The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-01
AS A WISE CONCLUSION.
Senator Gray Defends the Treaty
With Spain.
LOGIC OF THE SITUATION
He Had at First Opposed It-Now a
Choice Between Evils = Should
Eventually Give the Nations
Their Freedom.

Washington, Jan. 31.-senators Gray
and Money occupied the entire execu-9
tive session of the senate to-day in
speeches on the peace treaty, Senator
Gray favoring ratification and Senator
Money opposing it. Senator Gray was
the third of the Paris commissioners to
speak, and while he gave some atten-
ton to the published matter bearing
upon the treaty, he did not go into this
IN such detail as did Senators FRYE and
DAVIS. he admitted that in the finding
OF the negotiations he had been opposed
to the acquisition of the Philippine arch
ipelago. and said that he had freely and
frankly advised the president and his
FELLOW commissioners of his belief that
it would be unwise to attempt to shape
its destiny. He had used his best en-
deavors to bring them to accent his
views, but had utterly failed. He had
at last reached the conclusion that he
would either have to join with the ma
jority or see the treaty fail, and the
war continue. In the meantime he had
been largely won over by the argu-
ments of his colleagues, and by the
logic OF the situation, and he had at
last concluded to sign the convention
Having taken this position, he was here
now to defend the treaty as wise con-
ciusion of most delicate diplomatic
undertaking. Many complications had
-" N,
and while he would not retract what he
had heretofore said as to the undesir-
ability of acquiring distant territory as
matter of principle, still there were
times when nation, as an individual,
might have to choose between evils,
There was danger of many complica-
tions of an international character in
case the United States should have
elected to pursue a different policy He
reiterated that the ultimate conclusion
to take the entire Philippine group was
that of the commissioners rather than
that of the president and also went
into the difficulties of getting the Span
clusion.
Senator Gray did not advocate per-.
manent occupancy of the Eastern is
lands, but said that the duration of our
exercise of sovereignty there should
be settled in the future, and not at
present. In reply to a question by SEN
ator Mason, he said he would not at
tempt to fix a time-that this only could
be done after we had had an opportun-
ity to study the situation, to know the
people and learn their capacity He
had every confidence in the American
people, and he believed that they
would not only give the natives their
freedom when they had shown a capac-
lty for taking care of themselves as q
nation of the world, but they would
manage the affairs of the islands wisely
and we'll while they controlled them
They would give the islanders a fair
start in civilization before turning them
loose to shift for themselves.
Senator Money attacked the acquisi-
ton of the islands as contrary to the
spirit of American institutions, and as
unconstitutional. He said that the
government of the United States could
not afford to put itself in an attitude
of a Don QuiXote in vain effort to
care for and advance the interests of
every people on every land that APP
peared, according to our standards of
civilization, ITO need our help. He had
been an advocate Of Intervention in the
case of Cuba, but from this fact it did
not follow that he was willing to trans
fer the Philippines from Spanish vas
salage to dependence of the United
States. He did not consider that we
We're especially concerned as to the fu-
ture of the Philippines, and SO far as he
was concerned, he would leave them to
work out their own salvation. This
would be far preferable to assuming
responsibility for them, and making
them citizens, as they would inevitably
come to be, if the treaty should be rati-
fed. We had made allies of them in the
Spanish war by the acts of our own
agents, and in the interest of fair deal
ing, should let them acquire their inde-
pendence if they could do so.
Senator Mason, in a few words, in
dorsed Senator Moneys position that
the Filipinos would be made citizens by
the ratification of the treaty, and Sena-
tor Teller, in a brief rejoinder, eontro-
verified this position, saying that an act
of congress would be necessary to fix
their status toward the body polite.
Senator Hoar also Endorsed Senator
Moneys position.