Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-12-03
THE COMING MESSAGE.
Why We Should Control the Philip,
pines American Machinery in
Scotland Open Door Pol
icy Does Not Mean
Free Trade.
From our Regular Correspondence

President Mckinley has about finished
his annual message to Congress, ex-
cept that portion dealing with the
treaty of peace. Spain has accepted
our terms, and it is expected shat the
treaty will be signed in time to enable
the President to get as many of its
details as it is deemed expedient to
make public in his message.
There is no uneasiness in admins
tration circles about the ratification of
the treaty of peace by the Senate. al
though several Republican Senators
and number OF Democratic Senators
are talking against ratification. The
only thing the opposition can do is to
deloy ratification by preventing
vote at the coming session. 1t would
be better, of course. that the treaty
should be promptly ratified, but in
asmuch as we snail have everything
in our own hands, and as there is no
intention to govern the newly ac-
quired territory in any other way than
by military rule, for at least year,
the delay will make no material DIFF
ference, even if it extends to the end
Of the coming session Of Congress.
The President can call an extra SEES
sion of the Senate, which will be
strongly Republican after the fourth
of next March, to ratify the treaty,
and he can be sure that it will be
speedily done.
The necessity for a cabble to Ha-
wall is so apparent that it is regarded
as probable that the bill providing a
form of government for Hawaii will
also provide for the laying of cable,
which shall be subject to the control
of this government, if not actually
owned by it. No trouble is anticipat-
ed in passing the Hawaiian bill wheth-
er it includes the cable provision or
not.
President Mckinley finds it difficult
to repress a smile when some promi-
nent caller begins to tell him the
reasons-the same old reasons he has
heard a thousand times--why the U.
S. should not take the Philippines.
The President never contradicts them.
On the contrary, he expresses the
heartiest agreem ent with number of
tx csc reasons. After his anti-expan-
sion callers have exhausted their
reasons and arguments, the President
usually says something like this:
"Some Of your reasons are excellent,
but there is one glazing weakness in
your position; you do not provide a
satisfactory way in which the Philip
pines may be disposed of. Everybody
admits that we could not, with justice,
not to mention humanity, turn the is
lands over to Spain again; the natives
are in no condition to maintain an
independent government. Now, if
the U. S. doesn't take control of them,
please give me your opinion on what
ought to be done with them, bearing
in mind that to attempt to transfer
them to any European nation, other
than Spain, which is out of the ques-
ton, would almost certainly precipi-
tate a great war" Up to this time
none of the anti-expansionists have
suggested satisfactory way for us to
escape the responsibility of Philippine
control, and only a few of them have
made the attempt.
The U. S. Consul at Edinburgh,
says in report TO the Department OF
State: American made agricultural
machinery is widely used on the farms
of Scotland. Most kinds of machin-
cry for faru purposes, manufactured
In the u. S., have long been preferred
by farmers here, on account of price,
quality and design" The man who
would have predicted twenty years
ago that we would be selling large
quantities of farming implements in
any portion Of the British Empire,
would have been considered fit sub
iect for an insane asylum. There is
no telling to what extent our trade
will grow in the next twenty years, il
the wise policy, which has always
been feature Of Republican National
administration shall be continued
without inter- upton.
Those Democrats who jumped to
the conclusion that the announcement