New-York tribune., 1899-02-14
THE TREATY WITH SPAR
WHAT IT ACCOMPLISHEs AND w,,.
IT LEAVES FOR FUTURE DEcrsrov
Address by Whiteaw Reid. ,ha Lincoln n,,.
Marnuetie Club. ChIoag0. Fehmary n ".r u

Beyond the Allcghcnics the American -,
rings clear and true. II does not s0nnd ,Oce
/ Chicago as II you favored the pursuit ~ e ntM 10
san aims in great questions Of foreign nolidpa'p pa'p
! division among our own people in the face a..
! surgcnf guns turned upon our soldiers on ~ ~
/ distant fields 10 which We sent them. W. e ne
all here, il would seem. 10 stand by the aIe
that has been secured. even If we have N saess saes
for II. -"
Neither has any reproach come 10 ,ha D..
Commissioners from Chicago because whan az ~
trusted with your interests In a great naaa.t.a W.
ton In n foreign capital. they made ss,.s
/ ment on terms too favorable to their own as cous
+ try;-bec2use In bringing home Peare nv
! Honor they also brought home more prone,,4
than some Of orr people wanted. When ths, :!
proach has been urged elsewhere It has recanns
The familiar defence against a similar comnls.
In an old political contest There might |, IN ,rs
said. be some serious disadvantages about Sa a
plus in the National Treasury; but at apv rs.
/ II was easier 20 deal with n surplus than with.
deficit II we have brought back too much ,S,.
is only question for Congress and our o-s -as
people II we had brought back TOO lIttls 4.
might have been again question for the Arm,
and the Navy.
No one Of YOU has ever been heard 10 fnd ,,r,,
with an agent because in making a difficult ss,
tcment ho got all You wanted. and free on,i,,
on something further that everybody els.
wanted, DO YOU know Of any other CIVILIZED
nation Of the first or even the second class tb,,
wouldn't jump 1T that option on the PHILIPPINES;
y y IL. 1.-
England or France Ask little Belgium, Ara
yet what one Of them. unless II be japan. h,
any conceivable interest in the Philippines toE
/ compared with that Of the mighty Republ
which now commands the one side OF the PacSr
and unless this American generation is bllnts
T 10 opportunity than any Of lis predecessors xii
soon command the other:
PIT yourselves for a moment in our place m
the Ouai d'OrsaY. Would You really have hs1
I your repg st u'atiyes in Paris, the guardians
your honor i'm negotiating peace with your en-
my. declare that while Spanish rule IN the We
indies was 50 wicked and barbarOus that itw,,
our duty 10 destroy il, we were now 50 eager tD
peace thai for its sake we were willing In ths
East 10 re-establish that same wicked and ba,
bar0us rule Or would yOu have had your agenv
in Paris, the guardians elso Of your materl
interests. tlrow away all chance for indemnr
for a war that began with The treaoherOus ng,
der Of 2C6 American sailors on the Maine AMI
he'd cost YOUR Treasury during the year 0rs,
S2iO0O0 000f Would you have had them thlOr
away Waeniheent fOOthOld for the trade q
the farther East which the fortune OF war bal
placed IN your hand throw away whole arch
vtlagO Of bOundlcSS possibilities economic az.
strategic. throw away this opportunity OF q.
turies for yOur country Would you have "a.
them. on their OW responsibility. then and thea
| decide this question for all time and absoluteI
refuse 10 reserve it for the decision Of Congrs
and Of the American people. 10 whom that d
cls,on belongs. and who have the right 10 an0e
portunity first for its deliberate consideration!
SOME FEATURES ~ THE TREATY
Your toa=t is to the achievements Of Auss
/ can Diplomacy" Not such were its achss
uents under your earlier Statesmen. Not g..
/ las been its work under the Instructions ofvI
State Department. from John quincy Adams.
down the hOn0red line. and not such the woa
yosr representatives brought back 10 you tr'-
/ Paris.
They wore dealing with nation with wh0-
/ II has never been easy 10 make Peace, ever
+ when war was no longer possible but they s.
cured n Peace Treaty without word that con
promises the honor or endangerS the interess@ q
tle country.
They scrupuously reserved for your own d.
ciSon through your Congress or az the polls
the question OF political status and civil righr
for the inhabitants Of your new possessions
They pledged the United States 10 absolute
freedom in the exercise of ther religion for a.
these recent Spanish subjects Pagan, Sahome
tan. COnfuoian or Christian.
They maintained. IA the face ~ the most ve
hemcnt opposition not merely OF Spain, but o.
Wellnigh all Europe, a principle vital 10 op
pressed people struggling for freedom.-a prl
ciple without which our own freedom could 1G
have been stablished, and without which anT
successful revolt against any unjust rule 0rA
be made practically impossible. That prncple
is that, contrary 10 the prevailing rule and prac
tice in large transfers Of sovereignty debts %
/ NOT necessarily follow the territory II incurred
by the Mother Country distinctly in efforts 70
enSlayc il. Where so Incurred your representa-
! ives nplSlSltUllN ana >ucttNNluIl
that no attempt by the Mother County 10 mort
gage 10 boudhollerS the revenues OF custom
houses or in any way - pledge the future in
come Of the territory could be recognlze1 as
valid or binding socurity;-that the momen' l1s
hand Of the OpDreSsOr relaxed It's grasp As
claim on the future revenues Of the oppressed
territory WAS gone II is 4 doctrine tnat Ialsei
an Outcry In every Continental BeurSe anu
struck terror 10 every gambling European III.
vestor in national loans. hoated at lsur!oE
fn raj
right. and one may be proud that the ChHel
States stood like a rOck-baulng any roaI %
peace which led 70 loading either on me N. N9e.
ated territory or on the people that had fIeeg
the debts incurred in rhe wars againstN II us
Is not international Law now il VIII oe' aud 'O'
United States will have made II.
But your representatives in Paris placed !C1,
country in no tricky attitude OF en.'or. enIed.v'.I'
either 10 evadc or repudiaie Just oOllgat0s1s w.
They recognized the duty Of reimbursement. !"
debts legitimatcly incurred for pacinc lnprOs1s
mentS or otherwise. Tor The real DenePl Vi -, 80
transferred territory Not till IL was snOWI t t.s'
of the Philippine debt q forty Lill0nS =; "(a az.
can. or little under twenty millions OF W.
money. over a fourth had been transferred une,
TO aid the war in Cuba. and the rest nau uss.
mainly spent IN the war IA Luzon dd !ogl ~, ..y
reSentatiVoS hesitate at its payment, anu anI e, !,
then they decided To give a lump sum eguaha
il. which could serve as a recognition 0l W. -,
ever debts Spain might have incurred ID ~ x,
paSt for expenditures there for me hehen' " '~
people. - 90,
They protected what was gained in the wa
from adroit efforts to put il all AT rlSH ass- as,,
through an untmey appeal - the moore P,- Pr.,
cipe of Arbitration They held-an1 , az re-
The best friends of the principle VIII thann hann..T1 o.s
for Holding that an honest resort TO ArOl.sn,ro, "a,
must come before war, 10 avert us hoFIV'S' y"
after war. 70 escape itS consequences n....A
They were enabled 70 pledge the m9st .I rIV.ri .Si
ZIONIST country in the world 10 tne lloe.a' ll.
wise policy Of the open Door in me '.;, Easi ro,
And finally they secured that dlploiiaun.,
city. Il treaty in which the acutesi >,nss,~,.
critics have not found peg on when Lam an
sible claims against the country may oe n'17
THE MATERIAL SIDE OF THE BUslNE"
At the same time they neither neglecI'eGi ir,,,
feared the duty of caring for the maj al Soir:
ests of their own coun,ry;-the duty OF gLasfbl
the enormous possibilities upon WhiCu "nA h
stumbled. for sharing in the awakehlns arS n
Vslopmeut of The farther East nat " v" "Thsf
now the best hope of American comhtLOrn snr
Won may command 4 natural rather lHdn ditssW :
iiicial tradc:-a trade which pushes rse" i' "rs,
stead Of needing 70 be pushed: traur a.
81. H.frar.