The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-31
correspondence Bearing on the Peace
Treaty Transmitted by the Pres
ident to the Senate.
MR.. M'KINLEY'S INSTRUCTIONS
HE FIRST WANTED ONLY LUZON, THE
PRINCIPAL ISLAND,
But Later Decided to Take the Whole
GrOup-Mr. Carriers Speech in Fa-
vOr of Ratification.

WASHINGTON, Jan, SO-The President
to-day sent to the Senate the correspondence
on file in the State Department bearing on
the peace treaty. and it was read in to-day,s
executive session. The correspondence was
sent in response to the resolution introduced
by Senator Hoar, and includes most of the
letters and cablegrams from the commits
sioners to the President, and from the Presi-
dent to the commissioners in the way of
instructions IN return. The documents are
numerous as there were kilograms, letters
and reports for almost every day the COM
missioners were in Paris. One of the first
cablegrams from the President instructed
them to demand the cession of Luzon island
one Of the Philippines, and he told them
that fun sovereignty should come with it,
The reading of the correspondence received
the closest attention from senator's.
In submitting the papers the President
sent brief message, saying that he trans
mttted them in accordance with the resolu-
ton. The reading consumed the entire ex-
ecutive session, lasting from to $50. ex-
cept a few minutes at the close. Much of
the matter covered the same ground as that
already published, but it was presented in
the form in which the proceedings were out
lined from day to day in the cable CORE
spondence between Secretary Day, as the
Presidents representative, on the one hand
and Commissioner Day, as the representa-
tive of the American commissioners, on the
other.
The principle interest among the senator's
attached to the Presidents instructions to
insist on the cession Of the island of Luzon
and after that in the decision to take the
entire group of islands. This latter devel-
opment appeared from the correspondence
10 be a growth, and the suggestion was
made by the pnissioners to the President
as the result Of occurrences at Paris after
the arrival there of the commissioners. In
MS dlspatch concerning Luzon he said there
was but one alternatives: The United States
must either take the island and assume SOW
ereignty or return 1t TO Spain. and of the
two courses ne preferred the former.
Spain was from the first unwilling 10 cede
any of the Philippines and she made espe-
cial objection to letting go of I.uzon alone
The commissioners. with the exception of
Senator Gray, urged that TO take Illzon and
leave the other islands Of the archipelago
IN the hands of the Spaniards would be to
invite innumerable complications with other
nations and especially with Europe and with
spain Much stress was laid upon the prob
amhuty OF future trouble with Spain. With
Luzon under American administration thee
would soon be such a vast Improvement,
they wrote. that the other islanders would
soon grow more and more rebellious and
with SPANS oppressive methods of govern
ment we would soon again find that we had
another Cuba at another door. Furthermore
there would be constant nlibustering, and
we should find ourselves spending millions
to preserve a state of neutrality just as we
did in the case of Cuba prior TO our declara-
tion OF war on account of that island. Gen.
Merritt's testimony on this point was cited
and was made the reason for much Of the
argument in favor of taking the entire
group.
The President does not appear TO have
at any time given explicit instructions to
consummate the bargain by taking all the
Philippines, but rather, after hearing a full