The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-25

1
exultingly declared that the annexa-
ton treaty had passed the Senate by
over two-thirds, and was sanctioned
by the judgment of nine-tenths of his
countrymen. How that treaty finally
got its two-thirds majority in the SEN
ate-the tremendous pressure necessary
to secure it there-where it's fate hung
doubtful and trembling in the balance
until the very latest moment, and was
then only saved by the votes of Sena-
| tors who had most of the time spoken
| against 1t, no man knows better than
Mr.. Mckinley. Adulation has indeed
sorely blinded the Chief Executive to
the truth if he imagines that even the
majority of his countrymen approve of
| this permanent holding in the Orient.
| Let him not pin his faith to the sordid
| interests which clamor so loudly in his
hearing. If he will but quiet the noisy
throng which surrounds him long
enough to put his ear to the ground and
listen he will distinguish the Fremont
tions of the coming storm; he will hear
the steady tread, not of the 100000
| men who he demanded for crusade
against liberty, but of a mighty army
of people who are beginning to move
in defense of their cherished traditions
and their violated honor.
I'VE have been told further that the
President yielded up his first blush i'm
pressions at the Importantly of Admiral
| Dewey, who urged that the Philippines
should be retained. Mr. Chairman, the
Chief Executive cannot secure himself
behind the gold lace of the hero of Ma
Mia. No one can honor more pro
foundly than l do the officers of our
regular army and navy, but their pre-
del1ctlons are naturally for arms. They
have imbibed, of course, the prejudices
and the preferences of their callings
! We cannot blame them for desiring to
magnify the size and Importance of the
army and navy, for advocating expan-
sion and taking on of a colonial policy
Again, we have been assured that
the demand of our Peace Commission
ers to hold the Philippines is what in
duced the President to yield So far as
one of the Commissioners is concerned
we know that this is false. But even
if this statement were true, the Consti-
tutional power to negotiate a treaty
was his. not the Commissioners. They
were simply his instruments appointed
to carry out his will.
mo, Mr.. Chairman, this plea. like all
the others. will not avail. The truth
is that these Commissioners got their
inspiration and their instructions from
the White House. Those instructions.
once changed, the action of the Com
missioners would have been different.
The wrong was with the Chief Execu-
tive. He and he alone is responsible.
hot
ion, the reason for the change in the
Presidential policy was his concession
to the selfish capitalists of the coun-
try, his surrender to their demands
These are the gentlemen who furnished
the money for his nomination and cleo
ton, and who, I doubt not have
pledged him a denomination and re-
election. These are the gentlemen who,
already seizing upon valuable fran
chises in Cuba in connection with the
English syndicate, with a member of
Parliament from Wales at it's head.
These are the gentlemen whom Lord
Beresford has in mind in his cordial
but not wholly disinterested invitation
to an alliance in China with Great Bril-
tain, Germany and Japan against Rus
STA and France the. old-time enemies
of his country and the old-time friends
of ours. These are the gentlemen who
are already grasping after special priv
ileges in the Philippines, in Cuba and
in Porto Rico. 1t was, I imagine, for
their special benefit that the President
created his advisory board to the War
Department, composed of three Ameri-
can citizens, their object being to farm
out valuable privileges and mmunities
which should belong to the people of
those islands themselves and in who's
disposition they should have been left
if the Government is to be free and
their rights maintained 1 have no
fault to find with the spirit of legitimate
American commerce competition. My
contention is against the spirit of Amer
lean greed which cares nothing fer the
spirit of American liberty.
And what do these gentlemen pro-
pose? To amass colossal fortunes in
the islands by virtue of their fran
chises and upon the cheap labor of the
! native population, not one dollar of
which will ever find its lodging place
in the pockets of the American peo-
pie. To enable them to do this our
whole population is to purchase fed
operations in the Philippines for the
ransom of S2OOO0,COO.
What else is upon the program of
these gentlemen? The open-door in
the Philippines, making it totally i'm
possible forever to discriminate in tar
if duties there in favor of the products
of the American farm and the Ameri-
can shop. What is the other sacri-
flee that is required? That the an
nexation of Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines is absolutely sure to come at
an early day, for they have registered
| it in their VOWS, shall precipitate the
sugar, tobacco, hemp and other cheap
products of these islands and
Hawaii upon the American market in
free and unrestricted competition with
the agricultural and laboring elements
of our country.
This policy, sir, would have been
free trade in William Jennings Bryan.
What is it in William Mckinley"
The House had been keyed to a high
pitch of excitement during Johnson's
speech, but there had been no inter-
ruptions.
Settle CD of Kentucky followed
Johnson with a speech against imperial
lists, the eloquence of which attracted
attention. Six months ago, he said,
no one could have made him believe he
could ever have been brought to a 500
100000 indemnity to Spain, yet the
change of conditions had rendered it
necessary just as it was necessary
that he should be voting for the pend
ing bill. The Government occupied a
certain attitude before the world He
would stand by 1T. right or wrong. Gre
publican applause) But his action in