The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-01
FOR AND AGAINST TREATY.
GRAY TELLS WHY HE THINKS 1T
SHOULD BE RATIFIED.

At the Outset He Was Opposed to the
Acquisition of the Philippine
ArchipeIagO-IIOw He Became Con-
Verted-MOney Attacks the Acqui-
sitiOn of the Islands as UncOnsti-
tutional-Mason and HOar IndOrse
Money.
Washington, Jan. S1.-Senators Gray and
Money occupied the entire executive ses-
sion of the Senate to-day in speeches on
the peace treaty, Senator Gray favoring
ratification and Senator Money opposing
it.
Senator Gray was the third of the Paris
commissioners to speak, and while he
gave some attention to the published mat
ter bearing on the treaty, he did not go
into this in such detail as did Senators
Frye and Davis.
He admitted that in the beginning of
the negotiations he hadG been opposed to
the acquisition of the Philippine archipel-
ago, and said that he had freely and
frankly advised the President and his fell
low commissioners of his belief that 1t
would be unwise to attempt to shape its
destiny. He had used his best endeavors
to bring them to accept his views, but
had utterly failed
He said he had at last reached the con-
clusion that he would either have to join
with tho majority or see the treaty fan
and the war continue In the meantime
he had been largely won over by the ar
guments of his colleagues and by the logic
of the situation, and he had at last con-
Guided to sign the convention
Thinks 1t a Wise Conclusion.
Having taken his position he was here
now to defend the treaty as wise con-
clusion of a most delicate diplomatic I'M
dertaking. Many complications had beset
the commissioners in their work, and while
he would not retract what he had here
tofore said as to the undesirabilty of ac-
curing distant territory a matter of
principle, still there were times when a
nation, as an individual, might have to
choose between evils. There was danger
of many complications of an international
character in case the United States should
have elected to pursue a different policy.
He reiterated that the ultimate conclusion
to take the entire Philippine group was
that of the commissioners rather than
that of the President, and also went into
the difficulties of getting the Spanish
commissioners to come to a conclusion.
Senator Gray did not advocate permanent
occupancy of the Eastern islands. but
said that the duration of our exercise of
sovereignty there should be settled in the
future and NOT a present.
Money Opposes Expansion.
Senator Money attacked the acquisition
of the islands as contrary to the spirit of
American institutions and as unconstitu-
tional. He said the government of the
United States could not afford to put it.
self in the attitude of a Don Quixote in
vain effort to care for and advance the
efforts of every people in every land that
appeared, according to our standards of
civilization, to need our help.
He had been an advocate of interview
ton in the case of Cuba, but from this
fact it did not follow that he was willing
to transfer the Philippines from Spain's
vassalage to a dependency of the United
States. He did not consider that we were
especially concerned as to the future of
the Fhipinos and so far as he was concern
ed, he should leave them to work out their
own salvation. This would be far prefer
able to assuming responsibility for them
and making them citizens of the United
States, they would inevitably come to
be- If the treaty should be ratified We
had made officers of them in the Spanish
war by the acts of our own agents, and in
the interest of fair dealing should let them
achieve their independence if they could
do
Senator Mason, in few words indorsed
Senator Moneys position that the Filipj-
nos would be made citizens by the ratifi-
cation of the treaty, and Senator Teller,
in brief Tejoinder, controverted this posi-
ton, saying that an act of Congfess would
be necessary to fix their status toward the
body polite. Senator Hoar also indorsed
Senator Moneys position.