The evening times., 1898-10-13
The Presidents Address.

L-lht speeches lTOIl TIE
platform of his coach, the address of
the President at Omaha is notable for
certain vagueness, as well as smooth
ness and diction. Just as the country
was left TO guess at the meaning of his
pleas for solid front until the treaty
of peace should be signed, so were his
Omaha hearers left TO puzzle over the
application of what appears to be the
most important part of his more formal
statement.
He warns us that the solution of the
greatest problems that confront us
as a result Of the war must af-
feet other nations as well, and
that I'VE must follow duty even
if desire opposes" Again, I'VE
must avoid the temptations of undue
aggressiops." 1t is hardly to be sup
posed that these are mere phrases with
out any idea behind them. The COM
mon inference will probably be that
they refer to the case of the Philip
pines. 1t is the popular desire. beyond
all doubt, that we should insist on the
American control of all the islands of
give way if it is opposed by our duty
to other nations. The only suggestion
of undue aggressions is made by Carl
SchurZ and a few others in relation to
the Philippines. That is the only di
rection in which our desires can be held
to be excessive.
We can only conclude that the Presi-
III
against hoping for the annexation of
more than the Island of Luzon, which
is all his instructions to the Peace
Commissioners included. This adds
greatly to the public bewilderment. No
one has believed that the New York
Republicans, after interviews between
the President and Senator Platt and
subsequently the chairman of the reso-
lutions committee, would adopt a reso-
luton on this subject without his ad
vice and approval. 1t seems a matter
of course that he should be invited 10
suggest the nature of the resolution.
Yet the resolution is positive in
assuring the people that the Republi-
can policy favors the annexation of
peated by Senator Hanna. the next ano
most intimate friend and adviser of the
President and the general manager of
the Republican party. 1t all appears
TO mean that for the purpose of infiu-
encing the elections the public is led to
believe it is the firm determination OF
the Administration to take all the Phil
-, Iafa Of q
President against the charge Of mis-
leading the people. an appeal can be
made hereafter to the vague and appar-
entity irrelevant phrases of the Presi-
dent at Omaha. II any other interpre-
tation is reasonable we should like TO
hear il.
AS they seem TO be meant for future
refutation of the charge of deceit, ii is
hardly worth while to argue about
these phrases. II must be obvious to
everybody that no duty which we owe
to any other nation would compel us to
abandon our desire for the annexation
Of the Philippines. Indeed. our duty to
other peoples and TO all mankind, rather
forces us to assume the control of these
unhappy isles. Desire and duty seem
to go together. Then, there are no
temptations of undue aggressions"
that affect us at this time. The same
duty that imposes on US the rule of the
archipelago makes our aggression reas-
enable and moderate. All this has been
gone over again and again.
The speech Of the President is de-
pressing, for il seems TO mean that we
are to be limited in our acquisition to
the island mentioned in the instruc-
tions; that the resolution of the New
York Republicans and the loud asser-
tions of Senator Hanna are intended to
deceive until the elections are over. 1t
was enough that the country should
have been tricked into a momentary
confidence in the Alger Relief Commits
sion without this more serious decep-
tion.