Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-21
57TH CONGRESS.
Patterson, COL, Becomes Ex-
cited Over the Philippines.
Charges Gov. Taft With Untruth and
Wanders Into Religion.
Indian Appropriations Brings Serious
Charge in House.

Washington, Feb. 20.-With the ex-
ception of a few minutes given to rou-
tire business, the Senate, today. de-
voted it's entire session to the Philip
pine question. Patterson, Col, one OF
the minority members Of the Philippine
commission. delivered his first extended
speech in the Senate and was given a
most attentive and careful hearing.
He discussed principally the seditior
laws enacted by the Philippine COM
mission, vigorously attacking the au.
thority of the commission to enact and
enforce such laws. He maintained that
Congress alone had the power to put
in force enactments of that character.
He compared information furnished
by the executive. departments of the
government with some of the state
ments of Gov. Taft in his testimony
before the Philippine commission with
respect to the capabilities of the Phil
ippine people and declared with some
heat his belief that Gov. Taft misrep-
resented the true situation in the is
lands for motives unknown.
He asserted that if the 100000 OF
Christians in the Philippines were
Protestant Christians, the cruelties
practiced on them by the American au
thorities would have to stop, as nc
member of Congress would be able tC
withstand the wrath of the Methodists
Raptists and Presbyterians Of this
country.
Nelson. Mimi, presented a legal anG
constitutional argument in support OF
this governments action in the Philip
pine archipelago and sharply criticised
Patterson for injecting into the contro-
versy the question of sectarianism. Nc.
Cumber. N. D., urged that Congress
should not bind the future now by g
declaration of definite policy regard
ing the Philippines, as it was desirable
that all possible Information should be
in hand before a permanent policy was
determined upon.
At the conclusion of routine bust
ness in the Senate, today, consideration
was resumed of the Philippine tariff
bill. Patterson, Colo, a member of the
Philippine committee of the Senate
discussed the treason and sedition laws
enacted and enforced as tyrannical and
He maintained that the
decision of the United States supreme
court seemed to indicate that when the
question was presented unqualified to
that court it would be held that the
bill of rights would extend to the
Filipinos and that they were, as fact
within the limits of the constitution OF
the United States.
He maintained that when the ques-
ton finally should come before the
supreme court it would be held that
press in the Philippine islands would
be protected fully and beyond any
doubt. He challenged the authority OF
the commission to enact such laws.
He declared that the Philippine COM
had outraged every United
States statute it had attempted to fol-
low and had made it's own enactments
tyrannical because there had been evil
IDENTIFY a deliberate purpose to make
offenses where none had been defined
by the United States statutes. He
denounced the 'devilish malignity'
the Philippine commission displayed
when it attempted to copy the United
States statutes and incorporated other
and extraneous matters. "
Patterson maintained that, under
the enactments of the Philippine COM
any person found distributing
the Congressional Record containing
speeches of any member of the minOri-
ty upon the Philippine question would
be liable to fine and Imprisonment. He
denounced such condition as unwar-
ranted and extraordinary and without
any constitutional authority. He de-
cIared that the sedition laws enacted
by the Congress in 1898 were beacon
light of liberty and independence as
with the laws enacted by
the Philippine commission. He said
that Governor taft had explained that
in instances where the death penalty
was inflicted under the laws, the case
had to be taken to the supreme court,
but in all cases of fine and imprison-
ment no such appeal was permissible.
Discussing the testimony of Gov.
Taft before the Philippine committee,
Patterson said that seldom had peo-
CONTINUED on page 2.)