Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-12
DAY GIVES VIEWS ON TREATY
First Public Uttsrance Of President Of the
American Peace Commission,
JUsTIFIEs PAYMENT OF $4,000, 600
Com mission Never Contcnded that the
United states Had n Right to
Philippines as Matter
of Conquest.

mission, concerning the deliberations of the
commissioners at Paris, is contained in a
letter written to former Congressman d.
X. Watson OF this city, and read by him at
a republican meeting on the East Side to-
night.
Judge Day set forth the reasons which,
in his mind justified the payment OF $780,
100000 for the Philippines, declaring that
1t was never contended by the American
commissioners that the United States had
a right to the Philippines as a matter OF
conquest. The letter is as follows
CINCINNATI, Oct 4, 1S99,-Hon. d. X.
Watson, Columbus, O.: Dear Sir-In re-
Standing Of the there reasons sons which T indSced 8 the
agreement ON the part of the American
commissioners in negotiating the treaty at
which should require the payment by the
United States to Spain for the cession of
the philippines the sum OF s2oNoeo ! beg
plain by a reference to the printed protocol
of the Joint commission which, you. will find
in senate document No. 62, Fifty-fifth con-
gress, third session, being the printed vol
ume published last winter after the treaty
was submitted to the senate. You will dis.
by the American commissioners to the at
tention of the Spanish commissioners in
proposal & for an Art article IN the treaty IN
states the archipelago known as the Philip
pine islands, which proposal concluded
1.-The American commissioners beg fur
ther to state that they are prepared to in
sert in the treaty a stipulation for the as
listing indebtedness of Spain incurred for
pSSeS works and Of se
document 62, page 1857
Quotes from Records.
1t is unnecessary to review the long dis
CuSSlOn which eDSue6 to reState the
grounds upon which the Spanish commits
sioners 81 & rejected this proposal and DECLINED
You will find the discussion fully devel-
oped in the record If you see fit TO read it.
IA She Of h
mission presented a proposition which the
American commissioners regarded as final,
the proposal presented by the American
commissioners in behalf OF the government
for the SASS Of the s phRps to to the the
Spanish commissioners and the counter pro-
posal of the latter for the withdrawal of
the payment of an indemnity by the United
States to Spain having been rejected by the
American commissioners, deeming 1t essen
have. already been greatly protracted,
should be brought to an early and definite
beg to new
which, for the sake of immediate peace,
their government is, under the circum-
stances, Wiling TO tender. Inc government
of the United States is unable to modify
the proposal heretofore made for the ces-
sion of the entire archipelago of the Philip
pines, but the American commissioners are
authorized to offer to Spain, in case the
cession should be agreed to, the sum of
s2o Ooo'o 600, to be paid in "a accordance with the
Csenate document 81, page 2lO.j
Another concession proposed consisted of
merchandise for 70 % term Of % years pS into the he
ports of the Philippine islands on the same
terms as American ships and merchandise.
The American commissioners also ex-
pressed willingness to insert provision
for the mutual REIMBURSEMENT of claims of
the United States that may have arisen
since the beginning Of the late insurrection
in Cuba and prior to the conclusion of the
treaty of peace.
Spanish Accept Terms.
On November 2s the Spanish commission-
resentatives of the United States. You will
observe that in making this proposal 1t is
distinctly said that 1t embodies. the con-
peace the American government was will
ing to make There were doubtless other
the in
chief one is embodied in the statement
above written. 1t was not claimed that the
islands as a matter of conquest, The
United States has never undertaken, so far
as know, to wrest from foreign coun- .
Of CONQUEST % IT, Had we been s disposed to do
so 1t must be remembered that we were in
harbor of Manila. under the protocol of
August r. 1898, providing that the United
States should occupy and hold the same
which should determine the control, dis
position and government of the Philippines.
protocol, by General Merritt and his forces,
whatever its legal effect may have been,
included no more territory than we, We're
entitled to hold under the protocol. In
addition to the hope of accomplishing i'm
mediate peace, which, l need hardly say,
of great mporttan,Ge tas,rs at that tine
Spain with a degree Of magnanimity con-
sistent with our national honor and pres
the treatment of Mexico for the cession of
| territory to us at the close of the Mexican
BY the eess01 for eonsideraiE1
must be respected by all other nations. 1t
must be remembered, too, that the Ameri-
can commissioners had consistently refused
to assume any of. the outstanding debts
or obligations which Spain had undertaken
to fasten upon the Philippines. Notwith-
provements Spain had not undertaken to
substantiate any claim upon that ground
write these views without opportunity to
consult with my fellow commissioners. In
my judgment the concession referred to
was effectual In bringing about an accept
ance of our proposals which are said in
the making of the treaty.
Agrees with Senator Gray.
In this conclusion l cordially agree with
| the following remarks of Senator Gray,
| one of the commissioners, made at the Ohio
| society dinner in New York February 20,
| 1899:
when, after four or five weeks of doubt
| and anxiety II became apparent that these
negotiations must be broken off and your
commissioners return without a treaty at
| all, and that we would be relegated to the
| necessity of taking not only the Philip
| pines, but Cuba and Porto Rico by the
| ruthless hand of conquest or by some con-
eessions that comported with the magnan-
country, gain them by the voluntary ces-
sion 6f a treaty of peace. And therefore
we believed that II was better for this
country, strong in the hour of it's victories
and the hour of its triumphs, that 1t should
| exhibit to a beaten and PROSTATE foe the
magnanimity of which ! speak, and take tax.
| chase, so to speak, those distant islands
rather than expose ourselves In the eyes
of the world as playing role OF barbaric
| conquest and by military power tread the
path of mediaeyal rapine and warfare:
States has always maintained in its inter
| national relations, its opposition to any
| thing like harsh or severe treatment of