The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-06

the view of political harmony.
Judge Harmon, in part, said:
IF you had met to approve the gen.
eral course of the government with re-
Spect to the Philippines, l should not be
here For a hundred years we content
ed ourselves with words of sympathy
for peoples struggling as We once strug-
gled, for freedom and independence.
Here for the first time an opportunity
came to help in such a struggle without
breaking our settled policy. We Joined
ranks with the native patriots against
the common enemy. Whether any one
made or was authorized to make prom
iSes to them is of no consequence. Our
history and principles are a perpetual
promise; and no one will deny that
when the Filipinos Joined forces with us
they believed, and we knew they be-
lieVed that success would mean the full
fillment of their hopes.
when we came to terms of peace it
was our duty to put an end to the
claims of Spain. AS to all the territory
except a few square miles these were
the bareSt of pretenSiOnS, but Spain'S
need and others greed might make a
speculative asset of them to the injury
of our allies. This was the only posi-
BILE justification for the direction to our
commissioners to purchase these claims,
and we naturally expected some declar-
alton of trust So did our allies But it
soon turned out that instead of buying
off the King of Spain, the government
bought him out and proposed to realize
on the investment. Our only real war
fOllowed-a war which a word would
have avoided if our government had
been willing to say IT and whose vic
tories aroused no gladness in our peo-
pie like those over Spain. The govern
men got absolutely nothing by the
treaty with Spain except color of title
to small part of the territory and con-
sequent color of right to make war on
the Inhabitants, without action by con-
gresS. Whatever it now holds (saye
what it got by treaty with the Sultan of
Sulul it has acquired by conquest from
them and not otherwise and it is still
engaged in perfecting and extending
such conquest. We now hear the usual
pleas of the doors of doubtful things
the deed is done, it is too late to dis
cuss it.
1T is never too late to retrace a mis-
step, to right or undo q wrong. If the
people shall decide that no nation is
good enough to rule another nation
without the other nations consent if
they shall remember what it cost us to
east out the heresy that the great prin-
ciples of liberty did not apply to black
men and shall refuse to re-embrace it
as to brown ones; if they shall con-
clude that this country can not long ex-
list part vassal and part free, as they
found it could not part slave and part
free; then there will be no difficulty in
doing what we ought to have done in
the beginning-leaVe the Filfpinos to
manage their own affairs and serve
notice on the world that they are under
our protection"
Judge Harmon declared that the
question would never be settled until
it was settled right. In the meantime
he said, it was the duty of the United
States to provide a government for the
islands. While the presidents right to
make regulations in the nature of laws
right and duty to provide agencies for
enforcing the laws are clear. He dis
cussed most forcibly and at length the
great work before the new Filipino COM
mission and in a most eloquent eulogy
of Judge Taft declared that no man
in the whole country could have been
selected who was better qualified than
Judge William H. Taft for the great
mission that awaits him
The silence which marked the opening
remarks by Judge Harmon was intense.
At length when applause broke out, it
was followed by remark in the room
lust four of you" But when Judge
Harmon declared the duty of the gov
eminent to be the establishment of a
prOtectorate over the islands, the ap-
plause was continued. He produced I'M
disguised surprise when he limited that
one of the best qualifications of Judge
Taft for this mission was the fact that
he was rot an expansiOnist.
Judge Taft who followed, spoke for
about an hour devoting much time to
his associates of the Cincinnati bar the
Cincinnati university and municipal
and state politics and with feeling
words of thanks for the tributes of his
friends. Coming to the topic of the
Philippines, he said in part:
THE commission is not organized. It's
members have never conferred together.
1 speak, therefore, for my self alone.
Like Judge Harmon and unlike Chair
man ingalls,, 1 am not now and never
have been an eXpanSiOnist. l have al
ways hoped that the jurisdiction of our
nation would not extend beyond terri
tory between the two oceans. We have
not solved all the problems of popular
| government so perfectly as to justify
| our voluntarily seeking more difficult
| ones abroad With Difference to Judge
! Harmon I do not think in this instance
| that we have voluntarily sought them
| Circumstances beyond our control. the
| sequel of the Spanish war, have thrust
| on US responsibility for the future gov
| eminent of the Philippines. The pro-
! position is vigorously denied by high
minded and conscientious men and by
some with a fury of superlative and
| epithet that is hardly consistent with a
! judicial attitude or an impartial con-
! sideration of the question. My convic-
| ton is that the calm investigation of
! the future historian into all conditions
| existing at the time of taking each step
| toward the present situation in the
| Philippines will lead him to conclude
| that President Mckinley and his ad-
| ministration selected in each crisis the
| only alternative which a due regard tC
our national and international obliga-
! tbOns would permit.
/ Judge Taft was frequently interrupted
with applause. At the close of his ad-
dress the entire assembly arose and
/ Joined in cheers for the distinguished
| guest of the evening.
/ The presentation of a handsome silver
loving cup to Judge Taft closed the ex-
ercises and the guests departed after
singing America"
n,,oI,o ;- uo+;,r