The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-17
SENATE.

the senate last Saturday to vote this
afternoon on the resolution Of Senator
McEnery, Of Louisiana, declaring a pol
icy Of this government in the Philip
pines, was not vacated. In accordance
with that agreement the vote was
aken on the resolution at 2:30 o'clock
today, and it was ad~opted-26 to %. 1t
was noticeable that several democrats
who were present and not paired re-
Trained from voting. An amendment Of
fered by Senator Bacon, of Georgia,
several lays ago, was defeated. The
vote or the amendment was a tie-29
to 29-and Vice President Hobart cast
the deciding vote against the propo-
sition.
The voting was preceded by three
hours and a half of debate, the senate
havir g convened at II o'clock a. m. IN
order to admit of discussion on the
resolutions. Speeches were delivered
by Senators Stewart, populist, of Ne
vada; Bacon, Of Georgia; Hoar, of
Massachusetts,; Hale, of Maine, and
Mason, of Illinois.
Senator Bacon declared that the res
OlutiOn was a vicious and unfortunate
declaration. He maintained that the
resolution meant nothing favorable to
the Philippines. 1t did not look to the
future freedom and self-government of
the Philippines. He regarded it as sim
ply a declaration that while the Phil
ippinos were subjects Of this country,
they could never become citizens of the
United States.
C0~n+1~ IID1~ 81 T@-~. -,-.-
opposed to the McEnery resolution be-
Of freedom or liberty or self-govern-
ment to the inhabitants of the Phil
ippines, and because it provided that
they should never have a part in their
own government or become a part of
the United States. 1t was, he held, an
infamous declaration-a declaration
simply hat the Louisiana sugar plant
ers should never be afraid of the com
petition of the Philippine islands. To
the Philippines the McEnery resolution
would be a message of tyranny, of
hate, of oppression and of slaughter.
Senator Hoar adverted to the refer
ences in speeches to Aguinaldo as an
"unprincipled adventurer." and then
entered upon a defense of the Philip
pino leader. He spoke of AguinaldO's
appeal to the people of the United
States as so remarkable as capable of
being drafted by not ten men on this
planet"
Il do not see,'' said Senator Hodr,
with feeling, "how any American heart,
not of stone, could fail to recognize the
force of that appeal
Senator Hale, of Maine, said he had
not much hope that the senate would
take any course that YOU stop the
desolating programme now being car
ried out in the Philippines. Hardly had
the treaty been ratified, however, be-
fore q foreign war was precipitated.
Il am not disappointed said he. Il
am not inclined to say / told you So,
but I told senators when the treaty
was ratified it would be impossible to
take any steps to alleviate the condi-
ton of the Philippines. Congress Will
adjourn and the war will go on and
there is not a man who Till not real
ize in three months that it is a war
of conquest and subjugation.' He said
that Admiral Dewey n Genera Mer-
rift had said that in three months not
5000 troops would be needed in the
Philippines, yet we now had 10000 men
there and 1000 more and the battle
Ship Oregon on the way. And yet,
declared he, we are told that we are
traitors and blacklisted i'll The newspa-
pCIo q ~ "StA o@
people a chance, at least, to show that
they are friendly and can set up a gov
eminent of their own. Instead we Kill
them, not by scores, not by hundreds,
but by thousands. More Philippines
have been killed by the guns Of our
army and navy thar were patriots
killed in any six battles Of the reVolu-
tionary war. 1t has become a gigantic
event. The slaughter of people, in no
80 80 -1a1+,r y-c with hnyrC
and arrows and crawling into the jun
giles by hundreds, there to die, has
stupified the American mind. No one
has said that our mission of commerce
and of the Gospel was to be preceded
by the slaughter of thousands of per-
sons.
ct am not enamored of the McEnery
resolution. 1t contains little that is
good and a good deal that is bad."/He
regarded the Bacon resolution as much
the better, but he said in conclusion,
Fthe car of Juggernaut will so on. Inc
grinding will continue until the people
finally make themselves heard upon 1t.
Senator Mason attacked the policy
pursued in the Philippines. He said.
however, that he was an optimist and
believed the people of the United States
would declare for human liberty, as
we'll in the Philippines as in this coun-
try.
AS Senator Mason was concluding
the hour for the vote having arrived
Senator HaWley inquired if it was Sen
atOr Mason's purpose to insist upon MS
unanimous consent.
Senator Mason replied that it was
as he had done only that which was
entirely honorable and fair in the mat
ter.
Senator Bacon's amendment to thu
resolution was laid before the senate
as follows:
THAT the United States hereby dis
claim any disposition or tt
exercise permanent sovereignty, juris
-diction or control over said islands, anC
assert their determination, when a sta
BILE and independent government shall
have been erected therein entitled, il
the judgment of the government of tn
United States, to recognition as such