The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-11-01
MUSTHOLDTHEM
President Arrives at the Conclusion
That We Must Keep Philippines.
1t Is Evident That Spain Can Not Again
Re-Establish Authority Over the Re-
naming Islands without a Pro-
Ionged War With Insurgents.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.-President Nc
Kinley is convinced that there is NO
way in which the United States can
escape the responsibility of taking all
the Philippines. He has arrived at
this conclusion after mature delibera-
ton. He at first favored keeping
nothing more than military and
naval base, and thought that the
United States should in no event retain
more than the island of Luzon. When
the American peace commissioners left
for Paris it was not contemplated
that they should demand from the
Spanish government more than the alb
solute cession of this one island to the
United States and a reversiOnary in
Gerest in the other islands of the
group.
1t has been found however. that
there were many practical difficulties
in the way of such a solution, not the
| least of them being the evident impOs-
sibility of Spain's re-establishing au-
thority over the remaining islands
without prolonged and bloody strug-
! gle with the insurgent forces.
Information, coupled with the opin-
ion of military and naval commanders
familiar with the Philippine situation,
have led the president to believe that
Adm. Dewey's destruction of the Span
| ish feet in Manila bay and Gen. Mer-
ritt's capture of Manila, annihilated
Spanish sovereignty in the islands and
| it became duty of the United States
to establish better government than
the one which was destroyed by Amer
lean arms.
The president has been deluged with
letters from all parts of the United
States and with resolutions from com
mercial and religious bodies, urging
that American sovereignty should be
maintained wherever the flag has been
planted. In this same line, the presi-
dents recent western trip was a rev.
citation to him and the members of his
cabinet who accompanied him. The
further he went west the stronger he
found the sentiment in favor of hold
ing ali the Philippines and establish
ing an American government over
them,
Secretary Gage, who went west be-
fore the president, and who went as
far as Denver, found the sentiment
there even stronger than in Omaha.
mall the meetings of the cabinet be
fore the peace commissioners left for
| Paris Secretary Gage was the most
conservative of all the presidents adj
visers- He doubted the wisdom OF
taking even as much as the Island OF
LuzOn. and would have been glad if a
way had been found of relinquishing
all the Philippines. Since his return
from the west, however. he is an advo-
cate of holding all the islands.
Although it has been finally deter
mined that the Philippines shall be re-
tanned, the peace commissioners may
be given considerable latitude as TO
the terms on which they are to be re-
LdIHCu' uC mn ppluSS dTc EcSdructl
as standing on different basis from
Cuba and Porto Rico, and some of the
members of the administration
believe that if all the is
lands are taken Spain should be
given some measure of compensation
for them, especially as the Philippines
have been by far the most valuable OF
all her colonies.
1t can be said that it is quite prob.
able that the American commissioners
will be authorized to go so far as to
offer to pledge the United States to
assume the Philippine debt, or at least
such portion of it as has been expended
on the public works in the islands.
The exact amount of the debt that
could be properly charged to the Unit
ed States under such an arrangement
could not be accurately stated without
a fuller analysis of this debt than as
yet has been made, but it is believed
that it will be less than $40, 900, 900.
AN EMERGENCY SQUADRON.