The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-01-25
BACON WANTS DECLARATION.
GEORGIA SENATOR MAKES ABLE
SPEECH AGAINST ANNEXATION.
One of the Strongest Arguments Ever
Heard in Congress. No Asiatic
Community the Ward Ct
the United States.
the United States.


today's session in the senate was a
speech delivered by Mr.. Bacon, of Geor-
gia, in support of his resolutions declar-
ing the United States would not assume
sovereignty over the Philippine Islands.
Senator Bacon was given the closest
attention by the leading members of the
senate on both sides of the chamber,
and number of members of the house
were on hand to listen to his speech.
Mr.. Bacon is one of the orators of the
senate, and as he gave himself free rem,
not confning himself to notes, be spoke
strongly and effectively. His perora-
ton, in which he pictured the horrors of
some of England's methods of control
ing her colonial subjects, was a beautiful
and forceful bit of word painting. Mr..
Bacon said in part:
"Of all the great powers of the earth
the government of the United States is
the only one that contends for the right
In all people of self-gOvernment. When
they abandon in practice this principle,
when they impose dominion on unwlll
ing people in the majestic marc of free
institutions, the great dial of the clock
OF the world will have been set back a
hundred years,
1T is not to be believed that the gov
ernment of the United States will, with
full appreciation of the nature and con-
sequences of the act, thus violate ths
principle of the right of self-government
1t is incredible, nay impossible for tie
liberty loving people of these United
States to consent by power of arms that
the dominion OF this government be en-.
forced upon people who have owed us
no allegiance, who are struggling to be
free
"There is not civil official of the
government who will admit that be IA
vors such an act. There is not a public
man in the country who will admit that
he favors the enslavement Il a people
There is not a senator who would not
Tepel the charge if made against him,
and yet there are many who are adj
vocating a course the inevitable conse-
quences of which, if successfully pursued,
is to accomplish the enslayement of the
people Of the philippines.
Nov, what l wish to accomplish by
these resolutions is that the United
states shall in this hour of victory, in
this hour of undIsputed physical power.
make substantially the same declaration
relative to the Philippine islands that
we have made relative To Cuba"
Mr.. Bacon declared that there was no
difference in the rights of the Cubans
and the Filipinos, and that they should
all be treated equally under the resolu>
lions adopted by congress, although the
Philippines were not in mind at the time
of the declaration of war.
Mr.. Bacon then entered upon an ar
gument against the annexation of dis
tant territory with a dense population of
an alien aud interior race He said:
"lf annexed, this territory must either
be in the end admitted as states in the
union, with their people as citizens ems
titled to equal rights and powers with
the citizens of other states, or the terri~
tory must be held as colonies with their
people as subjects and vassas of the
United States
at is impossible that our people
should ever consent that these Asiatic
communities should be admitted as
states into the Union. clothed with the
power to assist ia making laws for
Americans.
The Logical Results.
"What is the result if these islands
are acqui ed and held as colonies? The
logic of the situation will be to acquire
more Asiatic territory, and after that to
reach out for still more. There is no
Teas N for the acquisition of the Philip
pines which will not apply to the acqui.
Siti of other parts of Asia, each ac~
QUESTION furnishing a reason why other
parts still beyond should be also acquir-
ed. No ASiatic community is the ward
OF the Uuited States aud to no Asiatic
community do the United States owe the
OF guardianship.
under this policy our government
will abandon It's peaceful career and
re lch out to the ends of the earth for
empire and power that we may with a
strong arm dominate and rule over dis
tant lands and peoples of every race.
condition aud Tor. This reaching out
for empire will inevitably lead to wars,
not such wars as the little one with its
tritiing sacrifices through which we have
just passed, but great wars with all
their sacrifices.
''It means vast armies, composed in
large part of our young men, ready on
days notice to cope in bloody conflict
with the great military powers of the
earth, England is especially eager that
the United States shall seize the Philips
pines. Why? Is it because she is so
anxious to witness the further expan.
SION and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of power of th e
United States? Or is it because she sees
ahead of her gigantic worlds war over
the partition of China in which the
United States shall be compelled to take
part, and in which she wishes and hopes
that they may be her ally?"