The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-04

six thousand troops are now in the Philip
pines, divided among 400 posts, sn!d troops
must be provided to replace the volunteers
now being withdrawn. The conditions"
he said. demand the presence OF very
considerable force. No matter how we got
there, we are there. and We ought to
stay there"
Mr.. Bacon said he was ready now to
vote for a bill providing an adequate
army for the present needs of the Gov
eminent but limited as to the time OF
it's operation. He was irrevocably OPP
posed, he declared, to the present bill be-
cause it fastened upon the country for
all time an immense standing army. He
expressed his perfect willingness to sup
port the Administration in Its mainten-
ance of it's authority in the Philippines.
He differed from the controlling powers in
their Philippine policy, but he was al
ways willing to support the authority of
the United States. He pointed out that
among the soldiers in the Philippines his
own State (Georgia) had furnished its
full proportion.
Nothing was further from him, he said,
than TO suggest that the Senate should
not maintain the Governments hands in
those Easter nislands, however individ-
ual Senators might feel and think as to
the Governments policy. The danger was
that the army would be Increased event
ually to one OF several hundreds of thou
sands--to an army that would dominate
the country. He suggested that the Mil
itary Affairs committee ought to prepare
a bill providing for special Philip
pine army. That, he thought, would re-
lieve the country of the menace of
Mr.. Sewell said 1--WE now have more
great standing army.
skirmishes in the Philippines than at any
time almost since the BEGINNING OF the
war
Mr.. Tillman Is. c., inquired whether
any provision of the bill required that
enlisted men should be returned to this
country when their services no longer
were required. He said he understood
that a young man in whom he was in
teresteG had been court martialed for
some trivial offense and at the expiration
of his sentence had been discharged with
out friends ~ funds. The War Depart
ment had no trace of him. He declared
that no matter what the charge against
the soldier was, he ought to have been
returned to this country.
Mr.. Hawley said tho necessity for an
adequate army was evident to all. In
addition to conditions in the Philippines,
known to all, he said that the United
States might at any time come within the
pale of war with some European power.
Mr.. Hawley said:
'sWe are not altogether out of sight of
some possibility of war with some Euro
pean power. We do not know. They are
in great deal of trouble there and
understand they look with very great
jealousy upon our talk of Danish Island
and our talk about acquiring other terri
tory"
Mr.. Carter defended the proposed in
crease in the permanent army.
Mr. Bacon asked how long time would
be necessary to keep SO large an army
in the Philippines. Mr.. Carter finally re-
piled that the word indefinite fits the
situation very we'll.
Mr.. Daniel called up and had read the
House resolutions on the death of the
late Representative Wise, of Virginia. He
then offered a resolution expressing the
sorrow of the Senate and at 4;1s p. M,
as further mark of respect the Senate
adjourned.