There were annexationists in Manila as well as in Hongkong. [94] Indeed we know that some of the strongest and best of the Filipinos there were in favour of it.

Felipe Buencamino, writing in 1901, said:—­

“In June of 1898, Don Cayetano Arellano [95] addressed to Don Felipe Buencamino and Don Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista a letter written from the town of Pagsanjan, province of Laguna, in reply to one addressed to him by those two gentlemen.  In this letter Don Cayetano outlined the idea of union with the United States and said:  ’Avoid all doing and undoing, and when America has established a stable order of affairs, then it will be time enough to make laws.’  Mabini, whose influence at that time was in the ascendant in Aguinaldo’s government, paid no heed to this wise advice.  In October of 1898, while the Philippine government was established in Malolos, and before congress had promulgated a Philippine constitution, Messrs. Arellano and Pardo [96] still more earnestly advocated union with America, the first as secretary of foreign affairs and the latter as chief diplomat.  Their plan consisted in asking the United States to acknowledge the independence of the country under a protectorate through the mediation of General Otis, and this plan was accepted at a cabinet meeting by Don Emilio Aguinaldo.  But on the following day Sandico came and told Aguinaldo that he had had a conference with the Japanese consul and had been told by him:  ’that if Aguinaldo would support absolute independence the Japanese Government would help.’  Aguinaldo believed Sandico’s story (which turned out to be absolutely false) and did not carry out the resolution adopted by the cabinet.  Messrs. Arellano and Pardo, after this affront, separated themselves from the Malolos government.  Aguinaldo told me afterwards that he had received a letter from Agoncillo, dated Washington, assuring him that a majority of the American people were inclined to acknowledge the independence of the Philippines and of Cuba.” [97]

But annexationists were not confined, in the Philippines, to the vicinity of Manila.

As late as September 6 Consul Williams reported that a delegation from four thousand Visayan soldiers, a delegation which also represented southern business interests, had come to him and pledged loyalty to annexation. [98]

Clearly, then, the situation early in September was as follows:  All were agreed that the assistance of the United States was necessary in getting rid of Spanish sovereignty.

Under the plan of Aguinaldo and his followers friendly relations were to be maintained with the United States, if possible, until Spain was ousted from her Philippine territory, and then they were to “show their teeth,” and see “who was deceiving whom,” resorting to “force of arms” if necessary.  Protection or annexation would be accepted only when it could be clearly seen that the recognition of independence, won either by force of arms or by diplomacy, was impossible.