The Elusive Tagal

                                                                 

When we catch that Aguinaldo,

     When we catch him, understand,

There is going to be rejoicing

     Up and down this mighty land.

We will thunder bells and trumpets,

     And our “Long Tom” cannon too;

And we’ll take a day from labor,

     When we catch him, when we do.

When we catch that Aguinaldo,

     That is when the war will cease;

That is when our Uncle Sammy

     With the world will be at peace.

Mr. Atkinson and Winslow

     Will be out of work, ‘tis true,

When we catch that blooming Tagal,

     When we catch him, when we do.

When we catch that Aguinaldo,

     We will thrash him full of sense;

We will tan his little jacket

     For such dis-obedience?

When he’s rounded up by Otis,

     There will be hot times you bet;

And we’ll drink to Uncle Sammy,

     But we haven’t caught him yet.

Feb. 9, 1900

Tagal - One of a Malayan race, mainly of central Luzon, next to the Visayans the most numerous of the native peoples of the Philippines.

  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tagal

Fred Atkinson was an American Director of Education in the Philippines from 1900 up to 1902. During his time, he gave emphasis in providing Filipinos with vocational training. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Atkinson

(Erving) Winslow was a Boston Brahman owing his economic wealth to a family trading business he developed. After graduating from Harvard University he married Catherine Reignolds, an actress. They had one son, Charles-Edward Amory. Winslow was most notable in Boston as an editorial and poem writer for newspapers like the Springfield Republican. His poetry was most prolific, but he joined several reform clubs as well and volunteered as a public advocate. Winslow was a controversial figure in the (Anti-Imperialist) League because he was an ardent partisan and had been accused of corruption in relation to his membership to other organizations. Many anti-imperialists outside Boston would have prefered to have a different man at the helm, but League presidents George Boutwell and Moorfield Storey always supported Winslow. On matters of policy, Winslow was also an outspoken critic of any option for the Philippines other than full and immediate independence. His abrasive attitute led many anti-imperialists to join the Filipino Progress Association.

http://www.antiimperialist.com/the-leagues/people/10-people/57-erving-winslow