The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-02-09

4
been reScinded, mental examinations Tor
new officers, as we'll as physical ones,
| have been imposed there will te no
Engineer appointments from civil life, and
the Army canteen has been abolished.
The Army now consists OF some $4,000
Regulars and $4,000 volunteers. AS soon
as the peace treaty is ratified the Presi-
dent will be compelled, under the terms
of their enlistment, 10 discharge all Regu-
lars who may desire to leave the Army.
The volunteers he can hold until the COM
pletion Of the two years Of service Tor
which they enlisted, If he sees fit.
Under the bill, II II becomes law, the
President can enlist any number of men
that he may see fit between about 10000
and 100000. The reductions made by the
committee were misleading in that they
did not provide for minimum number OF
$4,000, as announced, but only for pos
sible reduction of some 10000
The President may not enlist more than
$4,000 in the first place, or he may enlist
the entire 100000. and then discharge a
portion of them whenever he may desire.
He will have power to swell or reduce the
number within the limits specified absO-
lutely according tD his pleasure, subject,
of course. to the law bearing on the length
Of the term Of enlistment.
In the Senate on Wednesday, in execu-
i've SESSION. SeHdtOf .dOdf spoke, IepcdS
ing much OF the argument he has hitherto
advanced. He rather championed Agui-
naldo, in addition, declaring him good,
competent man., Ii ainative Government
were established With AguinaldO at the
head he thought ii would be able to main
tain itself. Alr. Hoar declared that he
wished to see the treaty amended so as to
put the islands on che same basis as
Cuba. He beiievedit to be the duty of the
United States t0 see that a stable Govern
ment was established in the Philippines;
that after that was done we should recog
nize the independence of the islands, and
with such action our duty would be done.
In the House the River and Harbor bill
was considered.
In the Senate on Feb. 2 Mr.. Spooner
made a lengthy speech against the Vest
resolution and f3r the treaty.
He said he found no objection to the
peace treaty on any constitutional
grounds. The Senators from Connecticut,
Montana, Minnesota and Ohio (PIatt, Car
ter, Nelson and Foraker) had fully pre-
sented the view he entertains on that
question. If he believed the Vest resOlu
ton was based on a sound view of con-
stitutiOnaI law (that the United States
had no power to acquire territory except
with view to Statehood) he could not
vote to accept any cession, for any purpose
or for any time, Of the Philippine archi-
pelago, for he could conceive of no cir
cumstances under which he could give
his consent To the admission of that
archipelago as one State, or more than
one State, of the American Union. The
Philippine acquisition was one of the
fruits OF the war. To him il was one of
the bitter fruits of the war. He said he
had no doubt whatever of the power of the
United States to accept the cessiOn of the
islands. He has no doubt OF the power of
the United States To govern them as it
governed other territory. At the same
time he said he saw nothing in that at all
inconsistent with giving the people Of the
archipelago all the great rights guaran-
teed by the Constitution It the right of
habeas corpus, the right of trial by jury,
and all that. II the cession were taken,
it would be taken by right of conquest.
"lf | felt that the ratification of the
peace treaty involved permanent do
minion by the United States in the Philip
pine Islands, should not be willing to
vote for il. But have not been able to
see any resting place or half way house
between our absolute abandonment of the
Philippine archipelago and an acceptance
Of the cession. The Commissioners could
and the President could have made the
treaty with all reference to the Philip
pines omitted from il"
In the Senate on Friday Mr.. Money, in
discussing expansion, declared that the
battle OF Manila was in no way necessary.
He told how AguinaidO had offered his
services to the United States officials,
and then paid high tribute to the Fill
pino leader, earnestly defending him
against the charges that had been made
against him.
Mr.. Daniel declared it was seriously
proposed that we take to this country a
large and miscellaneous assortment of
Asiatic islands and to make citizens,
with all the rights of the inhabitants of
territories of the United States. the large
and varied assortment of ASiaticS Mon
golians, Malays and Negroes who inhabit
them. To this he objected.
In the Senate on Saturday Mr.. Wolcott.
Of Colorado, made brief appeal to his
colleagues To ralify the treaty, and con-
cluded his remarks with: Time alone can
determine and make clear the duty we owe
To-day We face the question OF rejecting
or emasculating the conclusion soiemnly
reached by the Commissioners of Spain
and the Uniteds StAtes, r of standing
loyalty by our Government. For myself
there is but one path-to my vision that
way alone lies honOr.'
q E-L
Washington a&oAe on Monday morning.
after a day of excitement over the sensa-
tional news from Manila, to find the air
filled with thickly falling snow. Under
ordinary circumstaHees half of the people
in the city would have been at the Capitol
by 8 o'clock. but Washington does not
relish snow under loot and overhead,
especially when it is falling fast an wet
and cloggy on every spot exposed to the
elements. AS ii was. however, every inch
in the Senate galleries was iammed with.
an expectant crowd of spectators an hour
before the Senate was to be called to order
for the closing debate before the final vote
should be taken upon the momentous
question which was the universal topic of
discussion. Many OF the Senators them
selves seemed to be infused with the
spirit OF eagerness and unrest that per-
vaded the spectators, and arrived early
on the floor of the chamber.
At least Is minutes before Vice -Presi-
dent Hobart let the gavel fall, almost.
every Senator is in his place, or moving to;
the char The white haired Morgan
comes early and makes his way to his seat.
and Allen, OF Nebraska, erect and busi-.
iiesslike, walks in and takes his place
on MOrgan's left, apparently trying to look
0bliviOus of the fact that he il to be the
chief orator of the occasion. Soon after