Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-02-02


the part of Mr.. Allison rep, Ia in
the senate in favor of the Indian ap- |
preparation bill, precipitated run
ming debate, which occupied all the
time until the senate at o'clock went
into executive session on the peace
treaty. Mr.. Jones (dem., Ark.), lead
ing opponent of the treaty, opened the
debate by insisting that time should
be taken for a discussion of the pend
ing resolution having a collateral bear
ing up the treaty before the treaty it
self was disposed of. Mr.. BacOn's res
olutions finally were laid before Tie
senate. After some parliamentary
sparring, the resolutions were made
the text of a strong speech by Mr.. Car
ter (Mont.) who spoke with impas-
stoned earnestness, warning his col
leagues that a favorable vote on any of
the pending resolutions would be a
vote of lack of confidence in tn Amer
lean people. He declared that the
adoption of the resolutions was virtu-
ally a pledge to support those who
were defying the authority of this
country in the Philippines and that
when the treaty had been ratified this
government would inquire who in
those islands were in rebellion against
our authority, and if necessary to
maintain our authority we should whip
them to death.
The president sent to the senate the
correspondence bearing upon the peace
treaty and it was read in the executive
session. 1t was sent in response to a
resolution introduced by Mr.. Hoar and
includes most of the letters and cable
grams which passed between the pres
ident and commissioners. One of the
first cablegrams from the president in
structed them to demand the cession
of the island of LuzOn and he told
them that full sovereignty should come
with it. The reading of the papers
consumed almost the entire executive
session. Much of the matter covered
the same ground as already published,
but it was presented in the form in
which the proceedings were outlined
from day to Gay in cable correspond
ence Much personal interest among
the senators was attached to the presi-
dents instructions to insist upon the
cession of the island of LuzOn and af-
ter that in the decision to take the en-
tire group of islands. This latter de-
yelopment appears from the CORE
spondence to be a growth, and the
suggestion was made by the commits
sioners to the president as a result Of
occurrences at Paris after the arriva!
there Of the commissioners. In his
dispatch concerning Luzon he said
that there was but one alternative:
The United States must either take the
island and assume sovereignty or re-
turn It to Spain, and of the two courses
he preferred the former Spain was
from the first unwilling to cede any of
the Philippines and she made especial
objection to letting go of Luzon. The
commissioners, with the exception Of
Senator Gray, urged that TO take Lu-
Zon and leave the other Islands of the
archipelago in the hands Of the Span
iards would be to invite innumerable
complications with other nations and
especially with Europe and with Spain
Much stress was laid upon the proba-
bility of future trouble with Spain.
With Luzon under American admins
tration there would soon be such a
vast Improvement, they wrote, that the
other islanders would soon grow more
and more rebellious and with SPANS
oppressive methods of government we
would soon again find that we had an
other Cuba at another door. Further
more there would be constant filibus-
tering and we should find ourselves
spending millions to preserve a state
of neutrality just as we did in the case
of Cuba prior to our declaration of war
on account of the island. Gen.
Merritt's testimony on this point was
cited and made a reason for much of
the argument in favor of taking the
entire group. The president does not
appear to have at any time given ex-
plicit instructions to consummate a
bargain by taking all of the Philippines,
but rather, after offering full legisla-
ton, to have left that matter to the
discretion of the commissioners. The
entire controversy practically was over
the Philippines and the question of as
Stunning the responsibility for the pay
ment of Spanish bonds for which the
Cuban revenues were pledged. The
Spaniards at first insisted upon an in
demnity for the Philippines and the
correspondence shows that after the
proposition to pay S20,000.000 was
made the negotiations proceeded much
more smoothly and were soon brought
10 a close. In one notable dispatch he
pleaded zealously against the policy as
unpatriotic, un-American and incon-
sistent with probity and good states
manship. After brief debate. the
senate refused to print the correspond
ence.
HOUSE.
Washington, Jan. 31.-The house put
in hard days work on the army bill
Is of the 20 pages being completed
The committee amendments giving the
president discretionary power to re-
duce the size of infantry companies
and cavalry troops, to 60 men each,
were adopted; also a series of amend
ments to reduce the officers of the staff
to 331 men. A substitute was adopted
for the section providing for promo
lions. A fight was made to reduce the
age limit for officers to be appointed
TO the various staff departments from
90 to 80, but it failed. An amendment
was, however, adopted to require a
70 nd