News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-01-17
RETAIN THE PHILIPPINES.
Brilliant Speech BY Mr.. Beveridge of In
diana, Who Spent Last Summer in the
Philippines.

Brilliant Speech BY Mr. Beveridge of In
diana, Who Spent Last Summer in the
Philippines.
Mr.. Beveridge of Indiana. the
youngest member of the United
States Senate, made a brilliant debut
Tuesday, when he spoke for two
hours on the Philippines. The gal
leries were packed with spectators,
and at the close Mr.. Beveridge was
loudly applauded, and was congratu-
lated my many of the senators. He
contended that our largtst trade
henceforth must be with Asia, and as
the Pacific is our ocean, China is our
natural customer. The Philippines
should therefore be IT tanned.
''If it should be a mistake to
abandon it," he said, "the blunder
once made would be irretrievable. If
it proves mistake to hold it, the
error can be corrected when we will
every other progressive nation
stands ready to relieve u.s."
Concerning the resources and the
immense size of the Philippines, sena-
tor said: "But if they did not COM
mand China, India, and Orient, the
whole Pacific for purposes of offence,
defence and trade, the Philippines are
so valuable in themselves that we
should hold them. | have cruised
more than 1000 miles through the
archipelago, every moment a sur
prise at it's loneliness and wealth. |
have ridden hundreds of miles on the
islands, every foot of the way reve-
lation of vegetable and mineral rich
ness. No land in America surpasses
in fertility the plains and valleys in
Luzon. Rice and coffee, sugar and
coroanuts, hemp and tobacco, and
many products of the temperate, as
well as the tropic zone, grow in vari-
Gus sections of the archipelago.
The following are some of the direct
and terse statements made by Mr..
Beveridge:
"The wood of the Philippines can
supply the furniture of the world for
century to come. The mineral
wealth of this empire of the ocean
will one day surprise the world.
Luzon is larger and richer than New
York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, or Ohio.
Mindanao is larger and richer than
all New England. Manila, as port
of call or exchange, will, in time of
men now living, far surpass Liver
pool.
Had Aguinaldo not understood
that in America, even in the Ameri.
can Congress, even herein the Senate,
he and his cause were supported, had
he not known that it was proclaimed
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 tie volley fired by
WashingtoI's men against the sol
diers of King George, his instruction
would have dissolved before it entire
ly crystallized."
The Filipinos he found to be, "a
barbarous race, modified by three
centuries of contact with decadent
race" Not thousand people in the
island were. capable of self govern
ment in the Anglo Saxon sense. He
declared that Aguinaldo was Malay
SylIa, not a F lpino Washington.
Mr.. Beveridge paid-a high tribute
to President Mckinley and insisted
that his policy was right; thatit was
endorsed by an overwhelming ma
| iority of the American people and
further along he explained: chat
man little knows the common people
OF the republic, little understands the
instincts of our race who thinks we
will not hold it fast, and hold it for
ever, administering government by
simplest methods. We may trick up
devices to shift our burden and lessen
our opportunities; they will avail us
nothing but delay. We may tangle
conditions by applying academic ar
rangements of self government to a
crude situation; their failure will
drive us to our duty in the end"
Mr.. Beverage closed his long speech
with the assertion that Gods hand
was in this Philippine question, and
cost what it might, the war would
not end until the enemy had beer
vapquished. "Americans," he added
"do not measure duty by fnancia
standards"
Senator Hoar challenged Mr.. Bev
eridge's statement that the Filipinol
are incapable of self government.