New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-06
SOME POINTS N TIE TREATY

4 Western Senator Is reported as saying that
the treaty OF peace now being concluded 1t
Paris will never be ratified by the Senate. be-
cause o. the payment of S200O0OO0 to Spain
would establish dan gerous precedent; y, We
do not want more than one island In the Philip
pines: Is, there Is no place 10 our general pol
icy for colonial possessions. and a. by taking
the Philippines We should be abrogating and
dlscardnc the Monroe Doctrine II is not sup
possible that any considerable number Of Sen
ators will oppose ratification of the treaty On
such or any grounds But II even one Is IN
clined TO do so. II will be worth while to point
out the utter inadequacy and faliacy OF the
stated grounds.
In regard 10 the first ground. there will be
no dangerous precedent' established because,
in the first place we are not going 10 have Nny
more foreign wars and consequent anneyations
Of territory and because in the second place
the proposed payment will be merely a follow
ing Of an already established precedent, and a
maintenance Of an already fixed policy. We
certainly vanquished Mexico IN 1913 as COM
pleiely as we did Spain in 1898; and we took
q great tract OF her territory. including what is
now California. Nevada. Utah and parts OF Ari
IONA. New-Mexico. Colorado and Wyoming: but
war. We paid Mexico Sl5,OOoOOO for it-pur-
chase price or indemnity az yon please. And
few years later for smaller tract south q
the ella we paid S1O.0Oo,OOO more. That is the
precedent in the case.
In the second place. our only choice Is to
take all the Philippines or none. II we have
a right TO take one We have a right 10 take
all: if we have no right 10 take all we have
oil and laax
the rest either 10 he returned 10 Spanish mis-
government or 10 fall into anarchy would he
a monstrous betrayal Of moral trust To take
one would involve us In exactly as great prob
loms OF colonial government. etc, as to take
them all And to take one and leave the lest
to Spain or 10 some other Power would i'm
measurably increase the danger or unpleasant
complications with other Powers.
As 10 the third point. that our system has
no place for colonial possessions. we should
like to know. then. where Alaska stands. IL
IS not State. 1t is not n Territory. Yet we
rossess II, and have possessed 1t for more than
thirty years. II Il is not colonial possess
SION" such as in the British Empire would he
called Crown Colony. II would be interesting
u know what II Is.
The fourth point has already been answered
so often and so concluslvely tnat " seems
strange 1t should ever be limited nj again. The
Monroe Doctrine said nothing about hemi-
spheres. II put us under no obligations con-
corning other continents. 1t simply warned
Euronean nations not TO increase their holdings
on the American continents at the expense OF
the independent States existing here and bound
us in return not TO NEEDLE With their already
established holdings. Simply that and moth
ing more II did not forbid their invasion of
other parts Of this hemisphere and their con-
quest aud annexation thereof and II did not
restrict our activities TO this hemisphere. Our
annexation Of the Philippines, therefore. Is TO
more breach or abrogaton Of II than II s
repeal of the law Of gravltafon.
If there are no more substantial objections
70 II than these the treaty will doubtless be
ratified. mem. con-, the moment 1t Is laid before
the Senate