The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-30
QUESTION OF CONDENSATION.
Believed to Be S4O,ooo,ooo, With
Partial Assumption OF Debt.

New York, Oct. ga special to the
Herald from Washington says: Presi
dent Mckinley is convinced that there
is no way in which the United States
can escape the responsibility of taking
all the Philippines. He has arrived at
this conclusion after mature delibera-
ton. He at first favored keeping moth
ing more than a military and naval
base, and thought that the United
States should in no event retain more
than the island of Luzon. When the
American peace commissioners left fer
Paris it was not contemplated that they
should demand of the Spanish govern
ment more than the absolute cession OF
this one island to the United States,
and a. reversionary interest in the other
islands Of the group. 1t has been found,
however, that there were many practt-
cal difficulties in the way of such a So
luton, not the least of them being the
evident impCssibility of Spain's re-es-
tabHshing authority over the remain
ing islands without a prolonged and
bloody struggle with the insurSent
forces.
Information, coupled with the opinion
of military and naval commanders IA
miliar with the Philippine situation, led
the president to believe that Admiral
Dewey's destruction OF the Spanish
fleet in Manila bay and General Mer-
ritt's capture of Manila annihilated
Spanish sovereignty in the islands, and
1t became a duty of the United States
to establish a better government than
the one which was destroyed by Amer
lean arms.
WESTERN SENTIMENT DID IT.
The president has been deluged with
letters from all parts of the United
States and resolutions from CONNER
ciaI and religious bodies urging that
American sovereignty should be main
tanned wherever the flag has been
planted. In this same line the presi-
dents recent western trip w2S reve-
lation to him and the members of his
cabinet who accompanied him. The
further he went west the stronger he
found the sentiment in favor OF holding
all the Philippines and establishing an
American government over there
Secretary Gage, who went west be-
fore the president. and who went as
far as Denver, found the sentiment
there even stronger than in Omaha
In all the meetings of the cabinet De
fore the peace commissioners left for
Paris Secretary Gage was the most
conservative of all the presidents ad-
visers. He doubted the wisdom OF tax
ing even as much as the island OF Lu-
ZOn and would have been Slad II q way
had been found of relinquishing al the
Philippines. Since his return from the
west, however, he is an advocate OF
holding all the islands, Although II mas
been finally determined that the Phll-
ippines shall be retained, the peace
commissioners should be given consld-
cradle latitude as TO the terms on Whlch
they are to be retained. The Philip
pines are regarded as standing on a
different basis from Cuba and Puerto
Rico and some of the mem oers OF the
administration believe that if all the
isIsnds are taken Spain should be given
some measure of compensation Tor
them. especially as the Philippines have
been by far the most valuable OF all
her colonies.
1t can be said that it is quite prob
able that the American commissioners
will be authorized TO 90 so Tar as to-
pledge the United States TO assume the
PhiIippine debt or at least such portion
of it as has been expended on public
works in the islands. The exact amount
of the debt that could properly be
charged TO the United States under
such an arrangement could not be ac-
curately stated without a fuller analy-
sis of this debt than has yet been made,
but it is believed that 1t will be less
than $4,000, 0c0. I was told by a high
official of the administration tonight
that it might be decided that the Span
ish government should receive an ac-
tual cash payment for the Philippines
in addition to the assumption OF the
debt or a part of it by the United
States.