The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-12
WHY ISLANDS WERE BOUGHT.
JUDGE DAY EXPLAINS THE PEACE
COMMISSIONS ACTION.

Title to the Philippines Had 10 he
Purchased to Make 1t CIear-Terms
of the Protocol Did Not suffice.
Text of the Explanation of the
Commissions President-speaIxs
Only for Himself.
Columbus. O., Oct. 1.-THE first public
ulterance of Judge William r. Day, who
was president of the American Peace Com
mission, concerning the deliberations of
the commission at Paris, is contained in
letter written to former Congressman
D. K. Watson Of this city and read by
him at Republican meeting on the East
Side tonight.
Judge Day sets forth the reasons which,
in his mind, justified the payment of the
$2OO00OO0 for the Philippines, declaring
that it was never contended by the Amer
lean commissioners that the United States
mad a right to the Philippines as a mat
ter of conquest. The letter follows:
In reply to your recent inquiry as to
my understanding of the reasons which in
duced the agreement on the part of the
American commissioners in negotiating the
treaty of Paris, to incorporate in the
treaty an article which should require the
payment by the United States to Spain for
the cession of the Philippines. the sum of
$O,OOOO0O, l beg TO say 1 think this sub
ject is made quite plain by a reference to
the printed protocol of the joint commits
sion, which you viii find in Senate Docu-
ment No. 81, Fffty-flfth Congress, third
session, being the printed volume published
last winter after the treaty was submitted
to the Senate of the United States. You
will discover that this subject was first
brought by the American commissioners to
the attention of the Spanish commission
crs in a proposal for an article in The
treaty in which Spain should cede to the
United States the archipelago known as
the Philippine Islands, which proposal
concluded with the statement:
The American commissioners beg fur
Their to state that they are prepared to
insert in the treaty a stipulation for the
assumption by the United States of any
existing Indebtedness of Spain incurred for
public works and improvements of a pa
citic character in the Philippines. (Senate
document g. p. 109
1t is unnecessary to review the long dis
cussion which ensued or to restate the
grounds on which the Spanish commits
sioners rejected this proposal and declined
to cede the islands to the United States
You will find the discussion fully develop
ed in the record if you see fit to read It,
On the 2lst of November following the
American commissioners, in a joint ses-
sion of the commission, preseflts n iBEDq,E9-
sition which the American con1missiohera
regarded as final, in connection with which
it was said:
" The proposal presented by the Amer
lean commissioners in behalf of their gov
ernment for the oession Of the Philippines
TO the United States having been rejected
by the Spanish commissioners and the
counter proposal of the latter for the with
drawal of the American forces from the
islands and the payment Of an indemnity
by the United States TO Spain having been
rejected, the American commissioners,
deeming it essential that the present ne
gotiations, which have already been great
ly protracted, should be brought to an
early and definite conclusion. beg now TO
present a new proposition, en- mbodying the
concessions which for the sake of i'm
mediate peace their government is, under
the circumstances. willing TO tender.
" The government of the United States
is unable to modify the proposal hereto
fore made for the cession of the entire
archipelago of the Philippines but the
American commissioners are authorized
to offer Spain, in case the cession should
be agreed to, the sum of $40 000,0OO to be
fixed in the treaty of peace (Senate doc
ument 60, p 210
Another concession proposed consisted
of an agreement to admit Spanish ships
and merchandise for a term of years inro
the ports of the Philippine Islands on the
same terms as American ships and mer-
chandise. The American commissioners
also expressed a willingness to insert
provision for the mutual REIMBURSEMENT
of claims OF the United States that may
have arisen since the beginning of the
late insurrection in Cuba and prior to the
conclusion of the treaty of peace.
"On the 2Sth of November the Spanish
commissioners accepted the terms offered
by the representatives of the United
States. You will observe that in making
this proposal it is distinctly said that it
embodies the concessions which, for the
sake of immediate peace, the American
government was willing TO make There
were doubtless other reasons actuaiing
the commissioners in making this proposal.
though / think the chief one is embodied
in the statement above written. Ii was
not claimed that the United States had a
right TO the Phlippine Islands as a mat
ter of conquest. The United States has
never undertaken, so far as / know to
wrest from a foreign country lands or
possessions simply by right of conquest.
Had we been disposed to do SO, it must be
remembered we were in possession only of
the city bay and harbor of Mani a under
the protocol of Aug. IL, 1885, providing that
the United States should occupy and hold
the same pending the conclusion OF a
treaty of peace, which should determine
the control, disposition and government
Of the Philippines The capture, after
rhe signing of the protocol, by Gen. Mer-
ritt and his forces, whatever its legal ef-
feet may have been, ipcluded no more
territory than we were entitled TO hold
under The protocol
In addition to the hope of accomplishing
immediate peace, which, l need hardly say,
was Of great importance at that time,
there was strong desire to treat Spain
with degree of magnanimity consistent
with our national honor and prestige, fol-
lowing our national precedent in TIE treat
ment Of Mexico for the cession of territory
to us at The Gle Sc Of The Mexican war. BY
the 'cession, fer a consideration, we OBJ
tanned an indisputable title which must
be respected by all other nations. It must
be remembered, too. that the American
commissioners had refused to assume any