr. Rizal, who had the idea of independence, but I don't
think that Aguinaldo had much idea of it.

"_Senator Carmack_. Then what useful purpose did the Filipino army
serve; why did you want the Filipino army at all?

"_Admiral Dewey_. I did not want them.

"_Senator Carmack_. Did you not want the Filipino forces?

"_Admiral Dewey_. No, not really. It was their own idea coming over
there