The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-23

Washington, May 2O.-The subject OF
the concentration of the inhabitants in
the Philippines into camps was a lead
ing topic of the discussion of the Phil
ippine bill in the senate today. Senator
Bacon, of Georgia. attacked the policy
OF concentration. likening it to the re-
concentrate camps established by Gen
sral Weyler in China
Senator Foraker, of Ohio, defended
the action of the military authorities
in establishing the camps in the Phil
ippines. as wise and proper, and as
means of protecting friendly Filipinos
from assault from the hands of rowing
bands OF insurgents. He read a de-
seription of the camps to show that
they were really camps of instruction
and sanitation.
Senator Hoar. OF Massachusetts,
spoke briefly in line with Senator Bacon,
sriticising the concentration camps and
pointing out the difficulty in getting
army officers to testify regarding the
situation
The days QeDaIe was closed Dy Sena-
tor Clapp, of Minnesota. in an eloquent
w
ipinos ought to be taught to admire and
respect the United States as a nation
which always had stood for liberty and
progress and never had broken its word
to any people, great or small.
Senator Bacon said that there was, in
part, civil government now established
In the Philippines under the war power,
which was as full in all it's powers as
was conferred by the pending bill. Un-
der the proposed measure greater power
fn the exploitation of the islands could
be exercised. He read a paragraph in
the bill to show that it contained q broad
and unlimited grant to the Philippine
commission to dispose, in unlimited
fashion, of the public domain in the
Philippines. He declared that an eX-
animation of the bill would show that a
corporation could obtain 100000 acres
Of land as easily as it could get 5000
acres. This, he declared, was an "enor-
nifty
Senator Lodge, chairman of the COM
nittee, interrupted to say that Section
" of the bill restricted the ownership of
land by corporation to 5000 acres.
"That restriction said Senator Ba-
con, lis confined to corporations en-
gagged in agriculture"
'tAn other corporations" replied Sen
ator Lodge, "are limited in the holding
Of their lands necessary to their pur-
poses"
might be organized to control all the
mineral lands in the Philippines-that
would be an infant as compared to the
great financial trust. Upon so grave
matter as the disposition of the public
lands in the Philippines he thought
there ought to be the direct action o
congress or, at least, the approval OF
congress instead of entrusting the mat
ter to the Philippine commission
is it" Senator Bacon asked, the
purpose of the United S .ates to retain
the Philippine islands in colonial depen-
dency or to grant to them a govern
ment of their own" That he thought,
was the great, central question around
which all other questions relating to the
islands must revolve- If, said he.
I'VE have the high and noble purpose
OF giving the Filipinos a free govern
ment-whether partial or absolute
then now is the time for congress to act
upon that purpose"
Senator Bacon declared there was lot
a day that troops of England were not
required to shed blood in order to main
tain England's supremacy. He alluded
70 the "cruelties" atrocities" and
"barbarities'' perpetrated in the Philip
pines merely, he said, to point out that
they were the result of the Philippine
policy of the government
Who is the defender of the army he
inquired; the man who denoupces the
and declares they are unworthy of the
army; or the man who defends the out
ranges and makes no distinction? Sen
ators who denounce these outrages and
the perpetration of them were, he
thought, the real friends of the army.
He declared the responsibility for the
situation-including the outrageS COM
nitted, the burning of towns and the
reconcentration of FilipinoS-must rest
upon those who have authorized and
justified the policy of the government
Senator Bacon read a letter from an
army officer, for whom he vouched and
whom he knew personally describing
IN vivid language a reconcentrado
camp. The letter said this camp was
located in soggy place where rain fell
continually and outside of which every
living thing was shot. In that camp
there were thirty cases of smallpox and
Eve cases were added each day.
Clouds of vampire circled softly over
the place awaiting the dead coming to
them every day. The camp was like
some suburb of hell.
House of Representative
For a third time within a week the
house has instructed its ConfereeS OH
matters of dispute between the senate
and houe. Today the instructions were
preparation bill before the conferees
had even considered the matters in con-
troversy. The motion to instruct was
made by Mr.. Cannon. of Illinois, chair
man Of the appropriations committee.
It was resisted by Mr.. Hall, chairman
of the military affairs committee and
the somewhat spirited debate which fol-
lowed developed the antagonism be-
tween the committees. The amend
ment at which Mr.. Cannon aimed was
that which increased the appropriation
for military posts from three to four
million dollars.
A resolution offered py Mr. Htt'