The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-28
PEACE TREATY UNDER FIRE
DENOUNCED IN SEVERE TERMS IN
THE SENATE.
senator Berry Declares the Acquisition
ofPhi1ippines Was Merely a SpecuIa-
tive scheme Containing More of the
Element of Land Grabbing Than
Patriotism and Phtlanthropy,

washington, Jan. 27-The senate con-
tinued the consideration of the peace
treaty in executive session to-day, the
doors being closed for almost three
hours. Senator Frye, member Of the
taris peace commission, and naturally
strong friend of the treaty, held the
i1sention of the senate during the
greater part of this time. Senator Ber-
r%, during an interruption, spoke for
some time and in doing so denounced
bhe treaty in severe terms. Senators
Mason and Caffery asked many ques-
tons. Senator Berry declared that the
acquisition of the Philippine islands
was merely a speculative scheme con-
taining more of the element of land
grabbing than of patriotism and phlan-
thropy.
Senator Frye devoted himself largely
TO- an explanation of the proceedings of
his commission reading literally from
ths record as already printed but stop
ping as he proceeded to explain the
questions which he made. He had not
proceeded a great way in his exposition
o. the subject when he was asked if the
president had not originally instructed
the commission to only insist upon Sc
caring a coaling station in the Philip
pine group. To this Mr.. Frye replied
that he did not feel at liberty to give
his Interpretation of the presidents in
structions but it was not necessary that
he should do so, as the president had,
he said, determined to comply partially
at least, with the senate's request for
the documents on file bearing upon the
negotiation of the treaty and Mr. Frye
said he felt justified in assuring the SEN
ate that the papers would be received
not later than Monday.
Mr.. Frye devoted the principal por-
ton of his speech, outside of the read
ing of the report, to an explanation as
to why the Philippine archipelago was
included in the cession to the United
States He was asked why those ISL
ands were not placed in the same class
as Cuba, the sovereignty over this ISL
and being merely relinqufshed, while in
the case of the Philippines it had been
made over to the United States, and re-
piled that the difference was made be-
cause in the case of Cuba the commits
sion was acting under instructions from
congress. He was reminded that the
Filipinos professed to be fighting for
freedom pust as the Cubans were, and
that they We're still contending for their
own independence. One senator re-
minded him of the statements of Agui-
naldo's American representative, Mr..
Agoncillo.
The treaty, he said, should have been
ratified ten days ago, and if at had been
all danger of war with the people of
the Philippine Islands would have been
averted. Senator Mason asked wheth-
er the commissioners did not know
when they made the treaty, and wheth-
er he did not know now that the natives
of those islands were then, as now, de-
manding their independence. In re-
sponse Mr.. Frye repeated that the COM
mission had dealth with Spain regard
ing the Filipinos as subjects of that !
country. Spain had lost in the conflict |
of war and hence the United States had |
a perfect right, according to the law of |
nations, to acquire any part of her pos |
sessions or people in adjusting the bal
ances after the war was over.