The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-02-27
Wisconsin Senator Urges Passage
Of the Philippines Bill.
AND SCORES DEMOCRATS
Bate and Tillman Denounce the Pending
Measure and the Latter Attacks
Attitude of the Republicans.

pine tariff bill under discussion.
Mr.. Bate Dem, Tenn. delivered
carefully predared speech in
opposition to the pending meas
ure He was followed by Mr..
Spooner Rep, Wis. in defense
of the Republican attitude to-
ward the Philippine Islands.
Mr.. Spooner became involved
frequently in heated colloquy
with members of the minority.
He concluded with an appeal %
congress to stand by the policies
OF Mckinley and Roosevelt.
Mr.. Spooner said the pending
bill was entirely free from COM
plications. 1t was simply rev
enue bill. Whatever difficulties
senators or others had in recon
cling the differences of the SUI
preme courts decisions in the in.
Sular cases. he was satisfied that
the proposed bill was constitu.
tional.
Mr.. Spooner referred to some
recent statements by William j.
Bryan in his newspaper in sup
port of the minority in the SEN
ate. He pointed out that those
men who now were criticising
the government were instrument
al in placing the problem before
congress. He declared that Mr..
Bryan had come to Washington
and advocated the ratification of
the Paris treaty, and he ventured
the opinion that if it had not
been for Mr.. organs efforts the
treaty would not have been rati-
fled.
A solution of the Philippine
question as presented congress
and to the country now was de-
manded. not by any political
party, but by the people of the
country. He claimed the right
of the majority 10 deal with the
question as 1t saw fit, as by the
people it had been placed in re.
sponsioility and was held to ac-
countability by the American
people.
Mr.. Spooner discussed atlength
the ratification of the treaty of
Paris In the course of his STA e.
ulent he was interrupted by Mr..
Wellington, who said: L would
give ten years of my life to recall
my vote which | cast for that
treaty" He declared that the
promises made to him at that
tine by the administration with
respect to the treaty were broken.
The democratic party was ar
raigned by Mr.. Spooner for the
encouragement which It's utter
ance had gwen the rebellion in
the Philippines and declared that
the motive which actuated the
democratic leaders was a .blind
greed for political power which
made them forget for the nonce
the army at the 'front.'
The subproposition made by
the minority of the senate COM
mittee on the Philippines was
denounced by Mr.. Spooner as
the most mischievous project
that could be devised by the wits
of man in the present status of
affairs.
1t is" he exclaimed, "a bill to
raise hell IN the Philippine arch.
ipelago-a bill which has no mer-
it whatever In it."
Mr.. Tillman addressed the
senate 10 opposition to the pend
ing bill. He declared that ex-
pressions of the motives for en-
acting the bill were a subterfuge
and humbug, and everybody
knew it. He asserted that this
government in it's treatment of
the Filipinos had returned to the
policy of Great Britain, which
had been overthrow by our
forefathers at Yorktown. twas
he said, ga damnable doctrine,
yet we called ourselves liberty
loving Americans and declared
cur pride in our ancestry"