The record-union., 1899-01-05
PERKINS ON EXPANSION.
OPPOSES RETENTION OF THE
PHILIPPINES.
Tells the Boston Merchants Assoc
citation That It Would Be
Bad Investment.

BOSTON, Jan. AT the yearly ban
quet of the Merchants Association of
Boston at the Vendome last night a
number of interesting addresses on the
future policy of the country were made
by gentlemen of prominence in national
affairs. The guests Of the association
from outside the State were Senator
Perkins of California, Congressman DE
Almond of Missouri and Boutelle Of
Maine.
Senator Perkins prefaced his remarks
by complimentary illusions to New
England's wealth ard business energy,
and also spoke OF the grea. productive
ness of California. He spoke enthusios-
tically of shipl'ui'ding on the Pacific
Coast, which has turned out such fine
vessels as the Oregon, Olympia and
Monterey.
After referring to the annexation of
Hawaii, he said:
THE war with Spain has developed
other questions We made a dec]ara-
ton of itself more far-reaching than
any Of US anticipated or imagined. We
have acquired Porto Rico, the Ladrones
and thousand more of the Philippine
islands. I do not think it is a very
good business investment. I have only
to call your attention to the fact of
their pestilential character, that there
is not a Congressman to-day who is
not daily receiving hundreds of letters
from volunteers in Manila urging him
to have those volunteers discharged.
Eve will come down now to the hui
manitarian standpoint. My manufac-
turing friends, do not believe you will
find very much of a market in future
for your wares and merchandise. Cen
eral Aguinaldo says Spain does not
own the islands. He says the United
States has got only Manila, and we
have got 10000 men there. To-day I
see there are six more regiments to be
sent, and they will take another city
in the island of Luzon.
You say 1 am not an expansionist
I think I would have been in favor of
the annexation of Louisiana if 1 had
lived at the time, but is there any an
alogy in taking these isolated groups
of islands with ten or twelve millions
of Asiatics? Can we tax them with
out representation? Do we want such
heterogeneous mass of people brought
into this country? Did we promise the
Filipinos anything? The honor Of the
nation is pledged to that. But we have
not pledged 1t to the Fil:pinos We
have 2O,5O0 troops there now. and il
will cost the United States at least
SEC, 100000 per annum to maintain
them in Luzon and two of the other
large islands there. Is it just to our
own people?
1--WE have in the Philippine Islands
another element--a million and a half
Mohammad in those islands believ-
ing in the doctrine OF the plurality Of
wives Yet some of the journals that
are advocating expansion will -lot per-
nit Representative from Utah to en-
ter Congress because he AT one time
said his 1orefathers believed in ro,yg-
amy. They say the flag should MOI;
come down when once raised. l have
but to recite the fact that Generals
Taylor and Scott raised it in Mexico.
and it came down with hoEor 1t is
to-day flying over the forts in Cuba
and IN Havana, and it will come down
when its mission is ended believe
in building up American trade and ex-
tending our commerce, but IN Doing it
through those channels that ~:ll best
elevate and promote The dignity Of our
American people"