Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-23
SPEECH Or SENATOR HALE.
Giving His Reasons for Supporting the Army
Bill.

Tho following is the fun text of Sen
! ator Hale's speech on the army bill. IL
published in the Congressional Record
MIR President. | am not much troubled
! by the objections that have been raised
to the amendment submitted by the sen
ator from New Hampshire. | agree tina;
| the time has not come for general lesiS-
| lation upon the Philippines. their condi
| ton and their future. and the authority
| of the government respecting them. But
| this amendment is not general legislation
! 1t is practically an amendment that goes
with the army. 1t largely relates TO the
! good conduct and good health of the
| army, and therefore is not slbject to the
| objection that ii opens general lesiSla-
| ton.
But ! did not rise for the purpose of
discussing that amendment. There is no
need. Mr.. President, OF darkening coun-
SCI about the objects and purposes Of this
! bill. We are confronted for the first time
| in nearly forty years with the question of
| establishing by law Il permanent large
regular army, and there ought to be no
| doubt as 10 what the objects are for
which that army is to be used. The bur
! den is upon senators VINO favor the proc
| oSition.
| Now. the object is clear and plain
enough. 1t is to be 4 fighting army. 1t is
i not to fight in the old states of the Union;
| it is not to fight in Alaska; it
is not to light in Porto Rico; it is not
| 10 fight in Cuba; it is not TO fight in
China. II is to fight in the Philippine
| lSidnuS. were IL not Tor mat OnmlStan n
| able fact there would be no committees
| here that would venture TO ask for the
| increase of the regular army as q per-
| manent establishment UP TO 100000 men,
1t is as clear as day that this is the OBJ
| ject of this increase of the army.
| Now, the question is, is this large army
there needed? | wish that the committee
generally and senators advocating this
measure, had been as frank with Us as
was the senator from New Jersey (Mr
Seweln, who told Us plainly that the cor
ditions in the Philippine Archipelago
We're such that from 20 O00 to 81 0uJ ana
perhaps more. men were needed there to
complete the conquest OF the islands.
When he was asked if the conditions de
picted by the PreSident-the ToSeate hueS
| that had been thrown about those condi
| tons by the Presdeni-existed. he de-
clared that they did not. He said tina,
there had been revival OF the hostiities
of the Philippine population. and that all
these men would be needed 20 insure the
subjuSation of those islands.
Mr.. JONES of Arkansas. VIII the sen
ator allow me a question?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Docs the
senator from Maine yield?
MIR. HALE. have only a few min
Utes, by the courtesy of the senator from
Mississippi. and would rather not be in
corrupted. Still yield,
Mr.. JONES of Arkansas. The senator
has just stated that the understanding
is that ii is necessary to have 6n,001 or TO-
900 or perhaps $4,000 men to complete the
subjusation OF the Philippine Islands
The TACT as | understand it. is that we
have about ae,@o men there now.
Mr.. HALE | am coming right to that
as the reason for my action upon this bill
In the same direction as the statement
of the senator from New Jersey IS the
report of every military authority III
those islands. The commanding general
there tells us that we will need nearly or
quite hundred thousand men for som.
years to come in order to complete the
work upon which we have embarked
Now Mr.. President. il that he so what
ever may be our belief as to the wisdom
of the policy to which we arc committed
we have got to consider the real sit1Ia-
ton. What is it? There are today.
speaking in round numbers. about ,0nW
troops engaged in conflict in the Philip
pine Islands, in a conflict which the SEN
ator from New Jersey told us, while it
is not like a great battle. is from its
many small conflicts. as fatal in its re-
sults-not only in casualties but in dis
ease and the other things that deplete a
fOrce-as a battle
Now. what shall We do? I would be
very glad to see the form of negotiation