Admiral Dewey has made the following statements relative to the importance of Aguinaldo’s military operations:—
“Then he began operations toward Manila, and he did wonderfully well. He whipped the Spaniards battle after battle, and finally put one of those old smoothbore guns on a barge, and he wanted to take this up—wanted me to tow it up so he could attack the city with it. I said, ‘Oh, no, no; we can do nothing until our troops come.’ I knew he could not take the city without the assistance of the navy, without my assistance, and I knew that what he was doing—driving the Spaniards in—was saving our own troops, because our own men perhaps would have had to do that same thing. He and I were always on the most friendly terms; we had never had any differences. He considered me as his liberator, as his friend. I think he had the highest admiration for us because we had whipped the Spaniards who had been riding them down for three hundred years.
“Senator Patterson (continuing). You sent this short dispatch to the Secretary of the Navy:—
“‘Aguinaldo, the revolutionary leader, visited the Olympia yesterday. He expects to make general attack on May 31. Doubt his ability to succeed. Situation remains unchanged.’
“Do you recall that visit?
“Admiral Dewey. Yes.
“Senator Patterson. He came to tell you, did he, that he was going to make a general attack, and you—
“Admiral Dewey. Yes.
“Senator Patterson. And you doubted his ability to succeed?