The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-28

Washington January 27.-When the
House met today but little more than an
hour remained OF the time for general
debate on the army reorganization bill,
MIR. Henderson, Republican of Iowa. was
the first speaker today. He had, be said,
| been sluw to catch the fever last spring
He had forsaeen some of the future trou
BILE as the outgrowth of the difficulties
which tesct US at our immediate doors,
hut he had not anticipated that he would
be carried to another hemisphere 1000
miles from our shores.
He rocked with aversion upon any pro-
position to increase the regular army and
he hoped II would not be necessary to
establish a standing army Of 100000
men. He was willing to cheerfully sup
port q proposition to increase the army to
jO.t0I or 60 00o men But II Congress
must go beyond that he trusted that no
provision for 10000 men will be made,
but that discretion be lodged with the
President.
The President could be trusted. There
was nothing in this country TO call for
"a standing army of 100. 600 men. he peo-
pie were peaceful and there was absolute
~ nothing in the United States TO draw
the tire OF the guns of any other coun-
try on the globe Mr. Henderson spoke
of the demonstration of the Kicker"
which the country ana the House had
witnessed. The kicking had began be-
fore the war was fairly underway. some
kicked at the President, some at the secre-
tary OF war, some at the staff, some at the
adlutant general. 1t was easy to kick.
1t was the cheapest kind Of statesman.
ship, and the applause that greeted 1t was
the cheapest sort of applause.
1t had been charged, he said, that the
commission appointed to investigate the
war was stocked, - He ealogized all of
the members CT the commission.
Adverting to MIR. Johnson's speech on
Wednesday be said that never had he
heard Il speech SO deserving of the con-
domination of patriotic hearts What
crime mad the President committed? The
President had done every thing possible
to prevent the war. There was not
enough powder in the country TO last our
guns 81 hours; there We're neither arms,
ambulances surgical instruments or
other equipment. When war came he
quickly set factories and arsenals in mo-
ton. Then he forced the fighting in two
hemispheres and in ll3 days he had
whipped the enemy on land and sea and
mad woundup the war before the people
had begun. Was that a crimes He had
driven the enemy from Cuba; he had
seized Porto Rico and the richest island
of the Ladrones Was that crime? BY
the guns of his country and by treaty he
had terminated the war. Was that u
crime? The treaty Invested Spain of her
sovereignty over the Philippines. After
it was ratified new problems would
come. Until il was ratified the war was
legally still in progress. During the war
it had been the duty of the President TO
strike the enemy where the blow would
hurt. He had struck him IN the Philip
pines and the echo of that blow would
ring through coming ages. Until the
treaty was ratified, the President must
hold what he had taken.
But. said he, with elaboration, 81
say frankly that l entertain grave doubts
as to the wisdom of holding the Philip
pines against their will. democratic
applause.)
While this WAS his opinion, however.
he added that when the time came TO de-
termine this question, he must know
what his duty to his country was.
Mr.. Grow, Republican of PENNSYLVANIA
argued that the future of the Philippines
was question for the future. Neither
Filipinos nor the Porto Ricans, he said.
had the right TO haul down the American
flag. 1t had been planted by the Ameri-
eau people and II must stand until the
American people replaced 1t.
Mr.. Prince, Republican of Illinois, sup.
ported the bill, and MIR. Robinson, Dem
ocrat of Indiana, opposed IL.
MIR. Cousins, Republican of Iowa In