The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-23
No Doubt of Ratification
by the Senate.
The CONTEST TO COME.
Over the Form Of Government 20 be Rs.
tablished for the PHILIPPINES Afser
the Cession by Spain Has been Ae.
cepted-An Effort to be Made TO Apply
TO This Territory the Principles Coz.
tained I'm the Resolution OF Last April
Regarding our Attitude Toward Cuba

Regarding our Attitude Toward Cuba
New York, December 21.-Clark
Howell, member Of the democrat ma
tional committee from Georgia, and
editor Of the Atlanta Constitution. af-
ter consulting with the leaders of both
Of the political parties at Washington
telegraphed as follows to his paper to-
night:
with the adjournment of congress
for the holidays the final decision on
the peace treaty is as clear as it will
be after a vote has been taken in the
senate. Two weeks ago the matter
was in doubt Today it is certain that
the treaty will be ratified.
Mr.. Bryan has been in Washington
for several days and has conferred
frequently with the democratic leaders
in both the senate and the house. He
has advised ratification of the treaty
and he is outspoken in the opinion that
aside from the question Of national OBJ
legation it is matter Of party policy
for the democrats to throw no obstacle
in the way Of ratification. There are
leading democrats in both the senate
were in doubt to whether or not
democrats should assist, in ratifying
the treaty; more than that, some Of
them were outspoken in the opinion
that it was perhaps better to reject it.
Today many of these democratic
leaders take open position that the
treaty should be ratified. No one who
had studied the situation from the in
side can have a reasonable doubt. 1t
must not be understood that the rati-
fication Of the treaty will carry with it
the assumption that all those who vote
affirmatively are in favor of national
expansion across the Pacific. OF the
senators who will vote in favor of the
treaty there will be republicans as well
as democrats who are opposed in prin-
.ciple as well as in theory to trans
oceanic expansion of our national do
main. They take, however, and very
properly, the view that the question of
expansion, per Sc, is not involved in the
consideration Of the peace treaty, and
| that after the treaty has been ratified
and Spain has been eliminated as a
factor in the Philippine problem, it will
| be time enough to consider the policy
| to be pursued in dealing with the
Philippines and just here will come the
real contest on the question of expan-
| sion."
| Mr.. Howell then says that after the
| treaty has been finally disposed of a
| resolution will be introduced making
| declaration of the proposed policy of
this government in dealing with the
| Philippines and that this resolution
! will be framed very much on the basis
| of the Cuban resolution adopted CO.
| incident with the declaration of war
| in which it was declared that the policy
| Of this government would be to give
the people Of Cuba free and indepen.
dent government of their own.
| Mr. Howell says cit is the deter.
mination to put forward a resolution
/ Of this kind as a rallying point for the
| expansion and anti-expansion elements
both democratic and republican thai
| takes from the consideration of the
peace treaty such doubt as might have
1 existed as to the outcome and which
| makes it's ratification a forgone con
| clusion."