The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-15
PHILIPPINE
THE PRESIDENTS
POLICY.

POLICY.
It is evident that the public has not yet
been Informed Of the chief features of the
Presidents policy respecting the Philip
pines. For weeks the foreign dispatches
have Contained statements that our peace
commissioners would make. or had made,
this or that demand in respect to the ISL
ands. but nothing is known certainly as
/ to what the policy of the administratio
in respect TO them is A little while ago
it was said. and apparently on good au-
/ thority, that the administration had au-
| thorized our commissioners to offer Spain
| with the same appearance OF authority,
/ that not a cent would be offered for them,
/ and that the United States would not as
sumo any of the Philippine debt. A dis
| patch in Sundays New York Herald from
| Washington declares there is the best of
ton has as yet made no positive demand
relative 10 the islands, and that
II is considering the advisability of
keeping only a small portion of them.
The truth doubtless is that the commits
| si0ners have succeeded remarkably wen
in keeping their affairs from the public
and that pretty nearly all that has ap-
peared in the foreign dispatches in respect
TO the real work of the commission has
been mere speculation.
1t is reasonable to suppose that the Pres
ident gave our commissioners no iron
bound instructions in respect to the Philip
pines until he knew the result of the re-
cent elections. He wanted to know
whether his administration was sustained
before taking steps that might result in
reopening the war with Spain, particularly
as Spain might have the moral, if not the
material, support of one or more of the
other nations of Europe if the treaty nego-
tiations were broken off by her on the
ground that our demands were excessive.
Soon after the election it was said that
the President had sent a notice to our
commissioners that the negotiations must
be brought to a close speedily-that is.
thai our demands must be complied with
without further unnecessary delay. The
inference was that he had become salts
fled that he had the support of the coun-
try in demanding the whole of the PhiliyE
pines. Doubtless he sent instructions Of
some sort 20 our commissioners. but there
is nothing definite known as to the char
acter of them. No doubt much of what
has appeared in the dispatches of the do
ings of the commission was substantially
true, but it cannot be said positively that
the public knows what the policy of the
administration relative to the Philip
pines is.
The most remarkable thing In connec-
ton with the negotiations is the state
ment that ]. b. Young a son of the late
Brigham Young, as the agent of a great
syndicate having a capital of $4OO. 900 900.
has Offered to Spain S175OOO,OOO and to the
United States Sl25. 600, coo for the entire con-
troll of the islands for the period of twon-
ty-ive years, and that the President has
instructed our commissioners to consider
the proposition. II is doubtful If the Pres
ident has given such an instruction. The
United States couldn't afford to be a party
to any such scheme. The purpose of a
syndicate would be to make money out of
the islands. 1t would not attempt to bet
ter the condition of the natives 1t would
not be Influenced by any motive that a
Christian people could approve. The Young
scheme may be dismissed as being nothing
more than an effort of Mr. Young to get a
little cheap notoriety or a movement on
the part of Spain or Spanish bondholders
to create the impression that the Philip
pines are worth a great deal more than
they are generally thought to be.