Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-23
QUESTION OF POLICY
Senator White Discusses Philippine
Annexation.
HE ARGUES AGAINST EXPANSION
Mr.. Brosius Denounces a News
paper Paragraph.
ANTI-CONTRACT LABOR LAW

At the beginning of today's session of the
Senate a bill was passed changing the time
of holding the district and circuit courts of
the United States of the northern division
of the eastern district of Tennessee.
A bill reported by the judiciary commit
tee providing for the attendance of wit
nesses in matters pertaining to the Court
of Claims was passed.
Mr. Frye (Me.) presented the credentials
of Mr.. Eugene Hale, reelected a senator
from Maine for the term beginning March
4, 1899. They were filed.
Bills were passed authorizing the Secre-
tary of the Interior to authorize the terri
tory of Oklahoma to use certain buildings
at Fort Supply military reservation as an
insane asylum; transferring the county of
Minard, Tex, from the western to the
northern district of that state; a special
urgency deficiency bill carrying $4,000.
MIR. White Against Expansion.
Mr.. White (CalD, in accordance with
previous notice, addressed the Senate on
the anti-eXpansion resolution offered by
Mr.. Vest (Mo) In view of the proposition
of the California legislature to instruct
Mr. White and his colleague, Mr.. Perkins,
how to vote upon the policy of expansion
and upon the pending peace treaty, the re-
marks of Mr.. White were regarded with
much interest. He was accorded careful
attention by both his colleagues on the
floor and by a considerable audience in the
galleries.
Mr. White spoke not only on the Vest
resolution, but also to that offered by Mr..
Bacon (GaD. declaring the inhabitants of
he entitled liberty and iQie-
pendence.
MIR. White took as texts for his remarks
certain paragraphs from Supreme Court
decisions, a sentence from President Nc
Kinley's Atlanta speech and a paragraph
from the report of Admiral Dewey to the
Navy Department saying that the Fflipinos
were as we'll qualified for self-government
as the Cubans. He said he had no 1nten-
ton of discussing the question from legal
standpoint, such a discussion would
serve no useful purpose.
The views of senators of eminent abil-
ity," said he, demonstrate the futility of
endeavoring to secure accord upon that
point
He said he denied the doctrine that seeks
to give this country jurisdiction in some
cases and denied it in others The coun-
try he said, was confronted today by sit
uation differing entirely from that with
which it had been confronted at any time
before. While it might be admitted that
we had the power to acquire foreign terri
tory, whether we should do so depends
largely upon the circumstances. He main
tanned that the question presented was one
purely of policy. Should take the Phil
ippines? he asked. Should we take in seeds
that would prove to be seeds of dissolution
Of our body polite?
Il care not said Mr.. White whether
the people in the Philippines fitted for
self government or not. 1t is certain that
if they are not they ought not to be
brought into alliance with They
pudiate our attempt to bring them into
our system and insist that they should
be allowed TO govern themselves. If we
say that the Fflipinos are not fitted for self
government. pray let know by what
process of reasoning can take them in
to our own governmental system"
Mr. White then referred to the Presi-
dents statement that the attitude of the
United States toward the Philippines was to
be one of benevolent assimilation"
The Presidents View.
Mr.. Chandler On. H, inte1rupting Mr..
White, said: The other day when this
benevolent assimilation bugbear was raised
before the Senate 1 took occasion to look
up the definition given by Mr.. Webster of
assimilation If the senator will permit
me, it means a resemblance, a likeness but
not necessarily amalgamation or absorp-
ton.
After indicating just what the definition
is Mr.. Chandler said: at is not fair argu
ment to say that the words mean 'absorp-
L IL
that sense.
Does the senator speak for the Presi-
dent with authcrity?" inquired Mr. White
Does he know what the President meant
when he spoke?"
Undoubtedly replied Mr.. Chandler
blandly. The President thinks as l do if
he is a wise man, and L think he is. The
President thinks we ought to bring these
people into reasonable likeness to u.s. but
not necessarily to incorporate them; and
l hope the senator will not lay too much
stress on the expression benevolent assini-
laIiOn.' "
In Executive Session.
The Senate at o'clock went into execu-
tive session on motion of Mr.. Davis. chair
man OF the committee on foreign relations.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Mr.. Gardner On. j., chairman of the COM
mittee on labor. at the opening of the SEES
sion of the House today, asked unanimous
consent for the consideration of bill to
extend the anti-contract labor law to the
Hawaiian Islands.
Mr.. Knox (Mass.) chairman of the COM
mttee on territories, objected.
Mr.. Brosius Pa), rising to question of
privilege sent to the clerks desk and had
read a paragraph from a Toledo news
paper. describing him the sleepy men,
Der of Congress" He branded the para
graph wicked, baseless falsehood,
cowardly and brutal calumny' and it's au-
thor as "daS tard
A bill to restore Capt Robert W. Dowdy
to the active list of the army was passed.
This being the day set aside for the con-
sideratlon of District of Columbia business,
Mr.. Curtis Qowa) in the absence of Mr..
Babcock, the chairman of the District COM
mttee, then claimed the day.