The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-18

| submit we will not deal with men in arms
| against the flag says, in substance, the
same thing
"One thing there has been. at least,
given to them as Americans not to say.
There is not one of these gentlemen who
will rise in his place and affirm that If he
were a Filipino he would not do exactly as
the Fiipinos are doing; that he would not
despise them-if they were TO do otherwise.
So much, at least. they owe of respect to
the dead and buried hisiory-the dead and
buried history. so far as they can slay and
bury it--of their country.
why. the tariff schemes which are pro-
posed are schemes in our interest and not
in theirs. II you propose TO bring tobacco
from Porto Rico or from the Philippine Isl
ands on the ground that il is for the inter
est Of the people whom you are undertake
ing to govern. for their best interests 10
raise it and sell it to you. every imperialist
in Connecticut will be up in arms. The
nerve in the pocket is still sensitive,
though the nerve in the heart may be
numb. You viii not let their sugar come
here to compete with the cane sugar OIL
Louisiana or the beet sugar Of California or
the Northwest, and in determining that
question you mean to think not of their in
terest but Of yours.
them is a government under which their
great productive and industrial interests
when peace comes. are to be totally and ao-
solutely disregarded by their government.
You are not only purpostng to do that ou'
you expect to put another strain on the
Constitution to accomplish it.
why. Mr.. President. the atmosphere
OF both legislative chambers. even now, is
filled with measures proposing to govern
and tax these people for our interest, ana
not for theirs. Your men who are not
alarmed at the danger to constitutional
liberty are UP in arms when there Is dan
ger to tobacco. AS an eloquent hepubh-
can colleague said elsewhere. Beware
that you do not create another ireland un-
der the American flag" Beware that you
do not create many other Irelands-an-
other ireland in Porto Rico: another Ire
land in Cuba: many other Irelands in the
Philippines,
The great complaint of Ireland for
eight centuries was that England framed
her taxation and regulated her tarih, not
for Irelands interest but for her own
| That when she dealt with the great in
! dustries of that beautiful isle she was
thinking of the English eXchequer and OF
the English manufacturer and OF the Eng
! ish landowner; and she reduced ireland
! cess.
rs there any man so bold as to utter
| in seriousness the assertion that where
! the American flag has once been raised t
/ shall never be hauled down. | have heard
/ it said that to haul down or to propose TO
! haul down this national emblem where 1t
! has once 1oated is poltr0onery. VIII any
I man say it was poltroonery when Paul
/ Jones landed on the northeast coast Of
England that he took his flag away with
/ him when he Departed Was SCctt a poi
! troon. or was Polk a poltroon? Was Tay-
lor a poltroon? Was the United States a
nation OF poltroons when they retired
( from the City of Mexico or from Vera
+ Cruz without leaving the flag behind
them? Were we poltroOns when we Ie-
/ ceded from Canada
/ II we had made the attack on the coast
! Of Spain. at one time contemplated during
this very war, were We pledged to mold
/ and govern Spain forever or be disgraCed in
( the eyes of mankind il we failed to do It?
Has England been engaged in the course
Of poltroonery all these years when ste
has retired from many a field of victory
According to this doctrine, she was bound
to have held Belgium forever after the
( battle Of Waterloo and Spain forever after
/ Coruuna and Talavera. She could not, OF
: course, have retired with ho1or from Vone-
zuela il the arbitration had not ended in
her favor"
The FiIipinos Discussed.
Taking up the discussion Of the Fill
I pinos themselves, Mr. Hoar sent to the
desk and had read a number OF reports
from United States military and naval
commanders and consular officers, after
which he said:
Now. Mr. President. there is no his
toric fact more clearly established by his
toric testimony than the facts
"First-That these people were aiming
at independence from the beginning
"Second-That they achieved indepen-
dence.
"Third-That our commanders. naval and
military. our Secretary Of War, our Ad-
ministration at. home. knew all the time
that they were aiming, striving at inde-
pendence.
..Fourth-That We encouraged them by
every form Of practical assurance.
IF we had dealt with them in the treaty
Of peace as We dealt with Cuba there
would have been nO war.
If we had not hurried reinforcement
to Manila, both Of ships and Of men
strengthening the forces Of our army ant
navy there after Spain had yielded, there
would have been no war.
If the urgent request Of Aguinaldo, af
ter the outbreak OF the 9th Of February
that hostllitIes might cease. had not beer
met by the declaration Of Otis that fight
ing must go on, there would have been NJ
war.
If Aguinaldo's offer to withdraw hi
troops and make a wider belt between th'
two armies had been met In like spirit
there would have been no war.
If Senators had not been talking abOu
holding on to all they could get, abou
making money out Of their great act O
liberation, about keeping from the peopl
Of these islands their liberty ana their in
dependence for purposes of gain and trade
there would have been no war
And now the attempt to charge thi
thing upon those Of US who have but PFC
I claimed the doctrine of the Declaration q
Independence and have but repeated aEai
the Cuban resolutions; who have bu
quoted the language Of the President 0
the United Stales-the responsibility 70
these hostliues-is proceeding no
. matched in impudeucc since the day c.. tn
upstream wolf and the downstream lamb
Senators. if there were no Constitution
II there were no Declaration. if there wer
no international law, il there were moth
ing but the history Of the past two years
the American people would be bound il
honor. if there be honor. bound in common
honesty. if there be honesty. not to crusl
out this Philippine Republic.
Clearly and beyond all cavil we forme
an alliance with them. We expressly ask
ed them to cooperate with us. We hand
ed over our prisoners 10 their Keeping. "
sought their help in caring for the sic
3 and wounded We were told by them agai
] and again and again that they We're fight
ing for independence. Their purpose VA
3 as well known TO our generals to the Wa
3 Department and TO the President as Oh