The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-29
TOWNE'S GRAFTON
For THE CESSATION of HoS'TILI-
TIES IN PHILIPPINES.
HE DEFENDS AGUINAL DO.
PRESIDENT CHARGED WITH
BREAKING PLIGHTED FAITH.

pendence 10 FIltpinOs-After Two
Years of Wasteful War We Occupy
One Five-Hundredth Part of the
ArchipeInEO-P Plan Pur-
sued Commits Us to Programme of
Empire.
Washington, Jan. 2S-The Senate turn
ed from the grind of appropriation bills
to-day to listen to a speech, which par
took of the character of an o alton, from
Senator Towne of Minnesota, in advo-
cacy of his resolution for cessation of
floor and the galleries were crowd>d d. The
rest of the day was devoted to the Indian
appropriat bill.
.Mr. Frye. the presiding officer. laid be-
fore the Senate cablegram from the
directory of the Federal ia ty In the
Philippines addressed to the Senate and
House, praying authorization for Presi-
dent Mckinley to establish civil govern
ment in the Philippines whenever he
deems it opportune.
''Accessons to Federal party by thous-
ands in all parts of the arch pelago," says
the cablegram. "a titude of hitherto ir
reconcilable press and the general public
opinion show that labors of party to
bring peace will scon be crown with
success. Until now polit cal parties have
attempted formation on plans more or
less questioning American sovereignty.
Our platform makes main rda9k sover-
eighty of United States with liberty to
each citizen to pursue peacefully his po-
itical ideas. Hour of peace has sounde I.
On our platform are grouped many Fill
pinos of hitherto irreconclable ideas, but
some more obstinate decline to join, for,
though willirg to accept sovereignty Of
United States the prospect of indefinite
continuance of military governments
makes them d.strust purposes Of the
United States and delays Their submis-
sion."
Mr. Towne then spoke. The charge that
Aguinaldo had sold his country to Span
iards for bribe, he declared, was "gratu-
itous in its calumny when we consid r
that the official publications of our own
government contradict and destroy it,"
The senator. declared that I'VE were
in illiance with the Fiipinos, an alliance
our advantage, and finally, to our ever
lasting shame. repudiated by us when we
found it no longer necessary and when
lust of empire had so blunted our moral
sensibilities that we could mount from an
act of perfidy to the grand larceny of a
nation.
at is not easy TO fix with accuracy
the time when the design was formed to
take forcible possession of the Philippine
Tel, I= ,fl AF- ~
arrival of Gen. Merritt at Manila, a dis
tinct change of tone was observable be-
tween the United States officials and the
Filipinos, the altered attitude being so
marked as to force the conclusion that
part of Gen. Merritt's prearranged task
was to maneuver out of an awkward
friendliness with Aguinaldo, and thus to
reach a footing for the convenient devel
opment of some secret policy with which
he had come fresh-freighted from
Washington
Any doubt of the prearrar cement Of
the plan was banished, Mr.. Towne said,
by the President himself.
Either the third arti lie of the proto-
col with Spain does not mean what 1t
says, or the President of the United
States, in eau ing the ss ance en- Dec.
q, 1898, Of his famous benevo ent as i'm IL
alton proclamation broke the pighte d
faith. of this government.
IF we are bent on Slaughter" Mr..
Towne said, 'let it be in open guise.
If we lust for the peoples land. let us not
glaze our enterprise with alse and s n
lister pretenSes. Rather let US boldly raise
the sombre flag Of international p.ra ",
whistle scruple down the WIND, and then
c.ose in upon our feeble victim to the
cry of loot and glory"
Mr.. Towne maintained that the United
States was under the obligation of r
cumstances, If not inde ID of actual
prom Sc, to grant independence to the
Filipinos, who we able to govern tn em-
selves. AS the result of two years OF
wasting war, we occupy about one-five-
hundredth part of tn 1t archipelago. No
district is really "pacified." We hold the
ground our troops stand on, practically
nothing more.
after the elections the resistance In the
Philippines increased and 1t had been an
nounced in the Senate within a week that
60 900 American soldiers would be needed
in the islands for an indefinite period.
1.-THE retention of the Philippines will
commit US to the whole programme Of en-
pire There is law among nations 10y
which bad appetite grows by what 1t
feeds on. No nation in history has Ie-
sisted 1t. and to every nation that mad
Welded to 1t It had brought disaster.
Athens Succum De0 10 IL anu peTlSneu.
Rome INDUCED the mad ambition and fol-
lowed it to her doom. 1t was the ruin
of Venice. It will work the destruction
OF England, in my opinion, ere the close
of this fateful century Are we, with
all the lessons OF history before US, to
prove the next victim of this insatia te
passion, the greatest, most lamentable,
most gratuitous sacrifice in all human
Immediately following Mr.. rowne's
speech the credentials Of his successor,
Moses r. Clapp of Minnesota, were pre-
sented. and he was duly sworn in.
The credentials of Joseph w. Bailey
as senator from Texas, and OF F. M.
! Simmons as senator from North Caro-
lima, also were presented.
Mr.. McComas, Of Maryland. moved that
the credentials OF the North Carolina
senator be referred to the Committee on
Privileges and Elections.
| Mr. Hoar OF Massachusetts, emphatic
al'y objected. saying the people had the
| right to change the political complexion
! of the Senate every two years, and that
! there should be no interruption in the
| rece ption of credentials except under most
urgent conditions and after full explain
| ati-n
Mr. McComas explained that he had
merely sought 70 defer action until the
| North Carolina senators could be pres
| ent.
Mr. Chandler. chairman OF the Com
rnittee on Privileges and Elections. gave
assurance that no rights would be waiv-