The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-09-07

have been shed in the Philippine Is
lands from that time to this. Gap
plause). You ask who is RESPONSE
BILE for the shedding of American
blood in the Philippine Islands, and
/ say that that party is responsible
for the shedding of blood that was
responsible for treaty that made
freemen of Cubans and tried to make
vassals of the Filipinos. Great APP
plause). When that treaty came to
the Senate it had to be met and
there were three things that might
be done.
"First, the treaty could be ratified;
second, it could be amended, If there
were votes enough in favor OF the
amendments: third, it could be REJECT
ed. 1t could not be amended because
there were not votes enough, and II
any Republican tells you that that
treaty could have been amended in
the Senate / want you to remember
that when the Bacon resolution came
before the Senate it met with tie
vote and the vote of the Republican
Vice-President defeated it. | did all
I could do to get the Bacon resolution
passed. and what Republican will say
that | could have got the treaty
amended when | could not get the
resolution passed that promised in
dependence to the Filipinos. (Greaf
applause.)
''There, we were compelled to either
accept the treaty or reject it. WiMt
did a rejection of the treaty mean?
1t meant one of two things, either
the President would have to call the
ioh
whelmingly Republican, and then Sc
cure a ratification from the new Sen
ate or else he would have had to
appoint a new commission to make
a new treaty if it had been rejected.
If on the fourth day of February the
President had called the new Senate
together on the fourth day of March.
and had the treaty ratified by the
new Senate. then the delay would
have done no good. But suppose he
appointed a commission to make a
new treaty who could tell what com
plication might arise while the new
treaty was being made? If those who
opposed Imperialism had rejected the
treaty, they would have become re-
sponsible for all that might have hap
pened before the new treaty could
have been ratlned. We have seen the
Republican party win in the cam
paign of 1898 by holding out to the
people the plea that the nation might
be discredited while it dealt with a
foreign nation, and if a new commits
sion had been sent abroad 1T would
have prolonged the contest and 1t
might have carried it into a Presiden-
tial campaign; then there would have
been no question before the people
upon which their Judgment could
have been taken.
"When you accepted the treaty you
ended the war and | believed then
and still believe that this nation, act
ing alone, could do by itself every
thing that it could have forced from
Spain. I favored the ratification of
the treaty, not because it was good,
fbut because it was easier to correct
it's mistakes by legislation than by
diplomacy. Lincoln in appealing to
the South said, Can aliens make trea-
ties easier than friends can make
laws?' Was it easier to make the
treaty with Spain give independence
to the Filipinos than it was to give
them independence by act of our own
people? / preferred to let the Amer
lean people give Independence to the
Filipino rather than ask an unfriend-
ly people to do so. Whenever you
hear a Republican say that | am re-
sponsible for the ratification of the
treaty | want you to listen and
see if he adds that | also favored a
resolution promising independence to
the Filipinos and you will listen in
vain. The Republican who charges
me with helping TO ratily the treaty
is not honest enough to tell you at
the same time that / favored a reso-
luton that would have prevented
bloodshed in the Philippine Islands.
and made them our friends instead of
our enemies. ] resigned my commits
sion in the army on the tenth day of
December, that day the treaty was
signed. 1T was accepted on the 18th
of December On the 18th day of De-
cember / gave out an interview. 1t
was published in the papers on the
morning of the 14th so that the inter-
view appeared two days after my res
| ignation was accepted, and in that in
terview / pointed out that it was bet
ter to ratify the treaty and declare
this nations purpose by resolution,
which would promise independence
to the Filipinos and end the war. than
to reject the treaty. What Republi-
can is honest enough TO meet that last
proposition and then say that | was
wrong in the light of the Bacon res
olution. If the Bacon resolution had
passed we would not have had war
today in the Philippines, because that
was commenced a month before
shot was fired. Republicans. you are
responsible for the defeat of the Ba-
con resolutions It was your Vice
President who cast the deciding vote,
and from that day to this you have
never promised independence to the
Filipinos, and you, who prevented the
promise of independence, are re-
sponsible for the conditions that now
exist. Don't say that you have not
had time. When Congress met you
had time to give to the national banks
monopoly of your paper money, but
you didn't have time to promise indie
pendence to the Filpinos. You had
time to turn over the government to
those who used it for private gain but
you have not had time to stop the war
in the Philippine Islands and return
to the Declaration of independence
You Republicans are very much
| n fraid Of f ftv cent dollar. bu+N vO,,