The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-06-24
STILL TAKES THE time OF
THE HOUSE.
CIVIL GOVERNMENT.
Speeches for and Against the Bill.
Action of House Conferees in
Cadets "a West Point is Criticized.
Secretary Roots Figures as tn
Cost of War fs Questioned-Gep-
eral Woods Course is Censured.
An Evening Session.

Washington, d. c., June 21.-
Debate upon the Philippine civil gov
ernment bill Jagged in the house today.
There were seven speakers-Messrs.
Reeves, of. Illinois, and BromwelI, of
Ohio, for the bill and Messrs. Maddox.
of Georgia; Dinsmore, of Arkansas.
and Thayer, of Massachusetts against
1T. Mr.. Mcclellan, of New York, a son
of the late George B. Mcclellan deliy-
cred a short but eloquent defense of
the army. Earlier in the day the con-
terence reports on the military acad-
emy and sundry civil appropriation
bills were adopted.
Mr. Hay, Of Virginia, Mr.. Clayton, of
Alabama, and Mr.. Mann, of Illinois.
criticised the action of the house con-
| ferees in agreeing to the increase in
the number of cadets at West Point
proposed by the senate. Mr.. Mann
said that recently the number of ca
| diets had been increased one hundred
| The increased membership of the house
would further increase the cadets
| thirty, and now it was proposed to in
| crease the number still more. He did
| not believe we should legislate in the
| direction of a great increase in the
standing army.
| Mr.. Clayton called attention to the
| fact that the army which cost annual
ly $25,OOO,G0O before the Spanish war,
now costs annually S125, 5,00O, 900.
| Mr.. Hull and Mr.. Parker, of New
Jersey, defended the conference report,
| arguing that the increase was neces-
sary in order properly to officer the
/ army.
In the discussion of the Philippine
| bill Mr.. Reeves contrasted the con-
| dition of the Filipinos under the Span
/ ish regime with their condition now,
and with what it might be expected to
| be in the future. He used a wealth of
| statistics to show that our great mar
ket in the future must be in the orient,
and that our position at the gateway
of the east would be immeasurable ad-
| vantage to us.
Mr.. Maddox, of Georgia, who follow
ed Mr.. Reeves, opposed the bill. The
| question of whether we were to perma-
nently retain the Philippines, he said
would be ultimately decided not by
congress, but by the American people
God was with us during the wal
with Spain,' he continued, ''but wher
We entered into the peace negotiation
the devil stepped in, and he has beer
running things ever since.''
4
Roots figures as to the cost Of the wal
in the Philippines.
He said he could not understand how
the secretary got his figures. The ac.
tual amount appropriated on accoun
of the war with Spain and the subse
quent operations in the Philippines. h,
said, exceeded one billion dollars o.
about one half of the cost of the civi
| war. He asserted that the cost of tn,
army in the Philippines including
transportation, had been in excess o
$1O0000,oO0 annually and with the re
duced force would not fall much below
sS5, 100000 If the army in the Philip
pines for the last fiscal year cost onl,
forty millions as Secretary Root al
legged, he wanted to know what had be
come of the remainder of the s115,0O0,
600 appropriated in the army appro
priation bill far that head.
Mr.. Brownweli, of Ohio, defended tn
policy of the administration, and ad
monished his democratic opponents t
, heed some of the words of wisdom
which recently had fallen from the lip
of some of their old time leaders.
Mr.. Dinsmore, of Arkansas, made a
earnest speech appealing to both side
| to weigh we'll the tremendous issu
which was to be decided in the pendin
legislation, decided one way, it mean
he said, free government and indepen
dence for the Fflipinos: the other wa,
it meant colonial subjects and a per
petual colonial policy.
He severely criticised General Wood
G course, to influence legislation in tn
a United States and said if the .colonis
system was to be permanent the tim
would come when by whatever nam
| it might be called, occurrences such a
had been practiced in Cuba would be
come the regular order of things.
Mr.. Mcclellan, New York, in a shol
6 speech, defended the army There ma
have been instances of cruelty in th
!, | Philippines, he said, but there shoul
be no difference among American
!, about upholding our soldiers Will
!. they are under fire.