The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-02-23
UNION LEAGUE BANQUET.
Bourkc Cochran and Senator Davis the
Principal Orators.
THE LATTER PRAISED THE PEACE TREATY
Cochran Compared the Work of
Washington TO Thnt OF the
savior Of Mankind.

Chicago. February 22--One thousand
members of the Union League club gath.
cred in the great banquet hall of the clnt
house tonight on the occasion Of the an
nual banquet given by the club ON the an
Iniversary of the birth Of Washington.
President John III. Miller OF the club
presided, and after the menu had become
recollection, called the gathering TO or
der and In few well chosen words intro
duced Mr.. Bourke Cochran, who had made
the speech of the day at the Auditorium
in the afternoon. Mr.. Cochran spoke very
ceiyed with the greatest applause. After
Mr. Cochran had resumed his seat, Pres
dent Miller introduced Senator Cushman
X. Davis of Minnesota. who spoke on
"The Treaty of Paris" Senator Davis
said in part: THE american people and
humanity within the last twelve moths
have advanced an unreasonable distance,
never to recede Nations, like individuals,
do not shape their own destinies.
practically the entire question as to
the Philippines was left by the president
OF tho United states TO the Judgment and
! discretion of the American commissioners
! 1t was at first thought it would be suffi-
! cicnt to take the Island of Luzon, but the
best military and navy authority. Admiral
! Dewey. General Merritt and Commander
| Bradford, laid the situation before us from
| a military, naval and strategic point oil
| view. which made IL obvious that we must
either take the entire archipelago or aban-
don 1t entirely; that the American people
assumed responsibility which we can not
avoid and so considering other conditions
II was decided that we should demand, and
, we did demand, and received the oession OF
the entire archipelago of the Philippines.
We have taken that cession and congress
viii ratify the treaty in the course of a
day or two. 1t was not question of what
we shall do in the future. We are already
committed to tho situation. VIII any
American citizen, under present circum-
stances, advocate that Dewey shall sail
away from the harbor of Manila That our
troops shall vacate that island? That we.
with an armed force OF insurgents arrayed
against us, shall, in the face of the civil
lied wirld, like towards in the night,
evacuate those waters and remit the Phil
ippines TO international anarchy or foreign
Acknowledgement? The Philippines are not
in II condition to govern themselves and
establish that Independent republic OF
which the fond theorists dream. | think
no man in this audience who has read
the current journals win for moment
question that they are not. We can rot
endure that the Philippines shall be dis
memDered by foreign powers, az they will
be the minute the United States removes
itself from the situation, aud above all
things, my fellow citizens, although they
appear perhaps dmly before us, yet /
believe there is profound conVletion in
the minds of the American people that
part OF all this force which has pushed
us here and established us there is an
impetus which Tells for civilization, for a |
better Christianity, and that the United
states, as the greatest evangelist of the |
nations, Is bound to play leading part |
In those waters and in those islands,
The American peace commissioner.
We're taught, although painfully. while |
they We're in Paris, that they had no
friend In the continent of Europe. That
treaty was made under the most adverse |
conditions OF public sentiment so far as I
continental Europe was concerned The |
diplomatic relations of the islands to each
other was such that all must be taken or
none We were bound, in view of the
astounding development which the Chi
nese sovereignty has been subject TO- to
nave a sufficient naval station in those
waters. Who In this audience would have
expected that We would have left the
fhiIlpplnes or any portion OF those Islands |
TO the lneftable and understandable atroci-
ties OF SPAIN When Dewey set the stars
and stripes of that flag amidst the anti
podean glories of the East he imposed up-
on the American nation new duties and
responsibilities Our relations with Ger
many and France and all OF the OF her ma
tiohs while now entirely satisfactory, are,
take IT. exaggerated In the public press,
especially in regard to our relations with
Germany, yet considering their aggressions
upon the coast of China their Intentions
regarding the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the vast
empire, the enormous military force aud
those millions OF fatalists-of men VINO
hght without regard 10 DEATH under the
dominion of foreign power within thirty
years could be made immensely dangerous
10 the United States. / do not want TO
see my country become the China of the
Vast In these days when space has been
aEnihilated by steam do not view with
and not without apprehen-
sion the destiny OF the great empire Of .
empires of dlsmombered China ready to
descend upon the western coast of the
United States.
1T is 10 obyiate that l so earnestly adj
socated the acquisition Of Hawaii ii is to
orestal that that am willing and anx- ,
GUS TO see some OF our lands we'll forth
led and made base OF defense and naval
'peratlons. Perhaps these things may be
peculatiye, but they are well enough TO
hnk OF. But above all things for present D.,
consideration / am immensely interested
hat this country shall have its share OF
he trade of that empire. Our COM
'etitors for the markets OF the world are
nSious, INSCRIPTIONS some time. The
mpire OF China. with It's 400 1000. 600 OF
eople, one third OF the human race. II
pened to the ingtrumentalities OF modern
utilization is an event in my opinion
ute, II not more important than the
iscovery Of America by Columbus and il s
my desire and hope aud expectations II
nd 1t is that TO which my humble labors !.
ave been and will be directed, TO secure =
Or this government and its people for
heir manufacturers, their share in that
'ade The question OF what We should do y
18th the Philippines is not yet upon US. !,
'e arc actually now in the possession of u
i these islands. We own them, OF shall y
wn them when Spain ratihes the treaty y
cesson.'