The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-09
Gunboat McCulloch Has Left Hong
Kong with Official Orders for the
Victorious Commodore.
ANOTHER STORY OF THE FIGHT
DEWEY DISABLED ENEMY'S FLEET,
THEN WENT TO BREAKFAST.
spaniards Fought BraveIy, Firing
BroaGsides as Their War Ships
Sunk-Perhaps 1000 Slain.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.


WASHINGTON, May S.--President Nc
| Kinley has sent orders by cable to Admiral
| Dewey to hold the Philippines at all haz-
ards. 1t may be said truthfully that that
gallant officer needs no order to hold the
islands. He will hold them until ordered
to turn them over to military or civil
governor or to abandon them. The Presi-
dent contemplates holding the Philippines
only temporarily, during the war, for in
| stance. Personally he is opposed to occu-
pying them permanently. He takes the
| ground that to retain them as possessions
of the United States would be contrary to
| the whole policy and all the traditions of
| the United States in the past. These islands,
he argues, belong absolutely to another
| hemisphere, are part Of the Asiatic insular
| system and have no geographical relation
| whatever to America or the islands ada
cent thereto or dependent thereon. These
| views he has presented to those who have
| urged on him the advisability of the perma-
| nent retention of the group by the United
| States. The feeling among public men,
| however, in favor of retaining permanent
| possession OF the Philippines seems to be
| growing. number of senators have called
on President Mckinley and argued strenu-
| ously in favor of keeping the group. They
| point out the great beauty and productive
ness of the islands, their commercial i'm
| portance and their commanding strategic
| position for a coallng station and strong
hold in the Orient among the reasons
why the United States should keep them as
part of the indemnity for the cost of the
| war with Spain. They say that rich as
the islands are and great as is the wealth
| they have poured into the lap of Spain,
| they would be vastly more prosperous un-
der the control of the United States. They
| insist that the Monroe doctrine would in no
| way be involved by our retaining the
| islands They argue that it would be as
easy to hold the entire group as it would be
| to retain Manila or any other harbor as a
| coaling station. They say that it would
| create less antagonism for the United
| States to keep the islands than it would to
| sell or barter them to any European or
| Asiatic power. They also urge on the Pres
| ident that the retention of the Philippines
| is in line with his well-defined policy of
| annexing the Hawaiian islands, and aver
| that the policy of permanent occupation of
| the Philippines would help along the annex
| alton of Hawaii. The President listens, as
| is his custom in all matters that come be-
| fore him, to all that is said to him on the
| subject, but so far has given no indications
| that he has been brought around to favor
| permanent retention of the islands by the
| United States. The pressure in favor of re-
| tention is great, and comes largely from his
| personal and political friends, well as
| from some of the opposition senator's, and
| he NAV finally WELD to It,