The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-03-09
Expansion Matters, the Money Ques-
tion and Other Topics,
THE HON. !? WHITELAW REID
Says Governments Should Not Receive Their
Power From the Consent of the
Governed.
oopyrigh. by the Mcclure News Bureau.

Copyright by the Mcclure News Bureau.
Chicago, March 9th, 1899.
| listened with much interest, the
other evening, to q speech delivered
at the Marquette Club, in this city,
by Whitelaw Reid, editor of the New
York Tribune. Mr.. Reid was de-
feated for Vice President, failed of
confirmation as foreign minister,
before the senate, but as sop to his
wounded vanity was permitted to ap-
pear at the Queens Jubilee rs a
quasi official representative of this
country His newspaper, founded
by that blunt, honest, apostle of the
people, Horace Greeley, has degen-
Grated and, under the management
of Mr.. Reid, has been instrumental
in eradlcating from the minds of its
readers some old democratic ideas of
local self government and of equal
rights of all mankind, which might
have proved troublesome to the for
eign policy of the administration.
A more fitting reward for his service
had, therefore, to be made and he
was appointed one of the Peace Com
missioners and sent to Paris to draw
up contract with Spain's represen-
tatives for conclusion Of hostilities
between the victor and the van
quished.
Presumably, being warm friend
of William Mckinley and having
had the benefit of daily instructions
from Washington during the entire
negotiation Of the treaty, he is amply
competent to voice the exact views
of the administration on the disturb
ing question OF retaining the Philip
pines Among other things, Mr.
Reid said in his speech:
''No one of you has ever been heart
to find fault with an agent because
in making difficult settlement, h,
got all you wanted and free opt;ol
ON something futhcr that eyerbod,
else wanted.
Now, let us examine this plausibl
statement. The Peace Commission
did not get Il "free option. The
agreed to pay twenty millions of dol
lars for country from which Spai
had been expelled by force. Spain
| will venture 10 assert, will Civ
quit claim deed, for much less mon
ey, to all her right and interest j
any of the Republics of Central an
South America, from which she ha
been expelled in like manner as i
the Philippines. Her title to thes
} island was no better than to th
South American countries. 1t wa
! rotten title at best-of no value e1
s cept to dangle before the dazzle
eyes of an expansionist and whisp'
show much am | offered for my lol
, sovereignty over these eight million
of people?" After obtaining twent
millions of dollars she cannot eve
e deliver possession and yet this dl
bious transaction is termed "frt
option" by one of the men who mac
It the deal. Any one of thousand {
- Chicago's horse traders could hay
made better bargain if "bargair
K was all the commissioners desiret
IT The donation of this vast sum
IS money TO Spain, for something
which Spain had no color of It'll
It can only be equalled in recklessne
d and extravaganza by the salary pa
Mr.. Reid for obtaining this ''fr
- option" which has been stated to
fifty thousand dollars, but the exa
amount is unknown as it is paid
y President Mckinley from the fiji
million dollar war fund voted him
congress.
Mr.. Ried further said:- :-"Are
BY to lose all this through mushy sen
its mentality, Characteristic neither
responsible nor of practical peopl
: alike unAmerican and unchrlstia
cir Resist the crazy extension of
Ice
0 a doctrine that government derives
,se just powers from the consent of
6 governed. Tropical labor does