The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-25
Senator's Lodge and Clay Express
Their Views.
BOTH FAVOR THE TREATY
LODGE HAS NO POLICY FOR THI
FUTURE.
But Thinks We Should Protect the
Philippines For the Present-Sen-
ator Clay Supports the Treaty and
Advocates Independence For the
Islands-Hoar Asks a Question.

today, n by Mr.. Lodge (Mass.) and
the other by Mr.. Clay (Ga.). While the
two senators differed dramatically as
TO the policy of expansion, Upon (which
they both dwelt, both are in favor of
the immediate ratification Of the pend
ing peace treaty. They contend that
once the treaty is ratified, congress will
have fuH power to deal with conditions
respecting the territory acquired dur
ing the war with Spain, and not before.
Mr. Lodge particularly argued for q
formal declaration of peace, which
could be had only by the ratification of
the treaty.
Mr.. Lodges position on the foreign
relations committee and his we'll known
a~ntagonism to the views on the Ques-
ton of expansion and ratification of the
peace treaty entertained by his distin-
guished colleague, Mr.. Hoar, aroused
unusual interest in his address. He
spoke, in part, as follows:
Mr.. President-In connection with
these resolutions and others which
have been introduced, two questions
have been raised, one of constitutional
law and one of public policy. 1t is not
my purpose to enter at any length into
the former discussion. l believe that
the United States a the u~ndoubted
power, which it has frequently eXer-
ciSed, TO acquire territory and to hold
and govern it. 1 am ready to admit,
if necessary, that action in these di-
rectiOns must be taken for constitu-
tional purposes, but the constitution
ality of the purposes, when congress is
about to exercise these or any other
powers, must be determined by con-
gress itself, through its majority. I be-
lieve that the power of the United
States in any territory or possession
outside the limits of the states them
selves is absolute, with the single eX-
such outside possession by the thir-
teenth amendment.
TWO ALTERNATIVES.
Let us look at the two alternatives.
Suppose we ratify the treaty. The is
lands pass from the possession of
Spain into u possession without COM
hitting us 10 any policy. 1 believe we
can be trusted to deal honestly and
justly with the islands and their in
habitantS thus given to u care. What
u precise policy shall be 1 do not
know, because I, for one, am not suffi-
GENTLY informed as to the conditions
there to be able to say what it will
be best to do, nor, 1 may add, do 1
think any one is. But 1 believe that we
shall nave the wisdom not to attempt
to incorporate those islands with our
body polite, or make their inhabitants
part Of SUI citizenship, or set their la
Dor alongside of ours and within our
tariff, TO compete in any industry with
American w0rkmen. 1 believe that We,
shall nave the courage not to depart
from those islands fearfuily, timidly
and unworthily and leave them to an
aTchy among themselves, TO the brief
and bloody domination of some self
constituted dictator and to the quick
conquest Of other powers. who Will
have no such hesitation as we should
feel in crushing them into subsection
by harsh and repressive methods.
During h campaign last autumn 1
said in my speeches to the people of
my state that / could never consent to
hand these islands back to Spain; that
I wanted no subject races and no vassal
states, but that we had, by the for
tunes of war, assumed q great respOn-
sibility in the Philippines; that we
ought to meet it and give those people
an opportunity for freedom, fer peace
and for self-gOV6rnment; that we
ought to protect them from the rapacity
OF other nations and seek to uplift these
I nave not swerved. and I believed thens
as 1 believe now that they met with the
appreciation of an overwhelming ma
jority of the people Of Massachusetts.
RESULT OF REJECTION.
Take now the other alternative. Sup
we reject the treaty or strike out
the clause relating to the Philippines.
That will hand the islands back to
Spain. and I cannot conceive that any
American should be willing to do that.
Suppose we reject the treaty, what fol- |
lows:
Let US look at it practically. We
continue the state of war and every
sensible man in the country, every bus
mess interest, desires the ~re-establish-
ment of peace in law as well as in
fact. By this act we repudiate the
president and his action before the
world, and Reputation of the
president in such a matter as this, to
my mind, is the humiliation of the
States in the eyes of the civil
lied world and brands us as a people
Incapable of great affairs or of taking
rank where we belong, as one of the
greatest world powers. The president
cannot be SEM back across the Allan
tic in the person Of his commissioners,
in hand, to say, I am here in obe-
1ience TO the mandate of q majority
Of one-third of the senate to tell you
that we have been too victorious, and
that you have yielded US too much, and
hat I am very sorry that l too the
Philippines from YOU
IF I did not nave faith in the Amer
can people and their government I
would do my best to prevent the ratif-
ration OF the treaty, Inc I can see no
other ground of opposition. But as I
a profound faith in both. I want
o take those islands from Spain in the
My way which it can be dOne-by the
ratification of the treaty-and then
it to the president-wise, humane,
1atriotic-to the American congress
to the American people. who have
never failed in any great duty or feared
o face any great responsibility. to deal
With them in that spirit of justice. hui
nanity and liberty which has made US
III that we are today and can ever
nope to be-
CLAY OPPOSES EXPANSION.
Clay of Georgia, one of the Democrat
c senators who expects to vote for the
ratification of h treaty, then address
ID he senate on the general question
IF territorial expansion. He made it
very clear that nothing should be al
owed to stand in the way of prompt
but that this government
make the Philippines the Hme
promise Of ultimate independence held
,ut to the Cubans.
Mr.. Clay expressed the opinion that
it been declared at the beginning
u the war that II was the urpOS OF
country to conquer, acquire and an
lex the Philippines, the proposition
would not have had half a dozen votes
n the senate.
Mr.. Clay concluded by calling atten-
ion to General Leonard Woods state
nent before the military committee,
hat it would require $1,000 soldiers for
Cuba, and said:
In my Judgment, the acquisition and
of the O%nf1iDpina islands
means an army of $50, 600 soldiers. 1t
mans The annual nxnansas Of Tho arnnr