The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-01


has from its Washington correspondent
the following interview with Senator
Hanna concerning the Philippine ques-
ton, which is believed TO represent the
views of President Mckinley:
Il do not know what the instructions
given to our peace commissioners are,
said Mr.. Hanna, but so far as con-
Germs the negotiations which will be
instituted in Paris tomorrow, L can see
no other result than that Spain will
have to relinquish her sovereignty over
not only Luzon island, but the entire
Philippine archipelago. Spain has no
reason to expect to be able TO retain
any portion of the group. She went
into the war and lost, and now ought
to be prepared to suffer the conSe-
quences which such a defeat implies.
l regard the Philippines as lost TO
Spain, and that being foregone con-
clusion, in my opinion, the problem
which next cOnfrOnts us relates to the
form of government which we will give
the islands.
when the Philippine question first
presented itself, there was a strong
sentiment among conservative, far
seeing and thinking men in this coun-
try which favored the retention by the
United States OF merely a naval base
base presumably being Manila and the
bay contiguous thereto Since then,
however, this sentiment apparently
has undergone a very marked change,
and it now appears that for the most
part these same men who at first be-
lieved we should occupy Manila alone,
are advocating the termination of
SPANS rule in the whole group.
OBLIGATIONS TO INSURGENTS.
aside from the fact that the gen
eral sentiment of the country seems to
be against returning any of the islands
to Spain, the United States is under
obligations to the insurgents to estab-
lish a stable and enlightened form of
government throughout the entire ar
chipelagO. When the war broke out
the Philippine island insurrectionists
became in certain sense the allies of
the Americans, and it is, therefore, our
moral duty to see to it that they are
assured safe and civilized rule; and
until the United States determines in
just what manner the Philippines ul-
timately shall be government, we nee
essarily will have to consider the Phil
ippines our wards
During this transitional period, the
United States will be called upon to
exercise a primitive-Or, rather, arbi-
trary-form of control over the islands,
and continue it until congress finally
evolves a system of government. In
other words, it seems to me we will
have to maintain a temporary prOtec-
tOrate over the archipelago, and this
will be accomplished by means of the
army and navy now in the Philippines
and Philippine waters. What Will be
the ultimate fate of the islands is. of
course, q problem of the future.
Whether the Philippines will become an
( independent nation or a colony of the
United States, or whether a longtime
American prOtectOrate will be estab-
lished, Will be a subject for congress
to decide.
SPAIN IS HELPLESS.
"It is well understood that Spain
must abide by the verdict of our peace
commissioners, whatever that may
prove to be, for she is in no fit con-
dition to renew the conflict, which has
resulted so disastrously to her. She
has no reason to expect that our COM
missiOners will agree to any proposition
which contemplates the continuation of
Spanish control over any part or all
of the group. I feel confident that we
will have no further trouble in an
armed way with Spain The only OBJ
stacle with which we may have to con-
tend is the opposition of the insur-
gents to our plans. 1t is not at all GER
tain, of course, that we will encounter
any such obstacles, though it is as
suredly among the probabilities. How
ever, from what 1 have read of the
mission of Agoncillo, the personal rep
resentative of AguinaldO, the insur-
gent chieftain, we may find the Flip
pinos tractable and willing to accept
whatever form of government we will
finally decide upon, so long as Spain
will have no hand in its administra-
tion."
Regarding the reports which come
from Paris that one of Spain's PROPOSE
lions TO our commissioners viii be that
the United States pay her $500, OOO. 900
for the REIMBURSEMENT of the Philip
pines, Senator Hanna said signifi-
cantly:
I'VE are not paying money for or
buying territory which we now con-
troll