Arizona republican., 1899-01-23
FORCED UPON US
Senator Gray Speaks of inc
 Philippines Situation.
Though a Democrat He Has Confid- enCe in inc RmeTiCaniSm and Hone sly of inc President.

New York. Jan. 22.-The reason the Linked States decided to take the
 Philippines islands has been explaine1 l by Senator Gray Of DelwsIc, who was
 a member of the peace commission. He said at dinner given in his honor
 at Wilmington Cn Saturday:
 We are now in a crisis of our na-
 ticnal history. and your hearts and
 mine. as patriotic citizens of this
 great country, are full Of anxiety ss to
 the proper settlement of the mcmen-
 tcus issues which have rasulte1 from the war with Spain. While our ccun-
 try was in war with Spain we were
 ready to make l hope, every sacrifice tc insure the success Of American arms. and bring victory and honor to the American flag. And when the war
 was over, I believe the patriotic in- sbIncJ cf American citizenship de- manded, as your president enjoined upon us, that we should exhibit mag nanimity tc prCstrate foe and mol eiatIOn in the hCur of victory as we had faced the war with st5adfaStneSs and courage. In the frs place, I want
 tS say to you that it was my pleasu e
 as well as what I conceived my duty. tC eGdeaYOr tis carry out this instruc-
 tion, so cTeditable to us as a nation and So w-rthy Of the high oiv.lizat on i Of which We profess to bo the leade S. 1.-The acquisition Of terr.tcry by the
 United States was net enc cf the ob-
 jects of the war, and we solemnlv de- claIcd in the resolutions cf congress s that cur cn.y object in demanding the TelinquishmerJ l-f bhe sovereignty of CuDa by Spain was net to hold it cur selves except that we might pacify it
 and fit 1t fer self-gcWcrrment by it's own people
 But in this. as in all e-sa, man pr2- poses and Gcd disposes, and it is one
 of the things that make thoughtful
 men desire to avctd war. where it can be avoided, fer no one can tell what it's consequences may be. I ardently de- sired that we might escape the necss- sity Of taking the Philippine islands and assuming the burden thas their taking will impose upon US, and T knew that the president Of the United States was equally anxious to the same end. But it became apparent that. without our seeking, unexpected changes had been created and cut Of these conditions unqesti- nab!y duties had sprung which could not be av-idel CT evad. by the United States.
 ''It was argued that the performance of duty is not cGly some times un- pleasant, but has dangers attendant upon it; nevertheless, a brave man and a brave na-iCn will not shrink from it | on that account. On the other hand. if | American sentiment did net justify the return cf tLiese islands to Spain, no more could it justify leaving them der I eiict in the eastern ocean. the prey of | the rapacity Of the first European oc- | cupant.
 "The powers Of Europe would ac- iy1 tal- ipo f ', would not stand by and SC them in l the helpless Accndition tf anarchy ard disorder with-fut setzing he opcortun- | ity to aggrandize themselves. and sa it was thought bsst by ths president and his advisers to take the cCssiCn Of i their sovereignty from Spain and hold ! it in trust to be administered in ccn- fCrnity with these high ideals and lib- erty-loving traditions which anima Q | and glcrify the history of GU. country.
 Duty cannot hCnorably bs avoided. | because it may bring pain or danger, | ncr can responsibility always be | evaded because of it's burdens.
 hat l sought in Paris by all hon ! orab.e means to escape this responsf- blIity does not matter new It came to [ a point at last that we must either leave the islands o Spain, take them. as we did, or break eff neg0tieticrs and come home without a treaty of peace. In the last event, the truce would be broken, and state of active war w-uld have been resumed. We would have TO cession of the sover eighty of ,he Philippines. and none Of fCrto Rico, and no reinqUis cment of tt9 sovereignty of Cuba
 Tt is true that in the prctccol of Aug. F, Spain definitely promised that she would cede Porto Rico and rein l. Guish Cuba, but w:th -ui Q treaty Of peace that promise would not be per- formed. What would then have been the exigency of the situation? Un- doubtedly we wculd have been ccm- pelled to go on and seize wi.h the strong hIand and by military rower bah the Philippine archipaag-. and the Greater and Lesser Antilles. talk ing by ruthless conquest what is far better that we should take by the vol untary cessiCn Of 3 treaty Of peace.
 But, new 1ahat we have them. it does nCt follow that we a-a c1mmi ted to a colonial policy CT to a violation of these great principles Of liberty and self government whiuAl must always remain American ideals if our own free institutions ara J-' endure.
 NO country, and this cCuairy least of all, can afford to tr2mple : n it's ideals I have no fear that it will do 50. Without assuming fer a moment ] any right 10 speak for the pre esident, I , think I can assure ycU, with some knowledge whereof I speak, thas he iulIy appreciates the duties and re- responsibilities Of the situat cn, and that { le is committed to TO policy calculated { D discourage, muclh less strike down. he aspirations Of liberty loving pet 1Ie all ever the world. '
 T belong to different p-Cit.cal ( party, but I sECuld be false to my i .ense Of justice and tha. pride which C feel as an American if I did not de- 7 fare my confidence in the patriotism c md purity Of purp-sa Of William Me ( <inley. He is no UsU-por of power. no | stranger to American irsti ut'ons. but f nc Of the American people. calle3. to r lis nigh office by their suffrages, and s