The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-06

2 l 5 Vlded, among other things, that Spai 2 should cede to the United States tn / archipelago known as the Philppin
 Islands, that the United States shouIt pay to Spain the sum of twenty million l or dollars, and that the civil rights anC , political status of the native inhabi , tants Of the territories thus ceded tC the United States should be determined 7 by the Congress. The treaty was rati ned by the Senate on the 9th of Febru.
 afy, lS99, and by the government o1
 Spain on the 18th of March following
 The notifications were exchanged or
 the llth of April and the treaty public
 ly proclaimed. On the 2nd of March
 the congress voted the sum contemplat-
 ed by the treaty, and the amount was
 paid over to the Spanish government on
 the 1st of May.
 In this manner the Philippines came to the United States The islands were
 ceded by the government of Spain, which had been in undsputed possess
 sion of them for centuries. They were
 accepted not merely by our authorized commissioners in Paris, under the di-
 rection of the executive, but by the ! constitutional and Well-considered &C.,
 ton of the representatives of the people
 Of the United States in both houses
 of congress. I had every reason to be-
 lieve and l still believe, that this trans
 fer of sovereignty was in accordance with the wishes and the aspirations of
 the great mass of the Filipino people. l From the earliest moment no oppor- tunity was lost of assuring the people
 of the islands of our ardent desire for their welfare and of the intention of this government to do everything pos
 sible to advance their interests. In
 my order of the 18th of May 1898, the commander of the military expedition
 dispatched to the Philippines was in-
 Structed to declare that we came not
 to make war upon the people of that
 country nor upon any party or faction
 among them, but to protect them in
 their homes, in their employments, and
 in their personal and religious rights"
 That there should be no doubt as to
 the paramount authority there, on the
 17th of August it was directed that
 there must be no joint occupation
 with the nsurgents;" that the United
 States must preserve the peace and
 protect persons and property within the territory occupied by their military and naval forces; that the insurgents and all others must recognize the mill tary occupation and authority of the United States. As early as December l 4th, before the cession, and in antci- patton of that event, the commander in Manila was urged to restore peace | and tranquility and to undertake the | establishment of beneficienf govern | ment which should afford the fullest | security for life and property.
 On the 21st of December, after the [ treaty was signed, the commander of the forces of occupation, was instruct ed ito announce and proclaim in the most public manner that We come not as invaders and conquerors. but as friends to protect the natives in their homes, in their employments and in their personal and religious rights" On the same day. while ordering Gen aral Otis to see that the peace should oe preserved in Iloilo, he was admon- shed that: Tt is most important that ; here should be no conflict with the in- On the 1st of January, 1899, lrgent orders were reiterated that the Sindly intentions of this government ( should be in every possible way com nunicated 10 the insurgents. ,
 On the Fist of January I announced , ny intention of dispatching to Manila { commission composed of three gentle ( nen of the highest character and dis t melton, thoroughly acquainted with s Nx..- z,.,I:
 niral Dewey and General Otis were in- z tructed to Facilitate the most hu- r lane and effective extension of author ( tv throughout the islands and to se- r ure with the least possible delay the r enefits of a wise and generous pro- f sction of life and property to the In- t abitants." These gentlemen were Dr. il acob Gould Schurman. President of t ornell University; the Hon. Charles q enby, for many years minister to D nina, and Prof. Dean c. Worcester S { the University of Michigan, who ir ad made a most careful study of life q l the Philippines. While the treaty a [ peace was under consideration in c, le Senate these commissioners set out Il l their mission of good will and liber- q llOn. IUe.r CndFdCleT WdS 6 SultICl- al 1t guaranty of the, beneficient pur- st ose with which they went and even W
 they had not borne the positive in
 ructions of this government, which tf ade their errand -eminently one D,
 peace and friendship. tt But before their arrival at Manila in e sinister ambition of a few leaders CT the Filipinos had created situation w Il of embarrassment for us and most DC ievous in it's consequences to them- Ives. The clear and impartial pre- of ninary report of the commissioners, of nich I transmit herewith, gives so tn gid and comprehensive history of th e present insurrectionary movement an at the story need not be here repeat De It is enough to say that the tn. jim of the rebel leader that he was UT omised independence by any officer stl the United States in return for his an sistance has no foundation in fact tn. d is categorically denied by the very Ba tneSSeS who were called to prove 1t. cis e most the insurgent leader hoped is
 when he came back to Manila was poi liberation of the islands from the off anish control, which they had been ma oring for years without success to go, ow off. off he prompt accomplishment of this ad' rll by the American army and navy pull Je him other ideas and ambitions, the