The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-18

Few human beings besides proofrcaders
and AGUINALDo's Englsh-speaking private
secretary will ever master the entire ten
columns OF the speech which Mr.. CARL
ScHuRz delivered yesterday at the anti
impcrialist conference in Chicago. Yet
there Is one passage which deserves gen.
eral attention. We refer to this dismal
orators attempt to fasten upon President
MCKINLEY, individually and personally,
what Mr.. SEIZURE regards as the odious
responsibility for prosecuting military
operations in tho Philippines:
1--WE are now engaged in war with the Fipnos
You may bubble about It you will. cali It by
whatever'name you WILT 10 = var: and war OF
conquest on our part. at that-awar OF barefaced.
cyElcal conquest. Now, ask any fair minded man
whether the President. before beginning that war
or while carrying 1t on. has ever taken any proper
steps to get from the Congress- the representatives
of the people. any proper authority for making that
war. He issued hts famous benevolent assimila.
ticn' order directing the Army TO bring the whole
Philippine archipelago a. promptly a. possible
under the military government OF the United
States on Dec. 81. 1893 while Congress was in
session. and before tho treaty with Spain. transfer
ring her shadowy sovereignty over the islands had
acquired any force Of law by the assent Of the Sen
ate. That was substantially declaration of war
against tho Filipinos asserting their indo
pondenoe. He took this step Of his own
motion. Now, you may bring ever so
many arguments to show that the President
had t,chnic1iv 4 right to act as he did and your
reasoning may be ever so plausible, yet the fact
mains that the President did not aeek and obtain
authority from Congress- as to tho war to be made
and tho policy to be pursued. and that he acted
upon his motion. /" = Those are therefore
by no means wrong who call this the Presidents
md n vi q about O ed
the people are asked to approve and encourage.
simply because we ara in t'-that 10. because the
President of his own motion has got us intott."
Mr.. CARL SCHURz goes on to describe
1.-THE Presidents war" as war Of "crlmi-
nal aggression"
Turn now to tho answer, which Is in tho
Presidents own words, uttered at indie
pendence, Ia, twenty-four hours before Mr..
SEIZURES speech was delivered at Chicago
The treaty of peace gave to the United States the
sovereignty and territory of tho Philippine Islands
That territory the President has no power to ALLEVIATE
he was disposed to do so, which he 10 not
1.-THE sovereignty OF the United states in the
Philippines cannot be given away by President
That sovereignty belongs to tho people; and long
rs II 10 territory and long our sovereignty
Is there by right not by right OF conquest only but
by right OF solemn treaty, tho President OF the
United States has but one duty to perform and that
Is TO maintain and establish the authority of the
United States In those islands He could not do less
and perform his duty"
You may bring ever 80 many argu-
ments," sneers SCHURZ, "to show that the
President had technically right to act as
he did. 1t is the Presidents war"
And yet, neither in the ten columns OF
Mr.. SEIZURES speech, nor anywhere else in
the immense mass OF Aguinaldian literature
which dyspepsia and treason have COM
bined to produce, can be found single ar
gument to show that the President had,
oven technically, any right to act otherwise
than he has acted for tho maintenance OF
the authority Of the United States over
territory which he has no more power
than Mr.. SCHURz himself to ALLEVIATE.