The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-02-01
FIGHTING TO SAVE TREATY
SENATOR GRAF, OF THE PARIS
 COMPASSION, SPEAKS.
cations If United States Failed to Ac- quire PhAlippines-Permnn Occu- pancy Not Adv0cated-SenatOrM Money Answers With Severe Attack.


 Washington, Jan. 31.-Senators Gray
 and Money occupied the entire execu-
 speeches on the peace treaty, Senator
 Gray favorlng ratification and Senator
 Money opposing it. Senator Gray was
 the third of the Paris commissioners to
 speak, but while he gave son'e atten-
 ton to the published matter fearing on
 the treaty he did not go into this Ill
 Davis. He admitted that in the begin-
 ming of the negotiations he had been
 opposed to the acquisition of the Philip
 pine archipelago and said that he had
 frankly advised the president and his
 fellow commissioners of his belief that it would be unwise to attempt to shape
 its destiny. He had used his best en- deavors to bring them to accept his views, but had utterly failed. He at last reached the conclusion that he would either have to join with the ma jority or see the treaty fail and the war continue. Tn the meantime he had been largely won over by the arguments of his colleagues and by the logic of the situation and he had at last concluded to sign the convention.
 Having taken his position he wished now to defend the treaty as wise con- clusion of a most delicate diplomatic un- dertaking. Many complications had be- set the commissioners in their work, and while he would not retract what he had heretofore said as to the undesirability of acquiring distant territory, as a mat ter of principle, still, there were times when a nation as an individual might have to choose between evils. There was danger of many complications of an international character if the United States should have elected to pursue different policy. He reiterated that the ultimate conclusion to take the entire Philippine group was that of the com- missioners rather than of the president and he also went into the difficulties of getting the Spanish commissioners to come to a conclusion.
 Senator Gray did not advocate per- manent occupancy of the eastern isl- ands, but said that the duration of our exercise of sovereignty there should be | settled in the future, and not at pres ent In reply to question by Senator | Mason, he said that he would not at- l tempt to fix time--that this only | could be done after we had an oppor tunity to study the situation, to know the people and learn their capabilities. | He had every confidence in the Ameri- | can people and he believed that they | would not only give the natives their | freedom when they had shown a ca pacity for taking care of themselves as | a nation of the world, but that they would manage the affairs of the islands ! wisely and well while they controlled | them. They would give the islanders a fair start in civilization before turn ing them loose to shift for themselves.
 Senator Money attacked the acquisi- tion of the islands as contrary to the spirit of American institutions and as unconstitutional. He said that the gov ernment of the United States could not afford to put itself in the attitude of a Don QuiXote in a violent effort to care for and advance the interests of every people in every land that appeared, &C., cording to our standard of civil life to need our life. He had been an advocate in the cause of the Cubans. He did not consider that we were especially con- cerned as to the future of the Filipinos and so far as he was concerned he should leave them to work out their own This would be far preferable to assuming responsibility for them and making them citizens of the United States, as they would inevitably come to be if the treaty should be ratified. We had made allies of them in the Spanish war by the acts of our own agents and in the interest of fair deal- ing should let them accomplish their in- if they could do so.
 Senator Teller in brief rejoinder this position, saying that an act of congress would be necessary 70 fix their status toward the body poli- tic. Senator Hoar endorsed Senator Moneys position.