Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

138 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

We had for example, the Propaganda, the Hermandad de San
Patricio, the Cuerpo de Compromisarios, the Masoneria and
lastly the Liga Filipina. These associations were intrusted to
carry out the ideas preached by the leaders in Europe, raising
necessary funds for the campaign, furnishing facts and information about the abuses of the government, and maintaining in
the country, at least among a small group of their countrymen,
an alert and vigilant spirit, ready to take up individual and
united action when necessary. Names like Deodato Arellano,
Juan Zulueta, Domingo Franco, Doroteo Cortes, Numeriano
Adriano, Apolinario Mabini, Moises Salvador, Ambrosio
Flores, Faustino Villarruel, etc., passed into history because of
the part they played in that agitation full of constant dangers
and threats. It was not strange, therefore, that when the
Katipunan was discovered, many of those mentioned above,
were arrested and shot as "criminals of opinion."
It is already a well known fact that the general object of
those agitators was to change the government in the Philippines,
following the accepted procedure of all reformers, namely: the
frank exposure of the abuses, of the irregularities and injustices
that were committed in the country, and pleading for their
abolition and reform. What naturally happen in any agitation of this kind also happened with the Filipinos-that once
the movement was started, one would never know how it would
end. There is no doubt that in the beginning the object was
merely to effect the introduction of reforms. This was only
loyal and honorable. But a loyal and honorable petition, once
rejected, or censured and ridiculed by those designated to look
into the matter, naturally invites the adoption of more radical
methods. Among those same Filipinos in Europe there were
many who, because of the failure to obtain the reforms peacefully requested, reached a point where they preferred stronger
terms. Antonio Luna and Graciano Lopez Jaena, for example,
started to demonstrate challenging attitudes and spoke of
violence. In the Philippines the situation was much more
serious. The radicals headed by Andres Bonifacio represented
an important group, that resolutely preferred to resort to arms
instead of peaceful means in view of the indifferent attitude
of the government. Many of those who pledged monthly