On the whole, I think President Roosevelt acted wisely and humanely in wiping the slate.

We had new problems to deal with, and were not bound to handicap ourselves with the old ones left over from the Spanish regime." [285] But it happens that this was the Filipino regime.

Piera's torture occurred at the very time when, according to Blount, Aguinaldo had "a wonderfully complete 'going concern' throughout the Philippine archipelago." Furthermore, it occurred in the Cagayan valley where Blount says "perfect tranquillity and public order" were then being maintained by "the authority of the Aguinaldo government" in a country which Messrs.

Wilcox and Sargent, who arrived on the scene of this barbarous murder by torture four weeks later, found so "quiet and orderly." Not only was Blount perfectly familiar with every detail of this damnable crime, but he must of necessity have known of the torturing of friars to extort money, which preceded and followed it.
The following statement seems to sum up his view of the whole matter:-- "It is true there were cruelties practised by the Filipinos on the Spaniards.

But they were ebullitions of revenge for three centuries of tyranny.