[Bell]. . . was under specific orders, which while they seem necessary, do not furnish him an especially agreeable task. . . . [He] is sent to Batangas to make peace, and he proposes to do so even if the peace which he establishes must be the peace of desolation. He seemed to be in a somewhat reflective and subdued frame of mind in the presence of an undertaking which might bring destruction to a once rich province and great suffering to a large body of people. While the task is not of his choosing, it is clear that although he may expect to be vilified and have to bear the responsibility of action in many cases which he cannot control, still he seemed to have a deep determination to carry out his orders and to end rebellion in Batangas.
Bernard Moses
American historian and political scientist; member of the Philippine Commission from 1900 to 1902.
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