The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-08
SPEECH OF SENATOR LODGE.
HE WAS CoMPLIMENTED BY AN UN-
USUAL ATTENDANCE.


EOvernment-The Islands ns IA Pays
ing CODcern-Wiu he of Gread
Commercial AdVnntage--CoI. Ixen-
non Writes of the FiIipinos.
Washington March 7.-Seldom, indeed.
is It that the Senate accords to any of its
members a greater compliment than id
accorded to-day to Mr.. Lodge of Massa-
chusetts. The announcement that ha
would deliver speech on the Philippine
question was the magnet which drew Ia
the Senate every senator now In the cty-
and to the galleries an unusually largo
number of attentive auditors.
As chairman of the Philippines Com-
mittee and a prominent member of ths
Committee on Foreign Relations, who had
studied the Philippines question: exhaus-
lively, he presented notable addition to
the literature of the great problem which,
now confronts Congress and the American
people.
Soon after the Senate convened Mr.. Sui
livan of Mississippi offered resoIution
that the Philippine Islands are the rights
full property honorably acquired of ths
United States, and that while the miss
guided lFilipinos, continue the present wars
brought on by them, against the rightfuH
| authority of the United States so long az
| a single gun in their hands is trained upob
| our flag, no expression OF intention as to
the future course OF the United States
with respect to them should be made by
the Senate"
| Mr. Sullivan asked that the resolution lie
on the table until he should call it up.
Senator Lodges Speech.
Mr. Lodge then spoke. His speech lasts
| ed three hours and was based upon the
| Spooner resolution authorizing the Presi-
dent to govern the Philippines pending
| legisla tion by Congress.
| Mr. Lodge reviewed at length our for
mer acquisitions of territory showing that
| in all of them there was the same abb
| sence of any reference TO the consent os
tho governed.
He argued that the Flliplnos were in
capable Of self-government, and quoted
| William Jennings Bryan and prominent
| Democratic senators in support of his as
serlon. He believed there was every rea-
| son for the United States to lead the Fill
| pinos along the path of freedom until they
were capable at least of municipal self
| government. With elaborate and scholarly
detail Mr., Lodge described the peoples
who Inhabited the Philippines and showed
| how utterly Incapable they are of con-
| forming 10 our Western ideas of ctvili-
| cation lie then sketehed carefully and
| interestingly the developments which led
up to the beginning of hostflitles between
| the United States forces and Filipnos.
| laying particular stress upon Admirat
| Dewey's relations with Aguinaldo lie
| pointed out that when Dewey mad Won
/ his victory and the city of Manila lay
at the mercy Of his guns, the Filipino in
| surrection against the authority of SPAIN
| was dead for all practical purposes. Ag-
| uualdo and other Filipino leaders had
| sought a more congenial CLINE than thS
| Island of Luzon, and their forces wero
| widely scattered. At neweys instances
Aguinaldo was brought back TO Luzon,
but even he had difficulty in ldrdlina
again the fame of rebellion. Mr.. bodge
points out that Aguinaldos success in In
citing the Tagals again TO insurreetlon
| against Spain was made possible only Dy
| Dewey's victory in Manila bay.
Question of Expense.
Referring to the arguments that enorm-
Gus expense will be entailed upon this
| United States on account of the Philip
| pines, Senator Lodge said:
| There is no reason to doubt that in 70
comparatively short time peace and or
| der will be restored, and when we are
considering what burden the possession OF
the islands will impose upon us we must
| proceed upon the normal conditions OF
peace Under Spanish rule, with all it's
| bad administration and profound corrup~
| ton the islands not only paid all their
| expenses but made at times at least %
return 10 the Spanish treasury. With
revenues well and honestly administered
| and with wise and honest expenditure, the
/ islands In our hands would not only easily
| pay all the expenses of the military es-
| tablishment but of the civil governments
| as well, and we could al the same times
by our superior honesty and efficiency,
| greatly tighten the burden of taxation.
| In a word, the Philippine Islands, as we
| should govern and administer them, would
be entirely sef-supporting, and would
| throw no burden of expense at all on the
| people of the United States after peace
and order were once restored and business
was again flowing i'm its normal channels"
From Commercial standpoint.
| Mr.. Lodge drew a luminous picture of
| the commercial possibilities of the Fnllp-
! pines and of the enormous advantages
| they would be to the United States not
| only on account of their own fertility and
| richness Of resource, but because they are
| the gateway for this country to the i'm
mense trade Of the Orient. Advertlng
| to a recent diplomatic achievement of the
| United States, he said;
| THE possession of the Philippines made
US an Eastern Power, with the right, and,
| what equally important, the force
| behind the right TO speak. Mr.. Hay, as
| Secretary of State, has obtained from all
| the great Powers of Europe their assent
to our demand for the guaranty of all
our treaty rights in China and for the
maintenance of the policy OF the open door.
do not belittle cne Of the most important
and most brilliant diplomatic achievements
in our hundred years of national existence
when / say that the assent Of these other
| Powers 10 the proposition of the United
| States was given to the master of Manila.
| They might have turned us aside three
years ago with shrug and a SMILE but
to the Power which held Manila bay, and
whose fleet floated upon its waters, they
were Obliged to give a gracious answer.
| Manila with ITS magnificent bay, Is the
prize and The pearl of the East. In our
hands 1t will become one of the greatest
/ distributing points. one OF the richest
emporiums Of the worlds commerce. Rith
in Itself. with all it's fertile islands behind
| il. il win keep open to us the markets of