Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29
Orchard & Wilhelm Carpet Go.

iards having surrendered at Santiago, there
was an armstice agreed upon that provided
that everything should be left in the Phil
ippines just as it was after the Spanish fleet
was destroyed at Santiago and the Spaniards
had begun negotiating for peace. The men
charged with negotiating the treaty Of Paris
constituted the only tribunal by which the
relations between the two nations that had
been at war could be adjusted. Colonel Will
liam Jennings Bryan understood 1t well
enough. He is certainly lawyer enough to
know that the treaty OF Paris. when once
ratified, would annex the Philippines and
make them part Of the United States. The
ratification of the treaty was an absolute
annexation of the Philippine islands. The
government pledged itself to purchase the
islands for s20,000,0O0 and to accept sover-
eighty over Porto Rico as a reimbursement
for the outlay in the war.
Is Bryan Sinceres
If Mr. Bryan was sincerely opposed to an
nexation; If he had been honest about it and
did not want to put the United States in
the condition which he claims it is now as
a subjugator of a people that are striving
for independence, it was his duty to go to
Washington and ask his political followers
not to ratify that treaty. 1t takes two
thirds of the United States senate to ratify
a treaty; therefore it was easy for the oppo-
sition, which had about the same number
of senator's as the republicans had, to have
baked that effort and stopped it right there.
Then was the opportune time for Mr.. Bryan
to show his hand What did he do?
He rushed from Jacksonville. Fla,
| to Washington, resigned his com
| mission in the army and at once went
| into the lobby of the United States senate
| to lobby through and help ratfy that treaty
| He induced number of democrats who were
| wavering in their judgment to vote for rati-
! fcation and he induced Senator Allen to dc
the same thing and Senator Allen gave the
| casting vote. II Senator Allen had voted
against the ratification that treaty would
| not have been ratified, Now, then, wher
that treaty was ratified, What was the duty
| OF the president of the United States? A:
president of the United States he was in dut,
bound to maintain the authority OF the Unitet
| States upon every inch OF territory belonging
to the United States. This new possession
had been purchased under a treaty rati
fed by two-thirds of the United States sen
ate, and after the treaty was ratified b,
Spain the title to it was in the United States
The question was, What should tn
president do at that stage? What ha,
he a right to do and what wa
his duty? Suppose that when Alask
was bought from Russia for sevel
millions Andrew Johnson had refuse
then to extend the authority o
the United States over Alaska an
send troops to Alaska to hold the newl
acquired territory? 1t was new posses
sion. The Alaskans were not asked whethe
they wanted to be transferred by Russia
they were not asked any questions; thei
consent was not thought OF, but our troop
sent there and took possession of the coun
try. Now, whatever may become OF tn
Philippines hereafter is an entirely differer
question. The question is now, What wa
. the president to do? Was the president
the United States to assail the title TO tn
new possessions which had been acquire
by treaty? supposing that the mayor {
, Wahoo, for instance, was notified that th
town council had, under an act of the legis
lature annexed a strip of land to the tow
9 What would be his duty in the premises
5 The Presidents Duty.
e Assume, II you please, the title to Il
land was clouded in dispute, would II
> mayor be expected to refuse to give II
: annexed addition police and fire protectic
b or by any act TO attack the title to th
3 property? Would il not be his duty 10 no
b the property and let the claimants distul
r the title? In the case Of the Philippine
o Spain had secured possession OF the islam
: by conquest, but even II 300 years Of po
L session did not make the title good, Il
president of the United States has no rig
:. to question the title SO long as the sena
i Of the United States had ratified the trea