ny influential men lamented the necessity, but it was
generally conceded. But how much independence should Cuba have? That
question was answered by the passage of the Cuban Treaty with the "Platt
Amendment" attached. Under the treaty as ratified the United States does
exercise "sovereignty, jurisdiction and control" over the island.

4. _The Philippines_

The territory acquired from Spain was now, in theory, disposed of.
Practically, the Philippines remained as a source of difficulty and even
of political danger.

The people of Cuba were, apparently, satisfied. The Porto Ricans had
accepted the authority of the United States without question. But the
Filipinos were not content. If the Cubans were to have self-government,
why not they?

The situation was complicated by the peculiar relations existing between
the Filipinos and the United States Government. Immediately after the
declaration of war with Spain the United States Consul-General at
Singapore had cabled to Admiral Dewey at Hong Kong that Aguinaldo,
leader of the insurgent forces in the Philippines, was then at
Singapore, and was ready to go to Hong Kong. Commodore Dewey cabled back
asking Aguinaldo to come at once to Hong Kong. Aguinaldo left Singapore
on April 26, 1898, and, with seventeen other revolutionary Filipino
chiefs, was taken from Hong Kong to Manila in the United States naval
vessel _McCulloch_. Upon his arrival in Manila, he at once took charge
of the insurgents.

For three hundred years the inhabitants of the Philippines had been
engaged in almost incessant warfare with the Spanish authorities. In the
spring of 1898 they were in a fair way to win their independence. They
had a large number of men under arms--from 20,000 to 30,000; they had
fought the Spanish garrisons to a stand-still, and were in practical
control of the situation.

Aguinaldo was furnished with 4,000 or 5,000 stands of arms by the
American officials, he took additional arms from the Spaniards and he
and his people cooperated actively with the Americans in driving the
Spanish out of Luzon. The Filipino army captured Iloilo, the second
largest city in the Philippines, without the assistance of the
Americans. On the day of the surrender of Manila, 15-1/2 miles of the
surrounding line was occupied by the Filipinos and 600 yards by the
American troops. Throughout the early summer, the relations between the
Filipinos and the Americans continued to be friendly. General Anderson,