CLIMACO TO SUPERIOR MILITARY COMMANDER, MARCH 29, 1899

Exhibit 1390.

[Original in Spanish Contemporary copy P I R. 29 3]

REPUBLICAN ARMY OF CEBU
GENERAL STAFF HEADQUARTERS
El Pardo, March 29, 1899.

The then constituted Government in this province, upon receiving news of the approaching invasion of the North-American forces, resigned its powers to the Superior Military Chief, who, on assuming both the civil and military offices on the 16th of last month, decreed the discontinuance of the councillors and their respective offices, thus giving a permanent character to the suppression of the aforesaid government and not a mere contingent suspension imposed by circumstances of events.

In consequence thereof, the superior military authority ordered that the military administration, under the direction of Lieutenant colonel Arsenio Climaco, should take charge of the department of revenues, which order was communicated to the councilor of that service Seņor Pablo Mejia, who promised to make the delivery with the proper formalities, authorizing, in the meanwhile, Seņor Arsenio Climaco to withdraw a sum deposited with Seņor Tomas Osmeņa in order that the pressing necessities of the army might be attended to before the accounts were rendered.

When the Americans once occupied the garrison and the City of the Province, Seņor Mejia continued in the discharge of his office in order to gallantly respond to the invitation of the military commander of that nation, to whom he rendered an itemized account of his bureau, in as much as from that moment, in accordance with what was stipulated, his department became subject to the direction of the aforesaid authority.

From the foregoing, there follows: that during the course of time in which Seņor Mejia has been in charge of his office, one can say that there have been two periods; the first, as councilor of revenues, elected by popular suffrage and in the service of the nation; the second, as councillor of the same service by the request or will of the American authority, consequently in the service of the nation which that authority represents, although governing with the same laws of our Republic, by the consent of the aforesaid authority; however, a simple military occupation does not generally suspend the laws of the territory occupied, although it implies the handling of the revenues.

Therefore, the operations of accounting in one period being independent from those of the other, it was proper, with respect to the first period, that he should have rendered accounts to the person designated to succeed him on the 16th of last month when he legally became separated from his office, but the contrary having occurred, for he continued in his office until the arrival of the American forces, he placed at the disposal of the commander thereof the books of his bureau; unqualifiable conduct, whether premediated or not, which the concurrence of the facts leads us to believe that Seņor Mejia had inclinations in favor of the occupants, and so public opinion has decreed, in view of the fact, and others which need not be related here; that he has withdrawn through Seņor Tomas Osmeņa the sum of $2,000.00 which the military administration had deposited, alleging that he had not authorized Seņor Arsenio Climaco to withdraw the sum deposited, although the very person who held the deposit declares that Seņor Mejia verbally ordered him to make the delivery.

Such conduct unbecoming a serious-minded person with social standing has caused great prejudice to the forces of this army, despoiling them of the only resources on which they relied at that critical moment for the development of their action in defense of the integrity of the country; but that was not all, for he has further continually induced the Seņor President that he might order the collection of all the rice stored at the different points outside of the City for the subsistence of the troops, and that the latter might be concentrated ill order to neutralize all hostile attitude towards the invaders and make resistance impossible.

The vigilance of the movements and actions of the enemy's forces and the means which they make use of for the success of their operations is prescribed as one of the duties of this corps, this headquarters has been informed that various persons, natives and residents of the City of this province, in sympathy with the occupation of the invading forces are furnishing detailed news, data and all kinds of resources, some of them assisting directly and others indirectly in prejudice to the independence of the nation; it is necessary to appoint a judge of investigation with special powers to purify all acts contrary to the order and form of the laws with respect to the integrity of our territory, and in this manner, there shall be faithfully construed one of the prescriptions of the Honorable President of the Republic which reads: "That there shall be impelled and rejected all foreign invasion at the cost of all sacrifices, in the assurance that the National Government will not leave unpunished any attempt against any integral part of its territory."

God preserve you many years for our liberty and independence.

JUAN CLIMACO,
General, Chief of Staff.

To the Seņor SUPERIOR MILITARY COMMANDER OF THIS ARMY.
(True Copy.)