The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-15
GRAY TALKS OF THE TREATY.
COLONIAL POLICY DOES NOT NECEs-
SARILY FOLLOW WAR.

II Ooes NOT FOLLOW Ihat the Prin-
ciDIes of Our Government VIII De
Lost Sight Of-The Problem Before
Us Is With the People and Not the
President.
Wilmington, Del, Jan. 14-United States
Senator George Gray was rendered COM
plimentary dinner by the local Board
Of Trade in this city tonight
President Mckinley, his cabinet and all
the members of the peace commission,
with the exception of John Bassett Moore,
sent letters of regret. Mr.. Moore was the
only member of the commission present
There were 200 guests in attendance.
Senator Gray was the chief speaker of
the evening and responding to the toast
Our Guests Of Honor" he said:
1T seems to be very commonplace and
cold, in response to this generous welcome
to say that thank you from a full heart
and yet, what else can l say. When one
feels deeply, short words are best, and
meaning.
L have had, as you know, the great
honor of having been sent by the Presl-
dent of the United States as one of the
commissioners to negotiate and conclude a
treaty of peace with Spain, and we lately
brought home with us such a treaty
which, if ratified, will restore peace be
tween the two countries and make more
secure the peace of the world.
I'VE are now in a crisis of our national
history and your hearts and minds as
patriotic citizens of this great country, are
full of anxiety as to the proper settle
| ment Of the momentous issues which have
resulted from the war with Spain. While
our country was in war with Spain we
We're ready to make, hope, every sacrifice
to insure the success of American arms
and bring victory and honor to the Amer
lean flag. And when the war was over
believe, the patriotic instinct Of American
citizenship demanded. as your President
! enjoined upon US, that We should exhibit
magnanimity to a PROSTATE foe and mod
| Grafton in the hour of victory, as we had
| faced the war with steadfastness and
| courage.
Duty Well Performed.
in the first place want to say to you
that it was my pleasure as well as what 7
conceived my duty, to endeavor to carry
out this instruction, so credible to us as a
nation and so worthy of the high civih-
zation Of which we profess to be leaders.
''The acquisition of territory by the
United States was not one of the objects
of the war, and we solemnly declared in
the resolution of Congress that our only
object in demanding the REIMBURSEMENT
of the sovereignty of Cuba by Spain, was
not to hold it ourselves, except that we
might pacify it and fit it for self-govern-
ment by its own people.
"But in this, as in all else, Man pro-
/ poses and God disposes, and it is one of
the things that make thoughtful men de-
sire to avoid war, where it can be avoid
! ed for no one can tell what its conse-
quences may be. I ardently desired that
we might escape the necessity of taking
the Philippine Islands, and assuming the
burden that their taking will impose upon
US and I know that the President of the
United States was equally anxious to the
same end. But it became apparent that,
had been created and out of these condi-
tons, unquestionably, duties had sprung
which could not be avoided or evaded by
| the United States.
Could Not Leave the Islands.
1T was argued that the performance of
duty is some times not only unpleasant
but has dangers attendant upon it; never
] nd
viii not shrink from it on that account
On the other hand if American sentiment
did not justify the return of these islands
to Spain, no more could it justify leaving
them derelct in the Eastern ocean, the
prey of the first occupant of European ra-
| pacity. The powers of Europe would ac-
quiesce in our taking them, but they
would not stand by and see them an their
| helpless condition of anarchy and disorder
without seizing the opportunity to ag-
grandize themselves, so 1t was thought best
! by the President and his advisers to take
the cesslon of their sovereignty from
Spain and hold it an trust to be admins
! tered in conformity with those high Ideals
and liberty loving traditions which animate
and grorify the history of our country
Duty cannot honorably be avoided, because
it may bring pain or danger. nor can re-
sponsibity always be evaded because Of
It's burdens.
Best Course TO Pursue.
THAT l sought in Paris by all honorable
means, to escape this responsibility does
not matter now. 1t came to a point at
last where we had either to leave the is
lands to Spain. take them as we did or
break off negotiations and come home
without a treaty of peace. In the last
event, the truce would have been broken
and state of active war would have been
resumed. We would now have no cession
Of the sovereignty of the Philippines and
none Of Porto Rico and no REIMBURSEMENT
of the sovereignty of Cuba.
III is true that in the protocol of Aug.
p. Spain had definitely promised that she
would cede Porto Rico and relinquish
Cuba but without treaty of peace that
promise would not be performed. What
would then have been the exigency of the
situation? Undoubtedly we should have
been compelled 10 go on and seize with the
strong hand and by military power, both
the Philippine archipelago and the Greater
and Lesser Antilles, taking by ruthless