Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01

The following is taken from the Ne"
York Commercial Advertiser

The following is taken from the New
York Commercial Advertiser:
Senator Hale has gone over and MS
name in the anti-imperialst household Is
henceforth anathema maranatha He mas
not only gone over but he has gone out OF
his way to show that the President Is quite
a different person from the designing VII
lain, with one hand on the throat CT MISS
Columbia and the other reaching for an
emperor's crown, that the antt-imperialisic
Imagination declares him to be. In his flrst
speech in the Maine campaign, reported In
our news columns last evening, the senator
declared that the President had opposed
the Spanish war till war became unavoid-
able and that he had conducted subsequent
affairs with great ability. This was pretty
bad, but what followed was far worse
The famous dispatch to Dewey, Proceed
forthwith to Manila and capture or destroy
the Spanish fleet, was, according TO MI
Hale. the result of consultation between
the President and many representatives OF
his party. "If we had added he said
" and report forthwith at Hong Kong, L
believe it would have been better for us,
but none of us thought to suggest that,
and couldn't foresee what was COM
ing, we had to take events as they pro-
ceeded." That Is style of frank confess
sion totally novel among the Presidents
critics. 1t would put an end to anti-!m-
perialism if IL were to become general
among its disciples.
Why have ordered Dewey back to Hong
Kong? He could not have remained there
He had his orders from the British gov
eminent TO leave Hong Kong when he re-
cetved those from his own government to
go in search of and destroy the Spanish
fleet All the ports in that part OF the
world were closed to him, except for the
merest temporary purposes. by the laws of
neutrality. Had any addition whatever
been made to the orders given the meri
can commander 1t would of necessity have
been TO come home after finishing the
enemy Where else could he have been
ordered. except through the Suez canal to
give Spain little bombardng on the PENN
sula?
And suppose Dewey, acting under orders,
had drawn off after finishing the enemy
afioat. Suppose then the Tagalogs under
Aguinaldo. finding the Spaniards crippled
by the loss of their support from the sea,
had rushed the garrisons at Manila and
elsewhere. and Wholesale sack and slaugh-
ter ha, followed. What deserved denun-
citation of the American government vould
everywhere have been heardi How plainly
IL would have appeared to the whole civil
tied world that, with Manila at our mercy,
We had run away from solemn RESPONSE
b.Hty, and how freely 1t would have been
charged that every drop of blood thus shed
was a blot on the American escutcheon
What Dewey's course would have been
had he met and destroyed the Spanish fleet
on the high sea at distance from Manila,
or what his further orders would have
been from home after the receipt Of such
news, it is useless now to inquire. Even
In those circumstances he might have con-
sidered 1t advisable to go on to Manila in
order to establish a base of further opera
tons But the fact remains that he found
his enemy in Manila bay and destroyed
him there. and from that moment his stay
was demanded by every consideration of
honor ard duty The Philippine problem is
grave and difficult but 1t has come to US
as the result of a wise and legitimate move
in war, and from one Of the most brilliant
victories ever achieved by any nation on
the water