The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-12

| NGfeat laughter.)
| In beginning a discussion of the
speech Of Mr.. Hoar, Mr. Foraker said:
| I listened, as l always do listen TO the
speech of the senator from Massachu-
sets. 1t was a speech of great ability
and power, such as he always delivers.
but when it is reduced it amounts only
4 10 thlS-that the government of the
I United States has only the power to
/ acquire territory for constitutional pur-
I poses. and as 10 what the constitutional
purposes are. the senator : ON Massa-
chusetts shall be the sole and exclusive
/ judge"
Mr.. FoTaker's remarks brought Mr.
( Foar ont for A further explanation OF
his position. Interrupting the Ohio SEN
aoor. ne said. If we thought it neces-
sary for our national defense to annex
an outlying territory. and if the people
of that territory objected to our acaui-
sition Of il, / should consider the sub
Jugation of IL as a great national crime
to be repudiated and condemned. and ]
should say the United States would bet
ter go down beneath the waters of the
Pacific in honor rather than disgrace it
self by such action
Mr.. Hoar said he did not mean to say
that great continent upon which
roamed few thousand savages having
no government and being incapable OF
government should be passed by or that
civilization should stop at it's threshold
Mr.. Foraker repudiated the conclusions
reached by Mr., Hoar As now under
stand the senator from Massachusetts, 81
said Mr.. Foraker, the march of civil
ization ought not to be stopped for lack
of consent. The march of the French
across the dark continent and OF the
British to Fashoda is not, then, to be
interrupted -
MI Foraker maintained that the gov
eminent OF the United States had ample
power to acquire territory by treaty.
and he demanded to know if Mr.. Hoar
did not think territory so acquired was
acquired constitutionaly
The trouble, Mr.. President con-
unued the senator. ''is that senators are
talking about a theory instead of a
practical condition. What have the SEN
ators who have discussed these theories
proposed? Nothing. You all know the
precederts of the condition we face We
had made war and its fortunes had car
rled US TO the Philippines. When the end
came those Islands were in our possess
ION. What was TO be done? Four posi-
bllIties exists. We might return the is
lands to Spain. allow some other coun-
try to seize or gobble them. the people
Of the islands might be left TO them
thefe, or we might ourselves take Dos
session of them. The universal voice of
the country was opposed to return the
Islands to the tyrannical government of
SPAN. In many of the state conventions
ringing declarations against such a
course were adopted, and one of those
was the convention of tine state of the
senator from Massachusetts.
Il wrote it myself" announced Mr..
Hoar
Then I presume the senator is OBJ
posed to that course" remarked Mr..
Foraker, amid laughter.
don't understand that any one de-
slres anything but the ultimate indie
pendence Of the people of the Philip
pines, said he emphatically; neither
the president nor any one in this cham
bero
But what about our right if we
choose to hold them permanently with
no thought of their ultimate independ-
enee?' inquired Mr.. Hoar.
We have an unquestioned right to
do so, replied Mr.. Foraker. Il speak
practically of the legal right"
Mr.. Bacon of Georgia asked what diff
ference there was between our rela-
tons TO Cuba and our relations to the
Philippines: why could we not deal
with the latter on the same basis as
the former; simply hold them now with
the declared purpose of giving them
self-government as soon as possible
The case of Cuba" replied Mr.. For
aker, speaking with great elaboration
was a simple one. involving only our
relations with Spain and the Cubans
themselves. In the case of the Philip
pines, there were other complications
which cannot be spoken of here, bur
of which senators will here in executive
session. which justified the presidents
course in the most ample manner. and
vindicated most completely everything
he has done"
What Of the statement about haul
ing down the American fiag?" interject-
ed Mr.. Hoar.
mo one desires to retain the Philip
pines indefinitely" reiterated Mr.. For
aker again. THE president is as much
lover Of liberty. truth and Justice as
the senator from Massachusetts and
his love Of liberty goes out to the peo-
pie of the Philippines as unerringly as
his
Then we are TO understand the
statement that the American flag is
not to be hauled down." said Mr.. Hoar.
Does not that mean that we are to
hold perpetual domain. If the people
of the Philippines believe their hap
| piness can be best secured by self
! government, they are to be given an
| opportunity to govern themselves"
with the determination of the ulti-
mate policy respecting the Philippines, -
replied Mr.. Foraker, their feelings
win have much to do. No one so far
as l am able to learn, is preparing by
force and violence to take and hold
them. l am willing to trust the admin
! istration. 1 have no sympathy with
/ the talk of making war on Aguinaldo
any more than I had with those who
talk of making war on Gomez"
Thank God for that" murmured
Mr.. Hoar from his seat, but in a voice
audible throughout the chamber.
| Il repeat" continued Mr.. Foraker
/ that we had four choices as to what
we should do, and ] affirm that the
president acted wisely. 1t is now for
| congress to investigate whether the
! Filipinos are capable of self-govern-
ment and whether they desire self gov
| eminent. We viii know in a short
1 ton of the Islands is: then we can act
| intelligently and / know we Will act
| justly"
| At $40 o'clock, on motion of Mr.. Da-
/ Wis, chairman of the committee on for
| eign relations, the Senate went into
executive session. In brief open SEES
sion at the conclusion Of the executive
| session, Mr.. Morgan Of Alabama an
nounced that Mr.. Sullivan of Misslssip-
pi was not ready to proceed with bis
| speech on the Nlcaraguan canal bill
| and on his motion, at 1855 p M, the
! Senate adjourned.
!