When news of the attack of the Filipinos was received at Washington, Agoncillo, the special representative of Aguinaldo, immediately left the capital, taking the first train for Canada.  He reached Montreal February 6.  In an interview at the latter place he professed not to know that an attack on the American forces at Manila had been planned by his people.  Furthermore, he stated it as his belief that no attack had been made as described in the reports.  His manner and somewhat evasive statements indicated that he knew more than he cared to tell.  His action in fleeing from Washington indicated complicity.

One of the immediate results of the Filipinos’ attack on Manila was the hastening of the ratification by the Senate of the peace treaty.  At 2:45 o’clock, Monday afternoon, February 6, the Senate met in executive session, and three-fourths of an hour later the vote on the ratification of the treaty was announced.  It stood 57 for, and 27 against, the absent and paired being six.  The treaty was ratified by a majority of 1.

The Senators who voted for the treaty were:  Aldrich, Allen, Allison,
Baker, Burrows, Butler, Carter, Chandler, Clark, Clay, Cullom,
Davis, Deboe, Elkins, Fairbanks, Faulkner, Foraker, Frye, Gallinger,
Gear, Gray, Hanna, Hansbrough, Harris, Hawley, Jones (Nev.), Kenney,
Kyle, Lindsay, Lodge, McBride, McEnery, McLaurin, McMillan, Mantle,
Mason, Morgan, Nelson, Penrose, Perkins, Pettus, Platt (Conn.), Platt
(N.Y.), Pritchard, Quay, Ross, Sewell, Shoup, Simon, Spooner, Stewart,
Sullivan, Teller, Thurston, Warren, Wellington, Wolcott.

The Senators who voted against the treaty were:  Bacon, Bate, Berry,
Caffery, Chilton, Cockrell, Daniel, Gorman, Hale, Heitfeld, Hoar,
Jones (Ark.), Mallory, Martin, Mills, Mitchell, Money, Murphy, Pasco,
Pettigrew, Rawlins, Roach, Smith, Tillman, Turley, Turner, Vest.

Those who were absent and paired were:  Cannon and Wilson for, with
White against; Proctor and Wetmore for, with Turpie against.

The ratification of the treaty was not a party question.  Thirty-nine Republicans, ten Democrats, and eight Silver men voted for the treaty, and two Republicans, twenty-two Democrats and three Silver men voted against it.

On February 4, Aguinaldo issued the following proclamation: 

“I order and command: 

1.  That peace and friendly relations with the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies, within the limits prescribed by the laws of war.

2.  That the Americans captured be held as prisoners of war.

3.  That this proclamation be communicated to the consuls and that congress order and accord a suspension of the constitutional guarantee, resulting from the declaration of war.”