The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-25
Prosecutlng Q Dloody War


prosecution of a bloody war against poor
and defenseless people in the orient, en-
gagged in the unsavagery task OF chrtstah-
izing them with the sword and clVlilHihs
them at the mouth OF cannon, would nat
urally have felt some little embarrassment
!. as he gazed upon these portraits and read
the significant inscription below. Possibly
his excellency did not see them. He may
have turned his back upon them just as he
has turned his back upon the declaration
of independence Be this as 1t may, sir,
the president does not appear to have been
at all abashed by this incongruous circum-
stance.
"But he arose from his seat and there,
within the shadow of the monument of
Bunker Hill, where Warren fell fighting
Tor liberty, and within a stones throw OF
Faneuil Hall, where time and again the
true sons of the old Bay State have sent
forth to the country their messages of
freedom, he delivered perhaps the most
remarkable, certainly the most disingen-
1ous address that ever fell from the lips
or an American president. This address,
divested of verbiage, considered apart from
its platitudes and the ostentatious profess
sion of virtue with which it was interlard-
ed, was nothing more or less than care
1uliy devised misstatement of the issue be-
tween the chief executive and those of his
own party who are opposed to his wretch
ed policy in the Philippines.
Compared to Dickens Character
ut was an effort to befog the subject
and to mislead the public judgement. We
are told, sir, that this address was received
with enthusiastic applause by those who
heard 1t, but we who read it in color print,
In the light of the indefensible tragedy now
being enacted near the shores of Asia, vol
unfairly think of that creation of Chas.
Dickens, who was accustomed to roll his
eyes piously to heaven and exclaim with
great tn ho1 i'm Nv
friends, let us be moral and who was the
father of two daughters, of whom
named Charity, and the other Mercy
His excellency declared on this occas on,
III not in SO many words, at least in effect,
that he had never entertained any policy
with respect to the Philippines up to the
time the treaty of peace was ratified; but
that he had simply held them as comman-
der-in-chief. The questions to their dis
position and control to be determined there
after by congress-
"If the chief executive really feels as he
declared at the banquet that he did, that
the disposition of the Philippines Is a mat
ter to be determined by congress, why does
he not call a special session of congress to
settle the matter at once and then keep
his hands off. Heaven knows there is need
of action. If he is sincere why did he per-
NIT his supporters of the senate to vote
down the other day the Bacon resolution
which distinctly declared that the United
States claimed no intention Of permanently
holding the islands Why did he insist that
the McEnery resolution should be passed;
a resolution which Is a fraud, a delusion
and snare, shameful evasion which,
like Christmas tree, has something upon
1t for everybody
To LulI All Opposition
"That resolution is intended simply to
quiet the conscience of the American peo-
pie; to lull all opposition to sleep while the
president goes ahead waging relentless and
mercless war against the Filipinos and lay
Ing deep and secure the foundations for a
permanent American colony.
Mr.. Chairman, am determined that the
president shall neither befog the issue be-
tween himself and those not of the repub-
lican party, who oppose his Philippine pol
icy or mislead the public sentiment nor
shall he shirk the responsibility for the
gross official blunders which he has COM
mittetd in connection with this great prob
lem. insist that the whole policy is not
simply an error, but that 1t Is crime, and
that the chief executive of this nation is
the one who has precipitated upon us the
embarrassments and the difficulties by
which we are now confronted. Insist that
he did not simply hold the Philippines as
commander-in-chief, leaving the question
of disposition and control of them to con-
gress, but that he formulated and put into
execution an affirmative and aggressive pol
ICY, tnat OF their permanent dHutAdliOH "
this country, and forced 1t through the sem
ate with all the power and influence which
his high office enabled him to employ.
The First Impression
1.-THE presidents first impression was to
demand of the Filipinos simply coaling
station, measure amply sufficient for all
of our legitimate purposes and the evacua-
ton of the island by Spain without COM
pensation by the tax payers of the United
States. Had he adhered to this, however,
all would have been WE'LL The whole union
would have followed him cheerfully, and
today we would have been at peace with
the Philippine republic; our army and and
navy, which is now waging war against our
former friends and allies, would have been
disbanded No army bill for standing
army of 100 900 men would have been pend
ing, and we would now be getting ready
to reduce instead of increasing the burden
of our taxation. But the president COM
mitted a fatal error. He wrote into that
treaty the absolute transfer of Spanish
sovereignty over the islands to ourselves,
and the payment of $40, 600 900 a consider
alton for the cession. Then he issued to
the people of the Philippines that proclama-
tion In whi he informed them that the
limited StatSs had succeeded to the title of
Spain declared that the government and
control of their territory belonged to us,
ordered them to pay their taxes to the
military government which he had estab-
liShed over them, anu Diduuly Hduc hhoWh
to them that our mission in their midst
was one of benevolent assimilation
1.-THE president drove the treaty through
the senate by the unlimited exercise of all
those powers and influences which the great
office he holds makes possible.
What Did He Mean
''What, then, did the chief executive
mean by telling those who gathered
around the banquet board at Boston that
I'D to the ratification of the treaty he had
simply held the Philippines as commander
in-chief, without any policy of his own,
| leaving the whole matter to be determined
afterward by congress? Was he foolish
enough to think that his mere statement
would be allowed to pass unchallenged?
Was he vain enough to show that his ipse
, dixit would conclude the matter, with the
| damning proof Of its falsity SO near at
hand?
"Mr. Chairman, why did the president
| change his original intention as to the
| terms to be incorporated into the treatyf
| What were the influences that brought the
change about? I have heard 1t stated that