The Van Buren press., 1899-01-28

selt-cohstituted dictator and to the quick
conquest of other powers, who will have
no Sueh hesitation as We should feel In
crushing them into subiection by harsh
and repressiVe methods 1t Is for us to
decide the destiny of the Philippines, not
Tor Europe, and we can do II alone and
shall have the wisdom. the self-restrafnt
ana the ability to restore peace and order
In those islands, and give to their people
sl, ah opportunity for self-government and
sef lfeedom under the protecting shield
of the United States until the time shall
come when they shall be able to stand
alone and If they do not themselves de-
slre 10 remain under our protection. This
- great, and q noble task. | believe
that American civilization is entirely Ca
pable of fulfilling it, and | should not have
that profound faith which | now cherish
IN American civilization and American
manhood If l did not think so.
BEL. .1EVE NOW AS THEN.
During the campaign of last autumn,
sad In my speeches to the people of my
state that could never assent to hand
these Islands back to SPAIN that | want
ed no subject races and no vassal states
but that we had by the fortunes of war
assumed a great responsibility in the
Philippines that we ought to meet it,
and that we ought to give those people
an opportunity for freedom for peace
ana Tor government that we ought
10 protect them from the rapaeity of
other nations and seek to upiift those
whom we had freed. From those views
have not swerved, and | believed then as
do now, that they met with the approx
al OF an overwhelming majority of the
people Of Massachusetts. / believe those
results can be and will be obtained.
THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE.
Take now the other alternative Sup
pose We reject the treaty or strike out
the clause relating to the Philippines
that will hand the islands back to Spain
ana ! can not conceive that any American
we would be willing to do that. Suppose
we reject the treaty, what follows? Let
US look at it practically. We continue
the state of war, and every sensible man
IN the country, every business interest
desires the re-establishment of peace in
law as well as IN fact. at the same time
we repudiate the president and his action
before the whole world, and the repudia-
ton of the president in such a matter as
this, to my mind, is the humiliation of the
United States in tie eyes of the civilized
mankind, and brands us as a people in
capable of great affairs or of taking rank
Where we belong, as one of the greatest
OF the great world powers.
WE CAN NOT DO IT.
The president can not be sent back
across the Atlantic in the person of his
commissioners, hat in hand, to say to
obedience to the mandate of a minority
of one-third of the senate to tell you
that we have been too victorious, and
that you have yielded us too much, and
that am very sorry that | took the Phil
hrpines from you" ! do not think that
any American president would do that,
or that any American would wish him to.
Still less do think that any American
would withdraw Gen. Otis and his sol
diers and recall Admiral Dewey from the
scene of his great victory, leaving it to
be said of us that we had deserted our
post without an effort to repair the ruin
we have made, or to save the people we
have freed. When the treaty fails it
could be torn in pieces, but whether it is
thrown aside or not. still we are in
he Gt1hi of in
among whom are numbered to-day the
Filipinos. would be the public enemies of
the. United States, by all the laws of
nations. There, then, would be the
war with Spain, armed with the war
power, which he can use unchecked as
the eommander-in-chief of the army and
navy. The, treaty. commits the dispo-
sition of the Philippine islands to con-
gress and to the ways and practices of
peace. Its rejection leaves them in the
sole power of the president, subject to
the usage and practices of war alone.
SPECTERS OF WRONG-DOING.
Nobody loves better than l the ideals
set forth In the declaration of inde-
pendence, but my ideals do not stop there,
| have beheld with amazement the spec
ters of wrong doing which have been con-
jured up here and charged as possible to
the American people. ! have been aston
ished to hear outside this chamber men
who for three years watched unmoved
the torture of Cuba, pleading with fervid
eloquence for the Filipinos, just rescued
by us from Spain, against the possible
cruelty which Americans might inflict
upon them. Mr.. president all this is so
inconceivable to me that | can not COM
prehend IT.. | can look at this question in
only one way. A great responsibility has
come to us. If we are unfit for it and
unequal to 1t, then we should shirk it and
fly from it. But | believe that we are
both fit and capable, and that, therefore,
we should meet it and take it up.
FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
If | did not have faith in the American
people and this government | would do
my best to prevent the ratification of the
treaty, and | can see no other ground of
opposition. But as | have profound faith
in both, | want to take those islands from
Spain in the only way in which it can be
done, by the ratification of the treaty.
humane, patriotic-to the American con-
gress and to the American people, who
have never failed in any great duty or
feared to face any great responsibility, to
deal with them in that spirit of Justice
humanity and liberty which has made us
all that we are to-day, and can ever hope
to be.
Mr. Clay, of Georgia, one of the
democratic senators who expects to
vote for the ratification of the treaty
of peace, then addressed the senate on
the general question of territorial ex-
pansion. He made it very clear that
nothing should be allowed to stand in
the way of prompt ratification of the
treaty.