The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-01
LODGE ON THE PHILIPPINES.
Campaign Argument Made at the
Republican Club Dinner


De publicly spoken for the Republican par
ty in Massachusetts during the present
| campaign We're made tonight through the
medium of the annual dinner of the Re
publican Club of Massachusetts in Music
Han The speakers We're Gov. Roosevelt
Of New York, Senator Lodge of Massa-
chusetts, Gov. Wocott and Lieut. Gov
w. Murray Crane and Speaker John L.
Bates
Gov. Roosevelt devoted himself entirely
TO the Philippine question, reiterating his
Well-knoWn views
Inc last speaker was Senator Lodge. He
| said in part:
The only government and the only SOW
! erelgnty in the Philippines were those OF
| spain, and they nave been transferred to
| US RlShtfuily and righteOusly in the
Fnihpplnes, as consequence of Dewey
| great victory in Manila bay, we have been
| attacked there by insurgents. natives IL
| the island under chiefs who would now be
| Vegetaung in the exile al Hong Kong. uu-
| hohored and unsung had il not been for
! the American fleet and the American
| army These insurgents, JUST before the
! fatllcauon of the treaty of peace, attack
| ed our troops, wantonlY and without prov
| ocation. aud that was the way the war be-
! gan. The insurgent leaders showed to Us
| the blacklist ingratituGe and there is no
! proof Whatever that they represent even
the Iagal minority of the people of onr
! Island. Their leader is a eelf-seeking al
| venturer who has made himself dictator
| and created for his own purposes whatever
| shadow of government they have. | be-
! lleye in retaining the Philippine Islands
! and have always believed in that policy
| They should be retained as a possession
| OF the United States, not Incorporated in
] our bO1V OOitic mir nttn
| tarlH. We can trust ourselves to govern
| them We'll, and to gain the entire assent of
! the governed. / believe that we should
/ hrst put down disorder aud restore peace,
| and that then we should give to those Is,
/ lands the best government possible which
| know we are entirely capable of doing
! l believe that our first and immediate
| duty to which all others are subordinate
! Is to push this war with all the energy and
! resources We can command to a prompt
/ and successful conclusion, and I there
| fore shall sustain with my utmost effor.
| the administration of President Mckinley
! which is charged with that duty. in all
/ measures for the accomplishment of it's
difficult task
My reasons fqr this position are of two
! kinds. zone affecting the interests of the
! United States, the other our duty as ma
/ ton; but although they spring from dit
/ ferent sources, both reasons are intimately
related.
THE struggle of this age of ours is in
/ the conflict of economic forces. The great
nations of the earth are competing in
/ desperate struggle for the worlds trade
and in that competition. if we would have
/ our farms profitable and our labor highly
paid and fully employed, we must not be
/ left behind. Our trade with China has
/ been growing rapidly. But within a few
years We have seen Russia closing in upon
/ the Chinese empire. If she succeeds we
shall not only be excluded from those
markets, but we shall stand face to face
with power controlling an extent of ter
raory and mass of population the like
Of which the world has never seen. In
! the presence Of such a colossis of des-
potism and military socialism the welfare
of every free people is in danger. Long
before any one dreamed that we should
ever know the Philippines except by name
some of US in Washington had foreseen
this peril looming on the horizon and
mad realized that sooner or later the Unit
ed States, in mere self-defense, would be
Obliged to take an interest in the Chinese
question ana to insist that We would not
be shut out from those markets Suddenly
came the Spanish war, Dewey's fleet was
at Manila, and We were he masters of the
| Philippines. We were an Eastern power
we held the crossroads of the Pacific az
Hawaii, and We had our foothold on the
island of Luzon. The master of Manila
| can make terms with every Power in the
| East, and those vast markets must be
held open in the interests of our indus
try and our commerce, of our farmers and
our workingmen, to the free competi-
ton of mankind, contest in which the
genius of American enterprise need fear
no rival.
There is another side to this question.
the side of duty and of honor. We were
brought to the Philippines by the for
tune OF war. can conceive of differences
OF opinion as to the wisdom of our keep
ing them. l can understand differences
OF opinion as 10 the methods of govern
ing and administering them, but
cannot understand when our soldiers ore
in the field, face 10 face with an enemv
that there should be any party. or any
organization of men, in this country, ready
to cry out, surrender The soldiers of the
United States in the Philippines. where
they have the right to be by the laws of
nations, by the laws of this country and
by the laws of sound morals are fighting
with the public enemies of the United
States. Under those circumstances l see
but one course, / do not know how Others
may vote, but 1 vote with the army that
wears the uniform and carries the flag of
my country. When the enemy has Yield
ed and the war is over, we can discuss
other matters of government and admins
ira ton.
I'VE took from Spain the sovereignty of
those islands and utter anarchy, OF their
conquest by Russia or Germany l am OPP
posed to turning those islands over to
anarchy. The proposition that we should
allow the first self chosen dictator who l
came along to establish a government.
and that we should agree to stand outside
and do nothing but protect him and fight
any other nation that he chooses to pick
a quarrel with, is too absurd TO require
refutation. If we are 20 have responsible
ity we viii have the power that goes with
it. l am opposed to turning those islands
over to any other nation. I believe that
we can give to those people a larger meas
ure of peace and happiness of freedom
and prosperity than any other nation in
the world, for / believe in the capacity
in the honesty and the good faith of the
American people. If we fail in national
duty, if we retreat before an armed enc
my, we weaken and we injure the national
glory and the faith that goes with it, We
can subdue this Instruction; we can bring
r,eaca and order to these islands. VIC oan