The age-herald., 1900-08-28
TONNE OPENS THE
 CAMPAIGN AT DULUTH
Addresses Largest Crowd Ever Gathered to Listen
 to Political Speech in That City.
American Review for February. 1900,
F-rst to Tell Admiral Dewey

 says:
 Frst to Tell Admiral Dewey
 CT was the first to tell Admiral Dewey that there a disposition on the part of the American people to hold the Philip pines if they were captured
 '"rhere wal be little dissent that the proposition that If he came to Manila with such knowledge the most obvious consid- eratons of justice and fairness required that the Filipinos be speedily acquainted with it. Yet, they were permitted to in- dulge all the illusion of hope from our supposed friendiness to their plans of in- dependence with which their proclamation had made familiar
 Our opponents are in the habit of refer ring to the outbreak of actual hostilities between us and the Filipinos as though the latter were the aggressors, and much Is attempted to be made out of such ex- pressions as that they fired on our flag. But of course, since we had secretly formed determination to seize the islands 1t is apparent that whenever that design became manifest or We attempted to put 1t into effect, the Filipinos, if they were earnest, when declaring their object to be independence, would resist it. The aggres- sor, regardless of who struck the first blow would be, not he who stood in defense of a right, but he who by act or threat com pelled the other to defc nd it. The devel- opment of the hostile design was itself an dtloSh'> l HS "OHutT IS considering tne tropical nature of the islands and the large continued course of our mingled re- tlcence ambiguity and offensive that they were not betrayed into vice long before any physical clash actually occurred As a matter of fact, however, as shown by Otis official report, our troops fired the first shot and the Filipinos stood the defensive.
 Plan Set Forth by President 1.-The plan to possess the whole Philip pine archipelago and to subdue it if nec- essary by force of arms was bluntly set forth by the President in his instruction to General Otis under date of December 21, 1898, which were embodied by the latter in the famous proclamation of January B. 1S99
 "It is important to bear in mind the time when this proclamation was made as touch- ing the question of the Presidents right to issue 1t, its responsibility for the warfare that followed and its relations to the gen. eral subject or arbitrary power, whose in- creasingly easy assumption and exercise are the invariable accomplishments of impe- rialism."
 He then discussed the protocol and the treaty of peace and the proclama ton of January 3, 1899, at Manila, which he de- clared lis of the very essence imper!al- ism" DiveSted of Its cant and made over, in plain language, the proclamation tells the Filipinos that we have seized their SouHlIy py IOTce anu pTOpoSSu Ao hold 1t and that they must submit to our pretension, yield to our assumed authori- ty or be shot to death. It boldly pro- claims the right of conquest, the highway robbery of nations. For the first time in American history 1t is asserted by the re- sponsble leader of great party and a President of the republic that we may rightfuly wage war for purposes of domin- ion and acquire property in the land of oth- CT nations and Jurisdiction over their lib- Or4tA t@,rA Al,1 fnst 1f perior strength. It violates the most sacred traditions of our history.
 But, what is probably as sinister in this proclamation as even this fragrant endorse ment of force the basis of political au- thority and as significant of imperialistic tendencies in the executive is the cool as- sumption by the President of the power to act before the execution of the treaty. The treaty was not yet ratified. It had not in deed been approved by the Senate, but easily never have been approved, since the final action of that body is said to have been taken by bare majority of one vote"
 Roast for Roosevelt
 Taking up Governor Roosevelt's speech, he declared 1t to be enormously disap- pointing Neiher in matter nor in manner is 1t wortkH of its occasion. In respect to argument the speech is, with rare excep tions, an alternation of evasion and asser-
 
 and scullion It abounds in inaccuracies, which, if incidental, are inexplicable as coming from man who has performed creditably in history and biography. But the world is accustomed to inconsistencies from MT. Roosevelt. It has long looked on him as a predesti tined and incorrigible ec- centric. It has given up attempting to ex- plain him or to reconcile him with himself. It is quite impossible whether 1t would be worth while otherwise or not to make an entirely satisfactory diagnosis of civil service reformer in partnership with Thomas c. Platt; a citiZen-soldier who rid icules the volunteer; leader in battle who finds glory in being rescued from an am- bush; hero who boasts of shooting a flee ing foe in the back; candidate who plays and poses to delegates and galleries to ob- tain nomination that he does not want; gentleman who charges six and one-half millions of his fellow-countrymen with lawessness, dishonesty and cowardice; a statesman who, mounted on a hobby, rides roughly to grave questions in economies and politics, swinging his partisan tarial and yelling like an intellectual Comanche."
 Mir. Towne then read quotations from the St Paul speech of Governor Roosevelt which, he said, showed the truth of wheat he had said of that speech as whole. He argued at considerable length against any possible constitutional right under which lne United States could hold and govern colonies, ridiculing the alleged claim that this right was given by that provision of power to make all needful rules and regu- lations respecting the territory and other property of the United States"