977.
[445] In view of the alleged attitude of General Otis toward the work
of the Commission, the following statement by him as to the effect
of this proclamation is of interest:--
General Otis said: "It was unanimously decided to print, publish,
post, and disseminate as much as possible among the inhabitants under
insurgent domination this address, printing the same in the English,
Spanish, and Tagalog languages. This was done, but scarcely had it been
posted in Manila twenty-four hours before it was so torn and mutilated
as to be unrecognizable. It suffered the same fate as the proclamation
of January 4, set out in pages 113 and 114 of this report, but it
produced a marked beneficial influence on the people, especially those
outside our lines, as it carried with it a conviction of the United
States' intentions, on account of the source from which it emanated,
it being an expression from a committee of gentlemen especially
appointed to proclaim the policy which the United States would pursue."
--_Taylor_, 90 AJ.
Taylor adds: "The commander of one of the regiments of sandatahan in
Manila reported that he had forced the people of the city to destroy
the proclamations issued by the commission (P.I.R., 73. 9). As he
found this necessary, the action of the people could hardly have
reflected their real feelings in the matter.
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