Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-02-25

have felt some little embarrassment as
ne gazed upon these portraits and read
tne significant Inscription below. Pos
sipiy His ENcellency did not see them.
lie may have turned his back upon
them Just as he has turned his back
upon the declaration of independence.
BE this as il may Sir, the President
uoeS not appear to have been at all
abaShed by this homogeneous circum-
stance, but he arose from his seat, and
there, within the shadow of the monu-
ment of Bunker Hill, where Warren
ieil, firing for liberty, and within a
stones throw of Fanuel Hail. where
llnie and again the true sons of the
Oiu Bay State have sent forth to the
country their messages of freedom, he
uellNered. perhaps. the most remarka-
bic, certainly the most dslngenuous.
address that ever fell from the lips Of
an American President
WHAT THE ADDRESS REALLY
WAS.
"This address. Invested Of its YER
biaSc, considered apart from its plati-
.uutS ana the ostentatious profession
OF virtue with which it was interlarded
was nothing more or less than n care
lully devised and studouss misstate-
!nent OF the issue between the Chief
Executive, and those of his own party.
VINO are opposed to his wretchcd policy
in the Philippines. L was an effort to
oeioG the subject, ana to mislead the
pupilc judgment. We are told. Sir, that
tnis address was received with an en-
tnusiastic applause by those who heard
H. put we who read it in cold print in
the lSht of the indefensible tragedy
now being enacted near the shores of
ASIA involuntarily think of that crca>
tion OF Charles Dickens, who was ac-
customed to roll his eyes piouslv TO
Il i'm, I,
tation to those about him, My friends.
iel us De mortal.' and who was the ia
lher OF TWO daughters. one of whom he
named Charity ana the other Mercy.
HIS ENCELLENCY'S DECLARA-
TION.
His EXcellcncy declared upon this
occasion, if not in so many words. mt
least in effect, that he had never en-
tertained any policy with respect to
the Philippines up to the time the
treaty OF peace was ratified; but that
he mad simply held them as com
mander-in-c The question as to
thelr disposition and control To be de-
termined thereafter by Congress.
II the Chief Executive really feels.
as he declared at the banquet that he
dlll. That the disposition of the Phil
ippineS is 4 matter to he determined
by Congress why does he not cali n
special session of Congress to settle tho
matter at once and then keep his hands
ton. - az
If he Is sincere why did he permit
his supporters i'm the Senate to vote
down the other day the Bacon reso-
luton. which distinctly declared that
the United States entertained no inten-
tion oil permanently holding these is
iands. Why did he insist that the Nc
Enery resolution should be passed:
resolution which is a fraud. delu-
SION ana snare, a shameful evasion
oil which. like Il Christmas tree. has
something upon 1t for everybody.
MUST FACE RESPONSIBILITY.
Mr. Chairman, am determined that
the PRESIDENT shall neither befor the
issue between himself and those OF the
i.cpuplicaii party who oppose his Phil
ipplne policy nor mislead the public
Juusineht' nor shirf the responsibility
Tor the gross official blunder which he
has committed in connection with This
great problem. j insist that the whole
polcy IS not simply an error. but that
1t is Il crime and that the Chief Execu-
tive of this nation is the one who has
precipitated upon US the cmbarrass
ments and the difficulties by which we
are now confronted. | insist that he
did not simply hold the Philippines as
commander in chief. leaving the uues-
ton Of the disposition ana control of
thcln 10 congress. but that he formu-
lated and put into execution an affirm
ative and aggressive policy. that of the
permanent annexation to this country
of the Philippines and forced it through
the Senate with all the power and in
iluencc which his high Office enabled
him to employ.
HIS FIRST IMPRESSION.
"The Presidents first impression was
to demand OF the Filpinos simply n
coaling station, a measure amply sunl-
cient for all of our legitimate purposes
and the evacuation OF the islands by
Spain without compensation by the tax
payers Of the United States. Had he
adhered to this. however. all would
have been well.
but the President committed a fatal
error. He wrote into that treaty the
ahsnlutn- transfer OF Spanish sovereign
ty over the Philippines to ourselves and
the payment of 10000, 900 rs Il consd-
GRAFTON for the cession. Then he issued
to the people of the Philippines that
proclamation In which he informed
them that the United States had sue
ceeded TO the title of Spain, declared
that the government and control of