The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-08
SENATOR MORGAN
DISCUSSES MANILA

the american forces at Manila until In
formed by Journal reporter this after
noon. He was shocked beyond measure at
the news.
1.-The dread of this thing has been hanging
over me for days." he said. At saw that 1t
must necessarily result from the continued
discussion of tho rights and wrongs of the
Filipinos by their so-called friends in this
country 1t Is the legitimate result of that
agitation. 1t followed, as day the night, tho
assertion by badly informed part of tho
press of the country and an equally mis-
guided part of the congress of the United
States, that this government had no rights
or duties in tho Philippines, which the in
habitants of the islands must respect. I
say that dreaded 1t; 1 say now that 1 sx-
pected it, and warned and demonstrated
with my fellow senators that delay in
ratification of the treaty added untold dam
ger to the position of our armies in Manila
and would finally force us into war with
the natives-a war of defence and not of
conquest for maintenance of position
rather than for extension of power
HAS Agoncillo been arrested?" asked tho
senator, interruptfng his conversation. He
was infop<asd that Senior Agonoille had dis
appeared from his hotel at about Ii o'clock
last night.
81 had talk with President Mckinley a
few days ago and advised him to have the
PHILIPPINE spy arrested 1 call him spy for
1 believe him to have been nothing else.
And told the president so. l said to him
that it was my opinion that Agoncillo's
presence and continued liberty at action in
the city or country made him, under the cir
.cumstances, dangerous public enemy who
was undoubtedly supplying the declared OPP
ponents of tho government with informa-
ton which would lead to open warfare.
The president replied that Agincillo was
under constant surveillance, and that any
action which could be construed to be
harmful in effect would result in his imme-
diate arrest. am very sorry to hear that
he has escaped. He should not be permit
ted to leave the country. He should be ar
rested and confined at once"
What do you think win be the result of
this news upon the action of the senate on
the treaty." asked the reporter
81 am afraid to prophecy" said the sena-
tor, but will tell you what ought to be
the result. The treaty should be ratified
by unanimous vote in ten minutes after IL
o'clock tomorrow. There cannot be, in my
opinion, any tenable ground for continued
opposition. l mayysay also that there never
has been any such ground. The whole dis
cussion, unfortunate in itself and fr1ghtful
in it's results, has come about because of an
error in the minds of many public men-I
shall use Manassas to the attitude OF
the United States toward the Fiipinos.
Gentlemen have quoted constitutional
law on this subject when the constitution
has never in any way applied. Our rela-
lions with the inhabitants of the islands of
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines are
controlled by International laW-the law
of nations and not the law of the United
States. We ought to deal with them ac-
cording to the spirit of our laws but until
we have by legislation extended our sys-
them to their bounds, the well recognized
laws of nations give us the right and
creates for us the duty of legislating for
them in manner best suited to conserve our
interests without the taking away of the
rights of humanity l want to say again,
to emphasize the fact, that the rights of
the Filipinos are not constitutional They
are such as congress chooses to assign
them.
81 cannot conceive a more suicidal policy
than that pursued by the opposition in try
ing to defeat this treaty. Speaking from a
party point of view, 1 say that no demo-
crat could hope to gain anything by defeat
ing it. Every democrat knows that the de-
feat could be temporarily only; that the
new senate would ratify 1t at once. Moth
ing more than u personal political advan-
tage could be gained. / say personal as
distinguished from party advantage. The
opponents put themselves in position to
say, if the acquisition turned out to be a
bad thing, that they had opposed 1t from
the start, and would have come forward
to reap all the harvest of reputation for
foresight and wisdom and patriotism;
whereas, on the other hand, IL good for
tune followed, they could and no doubt
would say that their opposition was caused
by their indispostion to be driven into line
by Mr.. Bryan and the Journal-could, in
fact, plead their independence of spirit
good and sufficient reason for their OPP
position.
Mr.. Bryan and the Journal have been
right from the beginning. The treaty
Should have been ratified Immediately.
The American people will visit dreadful
vengeance upon the people who are respon-
sible for the delay and the consequent
bloodshed. If we forced into a war
with the natives of the Philippines the citi-
zens of this country will know whom to
blame. They will enter into it with a mil
lion times more spirit than they did into
the Spanish war. l predict that hundreds
of thousands of Americans will offer them
selves to avenge the splitting of American
blood. But the people who caused it by
their opposition, their delay will be inn
paled upon public opinion that will mark
them as traitors to their country's inter-
ests.
Il think congress should tomorrow
adopt measures making any opposition to
the authority of the United States in the
Philippines equivalent to treason and
should provide suitable penalties there
for.
when we realize the character of the
natives of the islands, we will see that wa
have been forced into O. war that will
probably cost thousands of lives and mil
lions of dollars by the action of a part of
the people of the country unfortunately
placed in position where their unwisdom
and political ambition effect, perhaps
Destroy the lives of thousands of Ameri-
can citizens. But they will surely get their
reward when the American people reckons
with them"
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