The record-union., 1899-01-15
The Delaware Senator uphoIds the
Policy Of William Mckinley.
Declares His Confidence ID the Patriotism
efths Nations Chief Executive.
The Paris Peace Com1nissioner's
Response to Toast at = Dinner
Given In His Honor BY the Citi-
zens Of Wilmington, Delaware.


rendered a complimentary dinner in
this city tonight. President Mckinley,
his Cabinet and all the members of the
Peace Commission, with the exception
Of John Basset Moore, sent letters Of
regret. Mr.. Moore was the only other
member of the. commission present.
There were 200 guests in attendance.
Senator Gray was the chief speaker
of the evening, and responded to the
toast, "Our Guest of Honor" In tie
course of his speech he said:
I'VE are now in a crisis Of our ma
tional history, and your hearts and
minds, as patriotic citizens of this great
country, are full of anxiety as to the
proper settlement of the momentous is
sues which have resulted from the war
with Spain. While our country was at
war with Spain we were ready to make,
I hope, every sacrifice to insure the
success of American arms and bring
victory and honor to the American
flag. And, when the war was over 1
believe the patriotic instinct of Amer
ican citizenship demanded, as your
President enjoined upon US, that we
would exhibit magnanimity to a pros
tIate foe, and moderation in the hour
Of victory, as we had faced the war
with steadfastness and courage
In the first place, I want to say to
you that it was my pleasure as well as
What conceived my duty, 10 endeavor
to carry out this instruction, so credit
able to US as a nation and so worthy
OF the nigh civilization of which we
profess to be leaders.
The acquisition of territory by the
United States was not one of the OBJ
1ects OF the war, and we solemnly de-
clared in the resolutions in Congress
that our own reasons in demanding the
relinqujshment of sovereignty over
Cuba by Spain was not to hold it our
selves, except that we might pacify it
and 1T it for government by it's own
people. But in this, as in all else, man
proposes and God dispeses,' and it is one
of the things that make thoughtful
men desire to avoid war where it can be
avoided, for no one can tell what its
consequences may be-
Il ardently desired that we might es-
cape the necessity of taking the Philip
pine Islands, and assuming the burden
that their taking will impose upon us,
and | know that the President of the
United States was equally anxious to
the same end. But it became apparent
that, without our seeing, unexpected
conditions had been created, and out
OF the conditions unquestionable duties
had sprung which could not be avoided
or evaded by the United States.
That I sought in Paris by all honor
able means to escape this responsibility
does not matter now. It came to
point at last that We must either leave
the islands to Spain, take them as
We did, or break off negotiations and
come home without a treaty of peace.
In the last event the truce would be
broken, and a state of active war would
have been resumed We would have
had no cession of the sovereignty of
the Philippines, and none of Porto Rico.
and no REIMBURSEMENT of the SOW
ereignty of Cuba
1T is true that in the protocol of
August 18th Spain had definitely prom
ised that she would cede Porto Rico
and relinquish Cuba, but without
treaty of peace that promise could not
be performed. What would then have
been the exigency of the situation? I'm
doubtedly we would have been com
PEELED to go on and seize with the
strong hand and by military mower
both the Philippine archipelago and the
greater and lesser Antilles, taking by
ruthless conquest what it was far bet
ter that We should take by the yolun-
tary cession of a treaty of peace.
But, now that we have them. it does
not follow that we are committed to a
colonial policy, or to violation of those
great principles of liberty and self
government which must always remain
American ideals, if our. own free instf-
tutions are to endure.
No country--and this country least
of all-can afford to trample ON its
ideals. I have no fear that it will do
so. Without assuming for a moment
any right to speak for the President. 1
think / can assure you, with some
knowledge whereof I speak, that he
fully appreciates the duties and resnon-
sibilities Of the situation, and that he
Is committed to no policy calculated
to discourage, much less strike down.
the aspirations of liberty-lovinr peorle
all over the world I belong to a. diff
ferent political party but 1 should be
false to my sense of justice and to
that pride which feel as an American
if I did not declare my confidence in
the patriotism and purity of purpose
of William Mckinley. He is no .usurper
of power, no stranger to American in
stitutions, but one of the American
people, called to his high Office by
their suffrages; and it would be strange
indeed if he did not share to the fullest
extent in the life of our Constitution
and the principles that underlie it.
What less than this can be truthfully
said of an American President. It
would be the beginning of the end to
cur great career as a nation
'But the solution Of the problems
which confront US is not with the Pres
ialent. When the treaty Is ratified no
policy can be adopted without the sane
ton of Congress. And the whole Amer
lean people will determine. through
their representatives, what relations we
shall sustain to the Philippines. All
the questions will properly come up for
determination after the ratification of
the treaty. I will not entertain the
fear that the American people will not
stand by the principles of the Consti-
tuition and the Declaration, and that
they will not curb the ambition of ter
ritorial aggrandizement, and exhibit to
the world an example of moderation.
justice and restraint that will be
worth to us In moral strength more
than all theislands of the seas
To BE Governor or Guam.
WASHINGTON, Jan. IA. ~ Secretary
Long to-day ordered Captain Leary, at
present commanding the San Francisco,