Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-12
BONUS FOR PHILIPPINES
Judge Day Explains Why the $20,000,000
Was Paid.
object Was to Bring About Imme dfnte
Peace With Spnin-NatiOnnl
Honor Maintained.

The first public utterance Of Judge VIM.
r: Day, who was president of the American
peace commission, concerning the delibera-
tions of the commissioners at Paris is con-
tanned in a letter written to former Repre-
sentative D. K. Watson of Columbus. Ohio,
and read by him at republican meeting in
that city last night. The letter follows:
In reply to your recent inquiry as to
my understanding of the reasons which In
duced the agreement on the part Of the
American commissioners, in negotiating the
treaty at Paris. to incorporate in the treaty
article which should require the pay
ment by the United States to Spain for the
cesson of the Philippines the sum Of
100000, i beg to say 1 think this sub
ject is made quite plain by a reference to
the printed protocol of the joint commits
sion, which you Will find in Senate docu-
ment No 60, Fifty-ffth Congress. third ses-
sion, being the printed volume published
last winter after the treaty was submitted
to the Senate of the United States. You
will discover that this subject was first
brought by the American commissioners to
the attention of the Spanish commissioners
in a proposal for an article in the treaty
in which Spain should cede to the United
States the archipelago known as the Phil
ippine Islands, which proposal concluded
with the statement:
First Proposal Rejected.
1.-The American commissioners beg fur
Their to state that they are prepared to in
sert in the treaty a stipulation for the as
sumption by the United States of any eX-
listing Indebtedness of Spain incurred Tor
public works and improvements of pa
cific character in the Philippines. (Senate
document 81, p. 1922 1t is unnecessary 10
review the long discussion which ensued
or to restate the grounds upon Wnch the
DaniSh commissioners rejected lnlS pro-
posal and declined to cede the Islands to
the United States. You will find the dis
cussion fully developed in the record II you
see fit to read it. On the 21st of November
following the American commissioners, in
a joint session of the commission, present.
ed a proposition. which the American COM
missioners regarded as final, in connection
with which it was said:
" The proposal presented by the Amer
lean commissioners in behalf OF their gov
eminent for the cession of the philippines
to the United States having been rejected
by the Spanish commissioners, and the
counter-proposal of the latter for the
withdrawal of the American forces from
the islands and the payment of an in
having been rejected by the American
commissioners, deeming it essential that
the present negotiations, which have al
ready been greatly protracted, should be
brought to an early and definite conclu-
sion, beg to present new PROPOSE
ton embodying the concessions which, for
the sake of immediate peace, their govern
ment is. under the circumstances, willing
to tender.
1.-The government of the United States
Is unable to modify the proposal hereto
archipelago of the Philippines, but the
American commissioners are authorized to
offer to Spain. in case the cession should
be agreed to, the sum of twenty million
dollars ($200OO,6OO), to be paid in accord
ance with the terms to be fixed in the
treaty of peace Senate document 62, p.
210).
Other Concessions to Spain.
Another concession proposed consisted
of an agreement to admit Spanish ships
and merchandise for a term of years into
the ports of the Philippine Islands on the
same terms as American ships and mer
chandse. The American commissioners
also expressed willingness to insert a pro-
vision for the mutual REIMBURSEMENT of
claims of the United States that may have
arisen since the beginning of the late in
surrection in Cuba, and prior to the con-
clusion of the treaty of peace.
"On November % the Spanish commits
sioners accepted the terms offered by the
representatives of the United States. You
will observe that in making this proposal
it is distinctly said that it embodes the
concessions which for the sake of imme-
date peace the American government was
willing to make There We're doubtless other
reasons actuating the commissioners in
udhIilS ILLS pTopOSdi, though illillh tHo
chief one is embodied in the statement
above written. 1t was not claimed that the
United States had q right to the Philip
pine Islands as a matter of conquest. The
United States has never undertaken 50 far
as l know, to wrest from foreign coun-
try lands or possessions simply by right
of conquest. Had we been disposed to do
so, 1t must be remembered that we were in
possession only of the city, bay and harbor
of Manila, under the protocol of August II,
1898, providing that the United States
should occupy and hold the same pending
the conclusion of a treaty of peace, which
should determine the control, disposition
and government of the Philippines
THE capture of the city after the sign
ing Of the protocol by General Merritt and
his forces, whatever its legal effect may
have BEEN included no more territory than
we We're entitled to hold under the protocol
In addition to the hope of accomplishing
immediate peace, which, l need hardly say
was of great Importance at that time. there
was a strong desire to treat Spain with a
degree of magnanimity consistent with our
national honor and prestige, following our
national precedent in the treatment of
Mexico for the cesson of territory to US
at the close of the Mexican war.
Clear Title to the Islands.
by the cesSion for a consideration, we
obtained an indisputable title which must
be respected by all other nations. 1t must
be remembered. too. that the American
commissioners had consistently refused to
assume any of the outstanding debts or
obligations which Spain had undertaken
to fasten upon the Philippines. Notwith-
standing our offer to pay for pacific i'm
provements. Spain had not undertaken to
substantiate any Calm upon that ground.
I'm this conclusion 1 cordially agree
with the following remarks of Senator
Gray. one of the commissioners made at
the Ohio Society dinner. in New York,
February %, 1889: When after four or
five weeks Of doubt and anxiety. it became
apparent that these negotiations must
either be broken off and your commission
ers return without a treaty at all, and that
we would be relegated to the necessity of
taking not only the Philippines. but Cuba
and Porto Rico, by the ruthless hand Of
conquest, or. by some concessions that
comported with the magnanimity and
greatness and character of this country,
gain them by the voluntary cession of
a treaty Of peace And, therefore. we be-
lieved that 1t was better for this country.
strong in the hour Of its victories, great in
the hour of it's triumphs, that 1t should, to
a beaten and PROSTATE foe, exhibit that
magnanimity of which spoke, and take
from them by voluntary cession and by
purchase. so to speak, those distant is-
lands rather than expose ourselves in the
oft bo y,1o x-fy,cy ro1a o ho~