Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-10-25
TsE WAR DEBATED.
A Lively Discussion of the Philippine
 Problem Saturday Night,

{ A Lively Discussion of the Philippine
 Problem Saturday Night. The debate which had been sn-
 nounced to take place iu Ihe court
 house Saturday night between ]. H.
 Collins and IT. J. Boltz ou the sub jeet, Resolved, That tue United
 States is right in it's prosecution of
 the present. war in tbe Philippine is- lands. and that 1t is the duty of tae United States to prosecute said war
 until the Philippines recognize the
 sovereignty of the United States,a
 came od at the time announced be- [ fore a fairly good sized sudiehee. ] Quite number of ladies we're
 present to listen to the disucssion of
 this great question.
 At Svo'cl5ck P. W. O'Sullivan who had been selected as chairman. as-
 nouneed the subject for debate, the
 names of the speakers aud eondi- tions of the debate, and then intro
 du0ed J. n. Collins As the speaker
 for the affirmative.
 Mir. Collins announced 10 begiB-
 ning that the debate vas not for
 the purpose of discussing party
 politics, but of determining, II
 possible, the merits Of the present
 war in the Philippines. Hs affirmed
 that the Filipinos should ke made to acknowledge the sovereignty of
 the United States over the islands
 because the islands had been the undisputed possession of SpAia for over 400 years. and that in a war with Spain they had been taken by our forces. aud by ths terms cf the treaty of peace they had been trans ferred 10 the United States by deed which was recorded in blood. hence they were ours. He declared that 1t was not 6 war of conquest as the inhabitants of the islands neveE were recognized as a government. He said the islands had been taken by our forces m an emergency and Bot 1 fropl choice and after they were 10 1 our possession and had been trans ferned to us by Spain as the resul; of war, we were in honor bound, not . only to ourselEes but to them and all the world to look out for their welfare and protect them from the l grAspiug clutches of the many dlf- { ferent nations of the world who {. would have attempted Co conhscste l aud appropriate them bad we with dvawn aud left them to their own | resources. They were unable to govern aud protect themselves against such odds. He then, in moet forcible language, scoTed the | tFagor Ag1inaldo and sll who hy word or deed uphold him. He re- counted how be and his forces had I attacked, killed and wounded a number of American soldiers while the latter were pesceably awaiting under the protocol, the ratification of be peace treaty. This made him a rebel and bandit and the only con- dIlions under which be could be considered was when he had stseked | his arms beneath the stars and stripes. Our standing abroad de- msnds that when our flag is raised over a country it must stay. He re- ferred to the fact that Porto Rico had just chosen her own officials and the same could have been sAid of the Philippines had ther people acted wisely.
 Mr. Boltz. for the uegaiiss. de- clsIed that wal was wrong aud never justlfiable. It was a crime to kill brother or destroy hts prop sTty and wholesale job Of 1t made it no less & crime. Var was tue out growth of the brute in man and lowered rather than elevated man Aind. He said the presest war was uoprovoked and unjust and the flag. the emblem Of liberty, wss be- ing traduced wher it was used to subdue a people who were strug- cliBg for liberty. He said the war was for the acquisiton of territory or a more unhoiy purpose-io sidetTSck the people from studying the in p0Ttant issues of the day. He bit teriv attacked the administration and chased them with bandits and cruel and arrogant rulers of ihe old world m ihe past, and sad as they reached cut aud gobbled up every tn, g possible and passed oppressive laws and ruled by power aud might, snss a. result went down, so would t1i nation if the present policy was cor inued. He dwelt at length on tn. advantages of socia ism a. a bs.i- ter way of settling disputes than by means of war. and the day would cor e Whpn The whole world would be ,.u'' nation, a l meu brothers and war Tonid be 10 unre.
 MT. Collins closed the debate vith a mo eloquent tribute to the flag snd the gEllAut boys who, regardless uf l.ar'v. 0ui as Americans, fought aud dp-,I tbat our flax, when aBce hos -vt oyrr aaY piaees shall never be hAale,i down He denounced those who si dOsu, suck their thu mbs aud predict the downfall cf this country. He clsssed them with traitors Of the blackest dye, ani said in tones not to be mistaken. that any one who dared 10 lift his hand against that flag ought to die. His speech caused the widest en- thusissm and ss be held sloft a beautiful flag the audience cbeered to the echo plainly showing the sent iment of those present un the q'les- tIou.