New-York tribune., 1899-12-30
PHILIPPINE POLICY UPHELD.
PROFESSOR GROSvENOR DEFENDS THE
PRESENT AMERICAN COURSE.

The big hall Of Cooper Union held about fifteen
hundred persons last night. who had gathered to
hear Professor T.. A. Grosvenor OF Amherst COL
lege lecture before the Peoples Institute upon
The Philippine Problem-A Defence Of the Pres
ent Policy" Charles Sprague Smith president OF
the institute, made few preliminary remarks IN
which he repeated what he had said in the after
noon to a Tribune reporter regarding the false re-
ports which have been published concerning the
why Attorney General Monnett OF ONO did
not lecture upon Trusts before the institute on
Thursday night Mr. Smiths explanation VIII ne
found in another part OF this paper. When Pro-
fessor Grosvenor introduced he was greeted
with much applause. and in the course OF his re-
marks he said:
In 1909 purchased from France for N5"cWo
the vague unbounded territory OF Louisiana; we
forced he cess3n Of both tloridaS In '' into ihs
Union. In 1861 we bought from Russia ior S,,ZVo%o @
certain facfs impnrfont 10 notiGe The first that
in no case did consult or pretend 10 c"ISuIt t,iu @
wishes of the native inhabitants Of the territory
which passed into our hards. The second Is ,,' that
these acquisitions have brought MS minnie trou%pie %
exceeding difficulty of finding warrant in the Con
sutution for sucn acquisitions. " hoI uncoms,ii n,i
tuional It may he asserted they arc eXtfa- cohSt- M
tutional in the sense Of being outside OF II ana no
where provided for by it. The fourth iac' Is 'hat b
every one Of these successiv" ac1uisiions was 9
terly opposed at the tmo 10y many American cl,'-
zens. The NTH fact is that the opponen,S %. ivo1
territorial acquisitions have been anuSt "Iuny ~,
beaten. one fact more-the crowning, trahSc'nden,
all-thOugh edCh
tanned to the present hour. ana has boone an III
teGral. indlssoluble part i'm the Natoh geo geo
graphic being, the whole land rcjoccs In ~ ana tne
country Is not only larger in area nut siT0ms"r ~,
purpose. truer republic ana iruer I dein1' III
because its boundaries have been brcadeHed WIN
each Of thes. successive acquisitions
Professor Grosvenor then enumerated and re-
fued by one. all the familiar pessimStic argu-
mcnts which the ant-cxpansionists haV" urg''
against the acquisition Of the Philippines Nheh Ne
came to the argument that the inhabitants Of those
a ~
die than submit to American supremacy he said:
This Is solemn and most wcighty staiemTNt. NJ
II demands serious and honest answer. We
stretch hands across The ocean TO any peopv'
however ignorant humble. wmch ioN"S npeIN
We have held through all our trouble ana eNpanu,
ing history that govcthlH'hhs M ~ srnoI We hold
that imperlshabe doctrino now. u me s,a''Hicu..
is true that the Ph ippin people united against
ington ncarnating In himself inc deafness me-
pray that in some manner We may even yet get rid
OF iniquitous acquisition lfut no" 'IH yo. a,
l. 50 far from that island group OF discornanI r
races and languages and religious faiths' I" hh""
Faithful to the duties Of his Office NJ President
desired the most accurate and unbiased information
he could obtain He appointed commission 3l Nv" k
gentlemen to proceed 10 the PhlIlppn'S Stuuy @ we
situation on the spot report the conditions there
and recommend what should b@ done h'He t,,-
ence on tho ground. on November 2 lSH they
presented their preliminary report u accaies 'no1 M
since the first gun WAS hI'd th're HLS - u' rr,,h m
moment when the United States could nave win
drawn from the ISLANDS Win b'f'n'N anu
that no alliance was entered into with AEuinaldo.
any promis ~ independence mad, 10 ,th MN
then or at any other time: that the war IN whlGh
We were engaged with the Tagals was unaVoldabIe.
and that no alternative was Ietl US except htht OF
ienominious retreat. that hostility 10 the Amer,
cans WAS confined TO the Tagal provinces, ana
that even there tho people we're not united IN
this hostility: that never In the worst days OF
Spanish misrule had tho people been so overtaNed
and 40 badly governed In IN" districts where
the authority OF Aguinnldo prevailed. that instead
OF being a Tagal Washington. the Tagal leader
aimed TO establish his own dictatorship throughout
the archipelago. that instead of riding roughshod
over The governed were protecting the great
ma ajority from the unscrupulous despoiism OF a
single tribe .,
Let me quote from only one ~ tho sign"rs OF ths
report Admiral Dewey. lie said: Il wish you would
say for me that irdorsc every word Of tn" com
missions admirable report. on every conclusion
reached we were unanimous l. Is an absolutely
truthful representation Il all that has happened.
and OF tho existing situation.