Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-12-14
PHILIPPINES ARE OURS.
Purchased by Spain, the Owners for
CeMturies.

On the 10th of December, 1898, the treaty
was signed. 1t provided, among other things,
that Spain should cede to the United States
the archipelago known as the Phiipp,ne i s.
Spain the sum of $20,O00,00O. and that the
civil rights and the population of the native
81 the sa 9
the congress The treaty was ratified by the
senate on the 9th of February. 1902 and by
the government of Spain on the 10th Of March
following. The notifications were exchanged
on the 18th of April and the treaty publicly
proclaimed. On the I'd of March the congress
voted the sum contemplated by the treaty
and the amount was paid over to the Span
ish government on the first of May.
In this manner the Philippines came to the
United States. The islands were ceded by the
government of Spain, which had been in I'M
disputed possession of them for centuries.
They were accepted, not merely by
our authorized commissioners in
Paris under the direction of the ex-
ecutive. but by the constitutional
and welI-considered action of the
representatives of the people of the
United States in both houses of con-
Eress.
I had every reason to believe, and I still
believe, that this transfer of sovereignty was
in accordance with the wishes and the aspira-
tons of the great mass of the Filipino people
From the earliest moment no opportunity was
lost of assuring the people of the island Of
our ardent desire for their welfare and of the
intention of this government to do everything
order of the 10th of May. 1895. the com
mander of the military expedition dispatched
to the Philippines instructed to declare
that came
Not to Make War
upon the people of that country "nor upon
any party or faction among them. but to pro-
tect them in their homes, in their employ
ments and in their personal and religious
rights" That there should be no doubt as
to the paramount authority there, Inc 18th
of August, it was directed that there must
be no joint occupation with the insurgents
that the United States must preserve the
peace and protect persons and property with
in the territory occupied by their military
and naval forces; that the insurgents and all
others must recognize the military occupation
and authority of the United States. AS early
as Dec. 4, before the cession in anticipation
urged to restore peace and tranquility and to
undertake the establishment of benefcent
government and should afford the fullest Sc
curity for life and property.
Or the 21st of December, after the treaty
signed, the commander of the forces OF
occupation was instructed ito announce and
proclaim in the most public manner that we
come not as INVADERS and conQuerors, but as
friends to protect the natives in their homes
in their employments. and in their personal
and religious rights On the same day.
while ordering Gen. Otis to see that the peace
should be preserved in Iloio. he was admon-
ished that ''it is the most important that
there should be no conflict with the insur-
gents On the first day of January, 1899.
urgent orders were reiterated that the kindly
intentions of this government should in every
possible way be communicated to the insur-
ger