The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-25

objections are naturally for arms. They
have imbibed, of course, the prejudices
and the preferences of their calling. We
cannot blame them for desiring to mag
army and navy, for advocating eXpan-
sion and the taking on Of a colonial
policy.
Again, we have been assured that
the demand of our Peace Commission
ers at Paris to hold the Philippines is
what induced the President to yield.
So far as one of the Commissioners is
concerned, we know that this is false.
But even if this statement were true,
the constitutional power to negotiate
treaty was his, not the Commissioners
They were simply his instruments, APP
pointed to carry out his will. No, Mr..
Chairman, this plea, like all the others,
will not avail. The truth is that these
Commissioners got their inspiration
and their instructions from the White
House. Those instructions once
changed, the action of the Commits
sioners would have been different. The
wrong was with the chief executive.
He and he alone is responsible.
Mr.. Chairman, in my humble opin-
ion, the reason for the change in the
Presidential policy was his concession
to the selfish capitalists of the coun
try, his surrender to their demands.
These are the gentlemen who furnished
the money for his nomination and cleo
ton and who, 1 doubt not, have
pledged him a denomination and re-
election. These are the gentlemen who
are already Selling upon valuable fran
chises in China, i6 connection with the
English syndicate, with a member of
Parliament from Wales at its head.
These are the gentlemen whom Lord
Beresford has in mind in his cordial
but not wholly disinterested invitation
to an alliance in China with Great
Britain, Germany and Japan, against
Russia and France, the old-time enc
mics of his country and the old-tlme
friends of ours. These are the gentle
men who are already grasping after
special privileges in the Philippines, in
Cuba and in Porto Rico 1t was, I i'm
agine, for their special benefit that the
President created his advisory board
to the War Department, composed of
three American citizens, their object
being to farm out valuable privileges
and immunities which should belong to
the people of those islands themselves
and in whose disposition they should
have a voice if their government is to
be free and their rights maintained. I
have no fault to find with the spirit
of legitimate American commerce. My
contention is against the spirit of
American greed which cares nothing
for the spirit of American liberty.
land what do these gentlemen pro-
pose? To amass colossal fortunes in
the islands by virtue of their franchises
and upon the cheap labor of the native
population, not one dollar Of which will
ever find its lodging place in the peck
cts of the American people. To enable
them to do this our whole population
is to purchase their field of operations
for them in the Philippines for the ram
som of $40 000,000 and is to be taxed in
tern1inably and excessively in the crea-
ton and maintenance of great army
and navy which is TO conquer and hold
the F'ilipinos in subsection and defend
the islands after they have been ex-
pensively fortified against the assaults
of the great European nations. with
which our new foreign policy will be
certain to bring US into frequent con-
tention.
What else is upon the programme of
these gentlemen? The open door in the
Philippines, making it totally impossi
BILE for ever to discriminate in duties
in favor of the products of the Ameri-
can farm and the American shop.
What is the other sacrifice that is
reolIired? That the annexation of
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines,
absolutely sure to come at an early
day, for they have registered it in their
vows, shall precipitate the sugar, to-
bacco, hemp and other cheap products
of these ISLANDS ana daWaH upon the
American market in. free and unre-
stricted competition with the agricul-
tural and laboring elements of our
country.
This policy, sir, would have been
free trade in William Jennings Bryan.
What is it in William Mckinley"
The House had been keyed to high
pitch of excitement during Johnson's
speech, but there had been no Interrupt
tions.
Settle CD of Kentucky followed