The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-17
RESULTS OF THE WAR
PRESIDENT MKuNLEY'S FIRST Ut
TERANCE IN PUBLIC ON PHIL
IPPINE QUESTION
DENIES DESIRE FOR EMPIRE
Rehabilitation of the FiIipinOs Is
Duty That Cannot he Avoided
-Mechanics' Hall beautifully
Decorated for the Occasion
Banquet 81 Record Breaker.

| BOSTON, Feb 16.-PreSident McKin-
ley arrived in Boston today to be the
guest of the Home Market club.
Messrs. Long, Alger, Bliss, Gage and
Smith, of his cabinet, accompanied
him, together with Congressman Gros-
Venor, of Ohio. The event Of the day
ana the principal feature of the presf-
dents visit to Boston was the banquet
rendered at Mechanics hall tonight.
1t was the largest banquet ever ar
ranged In this country the exact num-
Der of persons who were served being
! l,914. Besides these there were fully
$500 spectators in the balconies.
The presidential party left the Hotel
Touraine, under cavalry escort, at APO
p. m. and proceeded to Mechanics
hall. The reception was held in Paul
Revere hall, and for over three-quar-
ters of an hour President Mckinley
and the other distinguished guests
stood in line and were introduced to
and shook hands with fully $500 per-
| sons.
AT o'clock after the president had
rested for a few minutes, the bugle
sounded, announcing that the banquet
was ready to be served, and the i'm
mense company marched into the hall,
while the band played
| President Mckinley sat at the
front of the platform, and among those
near him were Bishop Mallalieu, May
or Quincy, of Boston; Secretary Long,
Secretary Alger, Gov. Wolcott, Secre-
tary Gage, Postmaster General Smith,
Secretary Bliss, Gov Rollins, of New
ncb n birn
New York.
There was great enthusiasm when
the dinner had been concluded and
some of the tables had been removed
to give place to chairs President
Plunkett introduced Mayor Quincy,
who delivered a welcome in behalf Of
the city. President Mckinley then
spoke as follows:
RESULTS OF WAR.
War with a sovereign power has added
great glory to American arms and a new
chapter to American history. The Philip
pines, like Cuba and Porto Rico were In
trusted to our hands by war and to that great
trust under the providence of God and in the
name OF human progress and civilization we
are committed. 1t is a trust we have not
sought; 1t is trust from which we will not
iHc fAiiierICdH people Will hold I'D
the hands of their servants to whom they
commit its execution, while Dewey and Otis
and the brave men whom they command will
nave the support of the country In uphelding
our nag where 1t. now floats, the symbol and
assurance OF liberty and justice
What nation was able to write an
accurate programme of war upon which it
was entering, much less decree In advance the
scope OF its results? Congress can declare
crho
and fixes its relations and responsibilities.
The president can direct the movements Of
soldiers and fleets upon the sea, but he can
not foresee the close of such movements or
prescribe their limits. He cannot anticipate
nor avoid the consequen but he must
meet them No accurate results of war can
be traced until war Is over, nor can any meas
ure of responsibility be fixed until the last
gun is fired and the verdict embodied in the
st1pulatfons of peace.
We have no complaint of the relations
created by the war between this government
and the Islands of Cuba and Porto Rico.
There are some, however, who regard the
philippines as different relation but what
ever variety of views there may be on this
phase OF the question there is universal agree
ment that the Philippines shall not be turned
back to Spain. No true American can con-
sent to that. Even If unwilling to accent
them ourselves, 1t would have been q weak
evasion OF manly duty to require Spain to
transfer them to some other power or powers
and thus shirk our own responsibility. Even
II we had had, as we did not have the power
TO compel such transfer, it could not have
been made without the most serious interna-
tional complications.
such a course could not be thought Of
And yet, had We refused to accept the ces-
sion of them We should have had no power
over them. even for their own good. We
could not discharge the responsibilities upon
us until these islands became OURS, either
by conquest or treaty. There was but one
alternative, and that was either Spain or
the United States in the Philippines
The other suggestions, that they should bs
thrown into the arena of strife for nations
or that they be left to the anarchy and chaos
OF no protectorate at all, were too shameful
to be considered. The treaty gave them to
US. Could we have required less and done
our duty? Could we, after freeing the Fill
plnos from the domination of Spain have
left them without government or without
power to protect life or property or pefform
the international duties incidental to an in
dependent state? Could we have left them
to state Of anarchy and justified ourselves
in our own conscience or before the tri-
bunal of mankind? Could we have done that
in the sight Of God and man?
NO THOUGHT OF EMPIRE.
Our concern was not for territory or trade.
or empire, but for the people, whose interests
and destiny, without our willing it, had been
put into our hands. 1t was with this feeling
that from the first day to the last not one
word or line went from the executive at
Washington to our military and naval COM
manders at Manila or to our peace commits
sioners at Paris that did not put as the sole
purpose to be kept in mind first after the
success of our arms and the maintenance of
honor, the welfare and happiness
and the rights of the inhabitants of the Phil
ippine islands.
Did we need their consent to perform a
good act for humanity? We had it in eyerv
aspiration of their minds, in every hope of
their hearts. Was it necessary to ask their
consent to capture Manila, the capital of their
islands? Did ask their consent to uber-
ate them from Spanish sovereignty or to en-
ter Manila bay and destroy the Spanish sea
power theref
We did not ask these things. We were
obeying a higher moral obligation which
rested on u.s. and which did not require any,
body's consent. We were doing our duty
with them with the consent of our own con-
sciences, and with the approval of ciyiliza
ton.
Every present obligation has been met and
fulfilled in the expulsion of Spanish soyer
eighty from their islands, and while the war
was In progress we could not ask their
views. Nor can We now ask their consent
Indeed, can any tell me in what form
it could be marshaled and ascertained until
peace and order, SO necessary to reign of rea-
son, shall be secured and established? A reign
of terror is not the kind of rule under which
iOnf nd TO ind