Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-11-03
MUSTHOLDTHEM
President Arrives at the Conclusion
That We Must Keep Philippines,
u J. Evident That Spain Can Not Again
Hr-E.tablish Authority over the Re-
manning Islands without a rru-
Ion=ed War with Insurgents.

WASH NGToN. oct. -. President Me
kinlcy il convinced that there is no
way in which the United State, can
escape the responsibility of taking all
the Philippines lie has arrived at
this conclusion after mature dclihcra-
nothing more than a military and
naval base. and thought that the
United States should in No event retain
more than the island nf Iuznn. When
the American peace commissioners left
for Paris il was not contemplated
that they should demand from the
Spanish government more than the alb
>olutr rc>Nion uf this one island Ia the
United States and a rrvcrsinnary in
tcrc>t in the other islands of the
group.
L. has been found however. that
thcrr were many practical difficulties
in the way of such 4 solution. not the
least Of them being the evident impo>-
>ihiliiy of SPANS rr-r>tahlishing an
thnrity over the remaining islands
without a prolonged and bloody strug-
gle with the iusurgcnt forces.
Information. coupled with the opin-
ion of military and naval commanders
familiar with the Philippine situation.
have led the president to believe that
Adm. Dcwcy'S destruction of the Span
i>h feet in Manila bay and Gen. Mrr-
ritt's capture Of Manila. annihilatcd
Spanish sovereignty in the islands and
il became "A duty of the United States
Ia establish better government than
the one which WAS destroyed 10y Amer
lean arms.
The president has been dclugcd with
letters from all parts of the United
States and with resolutions from COM
mcrcial and religious bodies. urging
that American sovereignty should be-
maintained wherever the flag has been
planted. In this same line. the prcsi-
dents recent western trip was rev
citation 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 hold
ing all the Philippines and establish
ing On American government over
In, m.
Secretary Gage. who went west he
fore the president. and who went as
far a. Denver found the sentiment
there even stronger than in Omaha.
In all the meetings of the cabinet he
fore the peace commissioners left for
Paris Secretary Gage was the most
conservative of all the presidents adj
viscrS. lie doubted the wisdom of
taking even as much a. the Island of
Luzon. and would have Iccn glad if n
way had been found Of rrlinquiShing
all the Philippines. Since his return
from the west. however. he il an advo-
cate of holding all the islands.
Although il has been finally deter
mined that the Philippines shall he re-
tanned. the peace commissioners may
be given considerable latitude as To
the terms ON which they are Ia he re-
! tanned. The Philippines are regarded
as standing on Il different basis from
Cuba and Porto Rico. and some of the
members of the administration
believe that if all the is
lands are taken spain should he
given some measure of compensation
for them. especially as the Philippines
have been by far the most valuable of
all her colonies.
1t can he said that il is quite prob
able that the American commissioners
viii Sc authorized to go 81 far as to
offer to pledge the United States to
assume the Philippine debt. or AT least
such portion of it A. has been expended
on the public works in the islands.
The exact amount of the debt that
could he properly charged to the Unit
ed States under such an arrangement
could not toe accurately stated without
fuller analysis of this debt than as
yet has been made. but IT is believed
| that il will I've less than $40 900, OOa.