The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-07
SENATE.

Hale, chairman of the naval affairs
committee, f~avorably reported the fol-
lowing joint resolution and it was
adopted:
That the secretary of the navy is
hereby authorized to have erected in
the Colon cemetery at Havana, Cuba,
a suitable granite monument to the
memory of the sailors and marines who
lost their lives by the explosion of the
United States steamship Maine, in the
harbor of Havana, on February Is, 1898,
and whose remains are buried in that
cemetery, and to suitably inscribe and
inclose such monument; and the sum
of $10,0 900 is appropriated for this pur-
pose
Senator Harris, of Kansas, offered
the following resolution, which he ask
ed might lie on the table:
That the United States hereby dis
claim any disposition or intention to
exercise permanent sovereignty, juris-
diction or control over the Philippine
Islands, and assert their determination
when a stable md independent gov
- AAAAlSAII o1Ao hoNC pCCA CICClCo IllCIC-
in, entitled to. recognition as such, to
transfer to said government upon
terms which shall be reasonable and
just all tights secured under the ces-
sion by Spain and to thereupOn leave
the government and control of the is
lands to their people,"
Senator MOney in accordance with
previous notice began a discussion of
the expansion problem. He desired, he
said. TO make certain concessions in
beginning. He conceded the right of
this country to acquire by conquest or
by purchase or by any other method
exercised by any sovereign nation, ter
ritOry anywhere, blu in a case like that
now presented the treaty making pow
err could act only within the limits of
the constitution. Discussing the con-
ditiOn of the Philippines, he declared
that if they were not fitted for self
government, they were not fitted to be
citizens of the United States, and we
would better leave them to their own
devices, that they might work our their
own 1estiny.
Senator Money denied that the battle
of Manila was in any way necessary.
He told how Aguinaldo had offered his
services to the United States officials,
and then he paid a high tribute to the
Philippine leader, earnestly defending
him against the charges that had been
IIIduc dSdIISl I'LL oCllabO XhoiiCy
claimed that as soon as the treaty
should be ratified every one of the in
habitants of the Philippines would be-
come citizens of the United States, not
entitled to vote, but still citizens un-
der the constitution.
Senator Daniel, of Virginia, took the
floor to address the senate on the Vest
resolution.
Today" he said, I'VE are the United
States of America. Tomorrow if a GER
tain treaty now pending before this
body be ratified we will be the United
States of America and Asia. 1t is Sc
riously proposed that we take to this
country a large and miscellaneous as
sortment of Asiatic n and to
make citizens, with all the rights of
inhabitants of territories of the United
States, the large and varied assortment
of Asiatics, Mongolians, Malays n
negroes who inhabit them"
For his part he deemed it inexpedi-
sent, unWiSe and unjust that we ShOuld
do this thing.
I'VE are asked" said he, ito go 1000
miles from our shores to grasp and
hold as subject 5000, 900 people by force
of arms and to hold the land until the
American people shal decide hat
disposition is to be made Of them. l
do not believe the body of the Amer1-
can people understand the significance
of this treaty. 1 do not believe that
some senators who are crying to US to
ratify the treaty, understand it. The
treaty fixes the policy of the govern
ment. What may be done afterward
is merely clerical detail. The treaty
is a thoroughfare over which S,OOO,OO
of American citizens will march into
this union. 1t is a marriage of nations.
Herceforth and forever the Philippines
and Americans will be one. / trust
vet before the marriage is cOnsummat-
ed the spirit of American constitutional
liberty will arise n forbid the bans.
What is their relations to us that we,
should set forth knight-like with lance
in rest to rescue them? We cannot turn
them back to Spain. The American
peopIe cannot so treat those who were
comrades on the field of battle. They
have not yet attained the dignity and
power of a nation. We cannot recog-
nize the Philippine republic ana come
away from the Stands. We have only
to look skyward to see the BIRDS OF
prey circling about, ready to descend
upon those who are weak.
What next? The face of the treaty
tells us. Let us treat the
as we treat Cuba. We are now In mil
itary occupation of the islands. Let
us remain in military occupation until
we have assisted them with kindly Of
fees. and force of arms if necessary,
until they nave established such a gov
eminent as destiny may have fitted
them for"
with respect to Cuba, the president
could withdraw our forces
his good sence dictates that he should
do so. Why not give him the same
latitude with reference to the Philip
pines. Contemplating the l25 years or
our nations history we find but one
impediment to progress, and that was
found in the effort to introduce the
colored race, which was not
bile with the A~nglo-Saxon. This race
had been the only fly in our national
ointment and the occurrence has been
most sad and tragic. 1t had the effect
of turning brother against brother ano
was the only element that had pre-
vented the Americans from being a
HOMOGENEOUS people. Now when we are
happily beginning to readjust ourselves
to the changed conditions after the
civil war. we are challenged to go forth
and lay the heavy hand of sovereignty