Items of Interest April 4, 1901 Issue

Items of Interest

Aguinaldo, the leader of the insurgent Filipinos, was captured on March 23 by an armed party under the command of General Frederick Funston. The party comprised 78 Macabebes in the American service dressed to represent insurgent troops, four American officers besides General Funston, and several ex-insurgent officers. The hiding place of Aguinaldo was betrayed by one of his trusted officers, who was captured with letters in his possession from his chief to generals in the field. The captured officer guided General Funston to the insurgent leader's stronghold in Isabella province, on the island of Luzon. General Funston and the other Americans were dressed to represent privates, and by means of forged letters purporting to be from General Lacuna, sent on ahead by courier, Aguinaldo was made to believe that the party was a body of reinforcements which had fallen in with an American engineering party and captured five of them. He sent them food and instructions to treat the Americans kindly. The party was received at Aguinaldo's camp without suspicion, his household guard of fifty men being drawn up to receive the party of supposed friends. When it was noticed that Aguinaldo's aide was watching the Americans suspiciously, a Spanish officer commanding the Macabebes for the Americans, ordered them to open fire, which they did, killing three of Aguinaldo's guards. When the firing began General Funston assumed command and without much difficulty captured the chief and all his supporters who did not flee. He was taken to Manila and put in jail. The general opinion in official circles is that Aguinaldo's capture will soon be followed by complete submission on the part of the insurgents.

Senator Platt, who has for years been the acknowledged "boss" of the Republican party in the State of New York, deferred to by governors and legislators and by the national party managers, has finally been compelled to yield to the will of Governor Odell, who has asserted his right to full authority, limited only by the legislature, and made his assertions good. Even Colonel Roosevelt, when governor, with all his independence of spirit, was not able to have his own way, but had to compromise with Senator Platt on many important matters. Governor Odell was put forward by Senator Platt himself, and was generally believed to be a subservient "machine" politician, but even before he was inaugurated it became apparent that he looked upon the office that he was called upon to fill as a sacred trust, not to be turned into an administrative branch of the party machine. After the inauguration Governor Odell showed in every act that he was the servant of the whole people, and last week came the climax of the struggle with Senator Platt, when the latter attempted to coerce the governor into favoring a bill intended to deprive the city of New York of self-government in the matter of police administration. The governor flatly refused. Senator Platt called a conference of the party leaders from all parts of the State to support his demand, and the conference endorsed the action of the governor to the great humiliation of Mr. Platt.

Both Secretary Root and Adjutant-General Corbin expected to take part in the ceremonies in the Philippines incident to the establishment of civil government in the archipelago. Judge Taft will be the first civil governor. When the change is made General Chaffee will succeed General Mac-Arthur in command of the United States troops in the Philippines, who will, it is expected, be employed only for police duty and garrison service.

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