The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-11

sent a message to Congress, in which he
referred to this subject. and said that
forciblc annexation was not to be thought
Of that ff--,i.a annexation would be
criminal ass. -sica.
The s'iiipinos ms Allies.
1.-THE archives at Washington show that
in February. 1898, two months before We
declared war against Spain. in behalf Of
Cuba, that our Consul at Manila wrote to
the Department that rebellion was then
in progress in the Philippine Islands, and
that Spanish authority there was likely
to be overthrow. / cannot give all the
details as they are shown by the records.
About May ] Dewey sank the Spanish fleet
in the harbor at Manila. Aguinaldo was
then not in the Philippines. At the in
stance of our Consul in China. and on the
invitation of Dewey, he went to Manila.
Dewey telegraphed the Department at
Washington that he was furnishing Aguin-
aldo arms and ammunition and was CO.
operating with him against the Spaniards;
that Aguinaldo had gone out to form a
civil government. Mind you, not an
American government. but a Philippine
government, and that his success was mar
velous
Soon thereafter General Anderson took
command of our land forces at Manila.
He wrote to Aguinaldo asking him and
his army to cooperate with our army
against the Spanish forces. In the mean
time We began to get information about
the character of the Philippine people.
Dewey telegraphed the department at
Washington that the Filipino people were
far superior to the Cubans, and were
more capable of self-government. Dewey
sent two of his staff officers to make a
tour of the islands. They travelled five
hundred miles inland. They made n re-
port which has been made a part Of the
Congressional Record under date of
January ., 1900. They described what they
saw, and their report gives, perhaps. the
most satisfactory information in regard
to conditions in the Philippines that we
have. They found an Industrious and
peaceable people; they found farms. they
found villages, small cities. large cities;
they found schools and churches: they
found the people intelligent. refined and
hospitable.
Intelligent and Industrious.
"Other military officers wrote in the
same vein. Let me say that until the
question became partisan, toward the fall
the character Of the Philippine people WIS
to the same effect. There was no division
of opinion on this subject. There ara
volumes of papers. documents and mes
sages from men of the highest intelligence
all telling the same story. There are, in
deed, in the mountains few savage
tribes, just as there are in the mountain!
of America a few savage tribes. But II
H. 49, nsrvl,
millions Of the inhabitants belonged to TIT
Church and were industrious. peaceable
law-abiding. hospitable people.
Shortly thereafter the syndicates o
this country united and urged the Presi
dent to keep the islands. Then the Who'll,
policy of the Administration was changed
and, to the amazement of our people. tn,
Administration started out to do tha
which only a few months before it hat
declared to be too horrible to even thial
of, that which it had declared to be /,
crime.
Defeat of the Spanfardx.
in the mean time the Philippine gov
eminent and the Philippine army cap.
+ured every Spanish soldier that there
gas on the islands. They even Surround
d Manila. so as to make the escape oil
he Spanish army from Manila impossi.
lie, and forced its surrender to tbs
riends, that the Philippine army did al
4 the fighting against the Spaniards tha
vas dcEe on land in the Philippine
Stands. We held Manila and about ff
cen miles square. The Philippine gov
rnment and the Philippine army finall.
controlled all the remainder of tn,
Stands. and we have Mr.. Barretts wore
or 1t that they were giving the island
he best government they had had Ag Ii
laldo applied repeatedly to the Admins
,raticn at Washington for an express ioi
IF policy. He had seen an apparen
change of sentiment and CT attitude to-
ward his people. and he asked Pres i'd en-
Mckinley whether the Philippines wer.
TO be treated the same as the Cubans.
This was all they asked but III
President gave only esasive replies
When the Spanish Treaty was signed IL
Paris the whole of the Philippine Island
were controlled by the Philippine govern
ment and the Philippine army. with tn
exception of the city CT Hello. which the
captured one week later. and wi h tn
exception of Manila, which was leld /,
our troops. The treaty was signed abou
the 10th of December, but was not rattle
until the 9th Of February, 1899, and i
did not go into effect and could not con
vey any rights or privileges until it wa
ratified. Let us assume that Spain wa
in undisputed possession CT the island
and undisputed control Of the people
She could not sell us ten million huma,
souls; government cannot sell its De,
pie.
Cannot Sell People.
All of the authorities on internationa
law are agreed upon this point, but
there were no authority, the question
would not be open for discussion. 1t
self-evident government can sell prop
erty, government can agree not TO in
terfere in certain territory. but govern
ment cannot sell human souls. Secont
at the time the treaty was made. Spai
had nothing left to sell. We were in DOS
session Of Manila with the country abou
fifteen miles square. and the Philippin
people. through their government an
their army, were in possession of the re
mainder Of the islands. Spain had moth
ing to sell to us.
Third. but the President did not rel
on the Treaty, for on December q, 1Ss
Six weeks before the Treaty was rattle,
and before We could get any rights @
privileges under it, he issued his famou
order to General Otis. commanding Gen
eral Otis to extend the military govern
ment that existed at Manila over tn
-knlA -Ia Al.