The National tribune., 1900-01-18
IN CONGRESS.
Synopsis h Of q the More Important
Proceedings of that Body.

L
Probably the most interesting event ol
Senator BeteridEe, of Indiana (who spent
last Summer in fhe Philippines, studying
the actual eonditions), in support of the
following resolutions: u. ..,y..ts.1 Z,
"Resotred, That the Philippine Islands
are territory belonging TO the United Staes
mat IT is the intention OF the United states
! TO retain them as such and to establish and
.malntain such governmental control
throughout the archipelago as the situaion
\ may demand."t -- 8. 1s.si,
Senator Beveridge's speech was in part
as followS:-...,i a. 4o;,l. erIi
Il address the Senate at this time be-
cause Senators and members of the House
on both sides have asked that give to
congress and the country my observations
iin the Philippines and the far east. and
the conclusions which those observations
compel; and because Of the hurtful reso-
lHtlons recently introduced, every, word
| Of American soldiers .. ....t
-, Mr.. President, the times call for candor.
'lhe philippines are ours forever, terri
tory belonging to the United States, as
tbe Constitution calls them. And Just he
yond the Philippines are Chinas illimita-
BILE markets. We will not retreat from
either. We will not repudiate our duty
IN the archipelago. This island empire
is the last Land left in all the oceans. II it
should prove q mistake to abandon 1t, the
blunder once made would be irretrieyable
Ii 1t proves a mistake to hold it, the error
can be corrected when we will; every pro-
greSSiye nation stands ready to relieve us.
But to hold it will be no mistake. Our
largest trade henceforth must be with Asia
Inc Pacific is our ocean. More and more
-t.tlrope will, manufacture all it needs;
secure from its colonies the most it con-
sumes. Where shall we turn for our een'
the question. China is our natural Gus
TONER. China's trade is the mightiest
commercial fact in our future. Her foreign
commerce was S285. 73S. 800 in, 1884,. OF
which We. her neighbor, had less than Is
per cent, of (which only a little more than
half was merchandise sold to China by us.
we ought torhave so per cent, and we Will
And Chinas foreign commerce is only
beginning. Her resources, her possibill-
ties, her wants-aIl are undeveloped.
But II they did not command China,
india, the Orient, the whole Pacific for the
purpose of offense. defense, and trade, the
Philippines are 50 valuable in themselves
that we should hold them"
Senator Beyeridge then told Of the won
derful natiral and, rich products he. had.
seen and the value OF tho port Of Manila.
The Filipinos, he said, are d barbarous
race, modified by three centuries of CON
tact with a deeadent race. Tho Filipino is
of 300 years of,superstition in religion, dis
honesty in dealing, disorder in, babits Of
industry, and cruelty, caprice and corrup-
tion in goTernment. 1t is barely posi-
bic that l,fI90, msn in all the archipelago
are ,,,c ,capabls ofSself-goEernm1sentt in !, the the
popular leader gable, brave, resonrceful,
cunning. ambitious, INSCRIPTIONS, and
masterful. e Hisaideass of government are
absolute orders, Implicit obedience or i'm
mediate death. ruslIrrection was Filipino
habit, he said. taught by Spain's way Of
dealing: We attempted a great task with
insufficientt ,rea9s. This war is like all
other warsT7it needs to be finished before
it is stopped: Il, is for the tranquility of
the archirela2o, forever. Our mistake
has not beeh cruelty; it has been Kindness.
II has been the application to Spanish
'Malays Ml,y OF metbPds appropriate. to New
method of conc6Iation has been employed
by the peacea-loving President Of the Ameri
can Republic 10 The amaZement of nations
experienced Oriental revolt
:. We RETAINED from all vielance until
their armed ,J,raEos crossed tbe lines in
Shat ylolation th o. asreemegpt g Then our sentry
court-martiaied had he failed to shoot.
That shot was the most fortunate of the
war For Aguinaldo had planned the at
tack upon us for two nights. later; our
sentry'S shot brought this attack prema-
turely on. He had arranged for an up
rising In Manila to massacre all Ameri-
cans, the plans for which, in Sandico's
handwriting, are in our possession.
The patience Of our peace-loving Presi-
dent was not even then exhausted. A
civil commission was sent to Manila com
posed of a distinguished diplomat and emf
nent college professors, and also Gen
Otis and Admiral Dewey. These men ex-
hausted the expedients of peace, and al
ways were met with the Malay's ready
evasion, the Spaniards habitual delay
| am personal witness that no effort was
neglected by our commission to assure the
Filipino people of our good intentions and
beneficent purposes. The sole effect of
these pacific efforts was to make 100000
natives in Manila think that the only
way to win the respect of the American
Republic is to fightit.
American opposition to the war has
been the chief factor in prolonging it. Had
Aguinaldo not understood that in America,
even in the American Congress, even here
i'll the Senate, he and his cause were sup
ported; had he not known that it was pro-
claimed on the stump and in the press of
a faction in the United States that every
shot his misguided followers fired into the
breasts of American soldiers was like the
volleys fired by Washington's men against