Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-09
EDMUNDS ON THE TREATY
Former Senator From Vermont Discusses
Policy Of Imperialism.
He is Opposed to the FOrcfble Holding
of the Islands by United
States.

| up to the acquisition of the islands and
| gives a description of the people. He says:
| The population is already denser than
that of the state of Michigan. The popula-
ton is composed of Spaniards, other Euro
| peans, English and Americans, half-castes.
| Chinese, Malays, japanese and aboriginal
natives OF the total of all this conglom-
| crate of races the Europeans and Ameri-
| cans compose less than per cent after
| more than 200 years of European occupa-
! ton, and very few of these were born
| there. Even in Manila, the capital Ga per
| cent of the inhabitants are Malays, 80 per
cent are Chinese and half-breeds, Spaniards;
| Spanish half-breeds and creoles per cent
/ only, and of other white men only trace
/ and OF white women substantially none.
What is to BE Done.
What 1 have said so far will not, L take
| it, be disputed by any intelligent person.
| What then in the present state of affairs is
| to be done?
Are We to make war upon the people OF
| the Philippines as Spain was doing, in order
| to subject them to our dominion?
| This apparently we must do to make
! them a people whether citizens, subjects
| or slaves of the United States.
To justify this "a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind should compel our
| government to state definitely the grounds
upon which We make the attempt. We
nave assured the nations of the globe in
the most solemn manner possible that We
made war not for conquest or extended do
| mlnlon. but solely to set the people of Cuba
free-of whom Congress declared that they
! were and of right ought to be free and in
| dependent"
AT that very time the Philippine rebellion
| was stronger and better organized than
that Of Cuba. Recent events have proved
that the Philippine rebels are as capable of
self-goSernment as the people of Cuha
w hen ths United States aided in tbe at
| talnment and recognized the independence
| OF the Spanish provinces of Central and
SCUM America our government did not set
itSelt up to be the final Judges of whether
| or not they were capable of seIf-govern
ment, although it was perfectly well known
| mat seit-goVernment by the people of those
pro,ihces could not be such, and never
could De such, as the races and inba Infants
| OF temperate zones could establish and
maintain. GIN"
What a War of Conquest Mems.
To force our dominion then upon the
people of the Philippines would be in oppo-
sltion to the everything principles on which
our own nation was founded, and under
winch IL has in a little more than Il century
grown so great in an ever-increasing ma
tive and homogeneous people, established
IN temperate zone of the earth and capa-
pie from this cause of continuous deveI-
opneht IN industry, increase of knowl-
edge, in social order justice and morality.
| If We now proceed to conquer (as probably
we can at last although Spain has failed
to do it after more than a century of eff
forD. what shall we say to them is the
motive of our conduct?
How are We to explain it to the world,
having "a decent respect for the opinions
of mankind as Jefferson and our fathers
thought necessary in our Declaration of
Independence?
Can we be justified in forcing by the
sword our particular and excellent ideas
| f
these people, as Mahomet did in his re-
| ligious wars and as Spain did in her early
operations this continent?
How will such of our bishops priests
and deacons' and religious newspapers as
have appeared to favor the scheme find au-
thority in the greatest and best of all
books that have ever been given to man.
kind-the New Instrumentation this new en-
terpr1Se now proposed for our republic?
What Will They Do to Us.
There are other considerations, both hu-
name and financial, that cannot be ignored
If the people of the Philippines both civil
lied and savage, must be subdued to our
Christian government by force of arms
how many American lives and how much
American treasure ought to be sacrificed
to that end?
Rapidly developing events seem to show
that a military force of at least 30 600 men
must be kept up land in those islands in
order to our obtaining an effectual SUI
premacy.
And this force must be supported by
many naval vessels with their crews etc
To keep up such establishment it is
evident from the experience of Spain and
from that of other nations carrying on
such operations in the tropics that con-
slant current of supply and reinforcement
both of material and men must go on.
Besides the casualties of battle with foes
(some of whom Spain has not been able to
subdue in 200 years of EFFORT there is also
hi foo
tropical climate and the diseases always
present in it.
And, besides this, troops from the
temperate zones can long endure the effect
of such a climate, and they must there
fore, be withdrawn to some cooler latitude
at very short periods to recuperate The
English in India happily have the Hima-
layan hills within comparatively short dis
tances, to which their troops are sent at
frequent intervals to escape the exhaus-
ton of the tropical seacoast. But our
troops in the Philippines must be trans
ported by sea four or five thousand miles
to reach the salubrious shores of Califor-
mia and Oregon. To accomplish all this
the annual and continuous expenditure of
millions upon millions of the earnings of
our people must go on Indefinitely
A Condition and a Theory
But we are now confronted with both a
condition and theory The executive
has concluded a treaty by which Spain has
ceded the sovereignty of the whole Philip
pine group, of which she had actual possess
sion of only a small fraction, and in many
parts of which her dominion had been an
solutely overthrown, and in other parts of
which she never had any dominion at all,
many OF the islands having from the first
until today been inhabited by independent
tribes over which Spain never had any act
ual dominion. '.I-I :
In dealing with this treaty the Senate is
supposed to be as free to act according TO
its own Judgment the President was
free to act according to his in negotiating
1t. The Senate may decline to ratify the
treaty, which in the present state of affairs
would produce a situation extremely en-
barrassing. But if the Senate believes the
treaty to be wrong it win doubtless have
the courage to reject it and to face the con-
sequences.
The Senate, however, may consider that
while Spain ought to depart from the Phil
1ppines and renounce her dominion there.
the United States ought not to assume her
sovereignty, such as it was. against the ex-
press will of the people of the islands. And
In view of the evils likely to follow even IL
those people desired to become a part of
the United States, the Senate can amend
the treaty so as to provide substantially as
the scheme has been as to Cuba that the
people of those islands should be left 10
govern themselves best they may with
such guarantees for order and personal