The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-07

of this eastern empire, Will
only 20 there if We can sell those people
the best goods at the lowest price. We
need not establish in that territory a
despotism which will bar out by our tariff
laws the products of other nationalities,
and we are reaching after shadow while
we can get the substance without any
army, without any risk to our Constitu-
ton, without straining our power as a
Congress, without going contrary to or
being false to the traditions of our people {;
and say that the flag Is not necessary to
be backed by bayonets in order to sell our
calico and our other manufactures in that
market.
Our trade with the Philippine Islands,
which is the immediate subject OF discus
sion. is comparatively tritiing. The trade
of the whole Philippine Islands is so small
that it can cut no figure in this discussion.
/ think the exports and imports OF the
whole islands amount to something less
than S30,O00,00O. \.
cnliyening influences of American genius
and money, and with the granting Of fran-
chises to certain people to exploit and to
develop those islands, that commerce will
double and treble and quintuple, and all
that II may be that it will: presume it
could But If it does, it will be at the cx-
pcnse of one Of two great principles:
We must ignore the rights and interests
of the people Of those islands and allow
capitalists to exploit those islands as Eng
land has done in India-in other words.
rob the people; or we shall have q part OF
the territory OF the United States, peo-
pie, land, under our flag against which
we must discriminate by having their pro-
ducts barred from our shores while we
force on them our manufactures. Either
we must admit them, if the Supreme
Courts dictum is right, and have their
products come here in competition with
ours, or we must exclude them against all
the principles and opinions Of that court
hitherto. If that be true, il we come to
that, if we can discriminate against the
Philippines after they have been annexed
lawfully or unlawfully and become. part
of the territory of this country, then we
can discriminate as between Massachu-
sets and South Carolina or any other part
of our domain if Congress says so.
But, Mr.. President, to come down to the
milk in the cocoanut, the real subject OF
nv speech, have we got legal title to the
Philippines? Upon the decision Of that
question in the minds Of the American
people and of Congress will turn, the ques-
ton as to what action we shall take. sS,
Now what are the facts? Il shall tres
pass upon the time Of the Senate to. re-
hearse in general way soma anMsputed
facts proven by the documeNfS us
by the President of the United nd
from General Otis's report, ani
that in the briefest possible way 3 "a a
Nobody denies that the Fliptnes
menced their insurrectiOn againsts NElair1
in 1896; that they were at war With Spain,
and that after successes more or less IN
dicative Of Spain sinability to conquerthe
islands and hold them, or rather retain
them. Spain made treaty December, 1897,
with Aguinaldo and his lieutenants by
which certain reforms were to be granted,
and these lieutenants and chiefs were to
leave the islands and receive S400,0 900 as
compensation for deserting or leaving
their own property. The people OF the
Philippine Islands did not cease their war,
however. Aguinaldo departed, the $780,
600 was paid, but the insurrection went on,
and nobody denies it, because our. consul
said so. 1t went on because Spain, ever
treacherous, failed to grant the reforms
promised,
Dewey went to Manila the 1st Of May.
Fifteen days later Aguinaldo followed,
brought there in an American ship; he
landed; issued his proclamation; Dewey
gave him arms, rifles, and artillery with
which to fight the Spaniards. He acted in
the capacity of an ally, under the direction
of Dewey, and with his full knowledge and
consent, and Dewey encouraged 1t. He
moved forward, capturing Spanish strong
hold after stronghold until he had cooped
ND the last Spaniard in Luzon in the. city
OF Manila. He did that before any Of our
troops got there. I
In the meantime he had issued ;hig pro-
camation calling upon the FiApinps to
elect delegates to congress-: That con-
gress assembled; a provisional govern.
the dictatorship. His army participated
in the siege of Manila, after General Mer-
ritt had reached there with some Ameri-
can soldiers. When the city surrendered
he occupied part of it with his troops, and
was recognized by Merritt as an ally.
The Spaniards later on abandoned the
only other place they had in the islands,
Iloilo, and it was occupied by the FilipinoS.
They had a little garrison at Zamboanga
and one or two other small towns on the
seacoast. The Filipino republic establish
ed it's authority over every foot OF the ter
ritory in those islands, with the exception
of the Sulu group and of the four towns l
have mentioned. Its authority was recog-
nized everywhere as supreme. Every
where law and order prevailed, according
to the statement Of our naval officers who
went on a tour Of inspection through Lu-
xon; and the Filipino government was as
flrfily established in the control OF those
islands as though there were no Spaniards
on them There was no looting and no
fighting There Is no doubt that Agul-
naldo could have captured Manila, II
Dewey had permitted it, before Merritt
got there.
Well, what arc the legal points involved
here? That Spain's colonists revolted
against her before we declared war; that
they drove her troops into Manila and
established u government of their own,
and ali before tho United States had even
thought of claiming the islands; because
if we read the report of General Otis, we
will find that those people had been en-
couraged to hope for Self-govcrnmcnt.
They had been assured that the Govern
ment OF the United States had no selfish
or sinister purposes; that the war had
been begun because we loved humanity
and liberty; and the only friction that
arose between Aguinaldo and General
Merritt's successor, General Otis, was from
the suspicion Aguinaldo had that we
might leave the islands III the possession
of Spain when the treaty was made, and
thereby they would be endangered by the
possession of fortified places which were
held bv Americans and surrendered when
the Spaniards returned to try and rcestab,
lish their authority.
will read here a very brief extract from
the first letter that General Otis ever wrote
to Aguinaldo. The city of Manila surren.
dered on the 18th of August. Merritt was
relieved in very few days later, and Otis
took his place. He found an unanswered
letter from Aguinaldo making some in
uuiries as to the purpose of this Govern
ment and protesting against yielding w
positions which his army held. After Otis
had had time to famiiarize himself witt
%haconditions, IEgil read what he said il
|aistter dated September 8. Now, Sena
tors lsten here -
Permit a me- Hmeral to assure you that
fully appreciate the difficulties under whicl