Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-20
rhe Free Press office.

secured by continuing our demands to Il
coaling station and satisfactory traffic ar
rangements with the Philippines?
Upon such points as these it is desira-
bic thut men of wise and stable judgment
should have opinions and make them
known for the benefit of the public and
in order to influence, so far as we may,
wise decision on the part of the gov
crnment.
viii you give the FREE PRESS. briefly,
for publication your views on the sub
icct? Yours truly.
G. G. BENEDICT.
Among the replies received were the
following, which we commend to the
careful perusal of our eaders:
FROM SENATOR EDMCNDS.
Philadelphia, Penna.,
No. 1924 Spruce street,
October 3, 1898.
Dear Mr.. Benedict: have your circu>
lar letter of the LIST instant. My views on
the subject Of the Philippines, etc. were
succinctly and clearly stated in the New
York World, Sunday edition, about three
or four weeks ago | am too much press
cd with urgent work to restatc them.
can, however. answer everyone of your
questions emphatically in the negative.
/ am, in haste very truly yours.
GEO. f. EDMUNDS.
FROM EX-GOVERNOR BARSTOW.
Shelburne Oct G. 1895
Editor of Free Press:
| answer no, to all your six questions
If we take and hold the Philippines, We
abandon all our safe rules of foreign poll
icy. Washingtons farewell address, the
Monroe doctrine. the declarations of Nc
Kinley and Congress as to the cause and
object of the war would all be thrown to
The winds.
England, and other land-grabbing ma
tons would approve, just as Il band of
pirates welcome an accession to their
numbers,
Dewey says it would require 10000 men.
Gen. Corbin says we could not now re-
cruit a volunteer army for any purpose.
If this be true we go at once to the town
bounty system of 1864 to avoid a draft,
for whatever number of men are required
the army must be constantly kept up by
recruiting in some form. A friend of Mr..
Seward once asked hun for consul
ship. "Oh, yes" says Mr.. Seward. I'VE
have several vacancies but they are all
in the tropics where we have three con-
suls for each seaport one is at his post,
ore on the way there and the third Is on
his way home in coffin" So it would
he with our armies. l do not want to
see our country drained of its young men
for such a purpose. But If volunteers
were as plenty as blackberries. how
should we maintain and who would pay
the immense cost of this evolution of
armies ending in horrors and death? Dur
ing the civil war the republican party
income tax. but this is now declared un-
constitutional. so wealth being exempt
from taxation, the burden Of cost falls
upon the common people
l believe that the solid men of Vermont
are opposed TO such Il war of conquest and
that they agree with their great states
men, Morrill,, Edmunds and Phelps, and
n nutshell when nc says: Save a coal
ing station there is nothing in those is
lands that We need or can afford to keep"
JOHN l.. BARSTOW.
FROM CONGRESSMAN POWERS.
Morrisville, Oct. T. 1898.
Hon. q. G. Benedict. Editor Free Press:
Dear Sir: ! have recently given public
utterance 20 my views upon the matters
submitted by your inquiries OF Oct LIST
and l now answer each and all of your
questions in the negative.
Respectfully,
II. HENRY POWERS.
FROM COL. b. b. SMALLEY
Winooski, Oct 5. l53S.
Hon. G. G. Benedict. Free Press:
do not believe the United States ough,
adopt the imperial theory and practice
of selling and holding all the territory it
can, acquire in all quarters Of the globe.
On the contrary. | think we have territory
enough already, and If any moro is to be
acquired, ] should be in favor of taking
Mexico, If il can be done pcaceably 9TH
erwise not.
suppose 1t Is practically settled that
We shall occupy the island of Porto Rico,
and the Sandwich Islands
In my opinion, the acquisition OF the
latter territory is ill-advsed and ought
never to have been attempted | do not
think 1t is any part of our mission to con-
puor and oivilizc any savage or half-civl-
laed race on either side of our planet.
As to what should be done with the city
of Manila, under al the circumstances, |
am q iittlc puzzled Though If there is
any way of getting rid of It honorably,
/ should do so.
! If we keep the city of Manila, / should
not be in favor of taking the island of
Luzon, unless 1t is absolutely necessary
/ FOR self-protection.
! / am opposed to anneXing any further
territory 10 the United States, as We now
have all the rotten boroughs that VIC
need
/ do not think we can gain anything by
annexation that could not be secured by
confirming our attempts to coallng stations
with the Philippines.
am not In favor of acquiring any ter
ritory that requires large navy to pro-
tcct It, though / do believe in having a
much larger navy and army than we now
have. Yours very truly
| B. b. SMALLEY.
FROM GEN. ]. G. MCCULLOUGH.
| North Bennington, Oct. 4, 1892
| Your letter received. I do not think II