The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-01-31
ONLY LUzON
WAS DEMANDED
But McKin|eys Greed for Ter
dt0y Crew.
RESOLUTION BY Mr., HOAR
Caused the President to Submit
to the Senate
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE COMMISSION
Reasons Why cession OF the Entire
Archipelago Was Demanded.
SENATOR GRAY WAS AGAINST 1T
Pleaded That it Was Unwise and Un-
American to Rob Spain of Her Pos
sessions in the East-Synopsis
of the Correspondence.
Reasons Why cession of the Entire
Archipelago Was Demanded.
SENATOR GRAY WAS AGAINST IT

Washington, January oV.-1he pieSiueh'
today sent to the senate the correspond
ence on file in the state department bear
ing upon the peace treaty, and it was read
in today's executive session. The corre-
spondence was sent in response to the
resolution introduced by Senator Hoar,
and includes most of the letters and ca
blegrams from the commissioners to the
president and from the president to the
commissioners in the way of instructions
in return. The documents are numerous,
and there were kilograms. letters and re-
ports for almost every day the commits
sioners were in Paris.
One of the first cables from the presi-
dent instructed them to demand the cession
of Luzon island only of the Philippines,
and he told them that full sovereignty
should come with it. The reading Of the
correspondence received the closest atten-
tion from senators.
In submitting the papers the president
sent brief message saying he transmit
ted them in accordance with the resolu-
tion. The reading consumed the entire ex-
ecutive session, lasting from to $50.
The Proceedings Outlined
Much of the matter covered the same
ground as that already published, but it
was presented in which the proceedings
were outlined from day to day in the ca
BILE correspondence between Secretary Day
as the presidents representative on the
one part and Commissioner Day as the
representatives of the commissioners on
the other.
The principal interest among the senators
attached to the presidents instructions to
insist upon the cession of the island Of Lu-
zon, and after that in the decision to take
the entire group of islands. This latter de-
velopment appeared from the correspon-
dence to be growth and the suggestion
as made by the commissioners to the pres-
dent as the result of the occurrences at
Paris after the arrival there of the COM
msisoners. In his despatch concerning
Luzon he said there was but one alterna-
tive. The United States must either take
the island and assume sovereignty or re-
turn 1t 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
special objection to letting go of Luzon
alone.
SenaCOr quay 3 fOslt1On
The commissioners with the exception of
Senator Gray, urged that to take Luzon
and leave the other Islands of the archi-
pelago in the hands of the Spaniards would
be to invite innumerable complications with
other nations and especially with Europe
and with Spain.
Much stress was laid upon the probability
of future trouble with Spain. With Luzon
under American administration there would
soon be such vast Improvement, they
wrote, that the other islanders would soon
grow more and more rebellious and with
Spain's oppressive methods of government
we would soon again find that we had an
other Cuba at our door. Furthermore, there
would be constant filibustering and we
should find ourselves spending millions to
preserve state of neutrality just as we did
in the case of Cuba prior to our declaration
of war on account of that island. General
Merritt's testimony on this point was cited
and was made the reason for much of the
argument In favor of taking the entire
group.
The president does not appear to have at
any time given explicit instructions to con-
summate the bargain by taking all the Phil
PLANTATION to have left the matter to the
discretion of the commissioners.
Controversy over Philippines
The entire controversy was practically
over the Philippines and the question OF
assuming responsibility for the payment
of the Spanish bonds for which the Cuban
revenues were pledged. The Spaniards
from the first insisted upon an indemnity
for the Philippines and the correspondence
shows that after the proposition to pay
$2O,OO0,O0O was made the negotiations pro-
ceeded much more smoothly and were soon
brought to close.
The American commissioners appear to
have been Of one mind as to the wisdom OF
taking over all the Philippines, with the
exception of Senator Gray, who. notwith-