Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-23
MK|N[EY tn
THE SOLDIERS
How He Feels Toward the Re-
turning Volunteers.
CONGRESSIONAL POLICY
He Fav0rs For the Government of the
Philippines--Congress Must
Pass the Laws.
CONGRESSIONAL POLICY

AT Minneapolis ten lays ago the Presi.
dent OF the United States, replying to thu
false accusation Of imperialism, and wei
coming the Thirteenth Minnesota Volun.
,teers, expressed his opinion touching the
valor and patriotism of all returning sol.
diers and outlined the probable policy o.
this government from the congressional
action as follows:
l nave come from the capital of the ma.
ton that I might give the nations well
come to a regiment Of the nations de.
tenders. I have come to speak the voice
of o v and gratitude which comes from
every American heart today that loves
the nag. l have come to bid you wei.
come because you did your duty, anc
that is the highest tribute that can be
paid a soldier anywhere and 1 do moi
think the members Of the regiment or the
regiments constituting the Eighth Army
Corps in the Philippines, realize the inn
portance and heroism of their action af-
ter the treaty of peace was signed and
ratified.
I come to bid you welcome and give
you the honor of the Nation because you
sustained the flag of the Nation, because
~ >ANSNN W SNoNh All 1OluSCu "
sound retreat. And you have come back,
having a high place in the hearts and af-
fections Of the American people and
gratitude that will continue for all time.
You have also by your services added
much to the advancement of the civiliza-
ton which has so characterized the GEN.
fury just now fading away. This CEN
tury heralds the most wonderful progress
of the world known to all history. The
increase Of our territory has added vast
ly to our strength and prosperity without
changing our republican character. 1t
has gwen wider scope to democratic prin-
Iciples and enlarged the areas for repub-
ilican institutions.
l sometimes think We do not realize
what we have and the mighty trust we
have committed to our keeping. The
study of geography and history have now
more thar a passing interest to the Amar-
lean people. 1t is worth reading that
when the federal union was formed we
held 500, 765 square miles of territory, and
IN less than one hundred years we have
grown to 3~,S45,5l3 square miles.
h first acquisition, in 1903, known as
the "Louisiana purchase" embraced $685.
C72 square miles, exclusive of the area
west Of the Rocky mountains. It's vast
ness and value will be best understood
when / say that it comprises the entire
States of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Me-
braska, North and South Dakota and
parts of the states of Minnesota, Kansas,
Colorado and Montana. Wyoming, Louis
lana, all of indian Territory and part of
Oklahonaa.- 1t would seem almost in
credible TO the present generation that
this rich addition to the federal domain
should have been opposed, and yet it was
resisted in every form and by every kind
of assault. The coded territory was
characterized as a "malarial swamp it's
p~rairies destitute of trees or vegetation.
1T WAS (OmmO01V cha rpad that wa hoI
been cheated by giving SIS, coo, 600 for a
territory so worthless and pestilential
that it could never be inhabited or put
to use. and it was also gravely asserted
that the purchase would lead to compli-
cations n wars with European Powers.
Imperialism had a chief place in the
catalogue Of disasters which would fol-
low the ratification of this treaty, and it
was alleged that it was the first n sure
step TO the creation of an empire and the
subversion of the Constitution. The
phrase which is now employed by some
critics. planetary policy" so far as l
have been able to discover, first appear
ed then.
In the last year we have added to the
territory of the United States the terri
tory of the Hawaiian islands, one of the
of the Pacific ocean. containing g.
124 square miles; Porto Rico, containing
8 600 square miles; Guam, containing ff-
~ - - anu liz 1 hliIDi'lile dICIlI-
embracing approximately 143, 900
square miles. This latest ACQUISITION is
about one-siXth the size of the original
thirteen states. This is larger than the
combined area of New Jersey. Delafare.
Virginia. North Carolina,
South Carolina, and the District of CO.
lumbia. 1t equals in area all of the New
states. Il is almost as large as
Washington and Oregon combined. and
greater than Ohio. Indiana and Illinois
united. Three times larger than New
York, three and a half times larger thar
he state of Ohio ana a little larger than
he state of Montana.
The treaty Of peace with Spain. which
us the Philippines, Porto Rico and |
iuan. met with some opposition in the
'enate but was ratified by that body by
nore than a two-third's vote. while in |
he house the appropriation of 500. 0OO, 900 |
vas made with little or no opposition. AS
Il the case of the Louisiana purchase |
nd Alaska, the opponents of the treaty
we're III the minority and the star of hope
o an oppressed people was not extin-
The future Of these new possessions is !
s the servant of The paorle. That they
viii be retained UHder the banign sover- ]
is aty of the Unitel States / O. no; per |
nit myself to GoeS;. That they will !
'rcve 2 rich ani i-.v2laab'a heritage ri
eel assured. That congress will pro-
'1de for them a government which will
rim them blessings: which will pro-
note their material interests as well as