Evening star., 1902-02-22
IN HEATED COLLOQUY
MR.. SPooNER DEFENDS ADMINS
TRATIoN POLICIES.
Lively Discussion Of the Philippine
Question in the Senate Yes
terday Afternoon.

| Senate had the Philippine tariff bill under
| discussion. Mr.. Spooner became involved
| frequently in heated colloQuies with MEM
| bers of the minority. He concluded with
| an appeal to congress to stand by the poll
| ces of Mckinley and Roosevelt.
| Mr.. Tilman Is. CO began a characteristic
| arraignment of the administration in the
| Philippines. but had not concluded when
| the Senate adjourned until today.
In the course of his argument, MI.
| Spooner became involved in a controversy
with Mr.. Teller (Col), who had challenged
some of his statements
Il think it is true said the Wisconsin
| senator that when a man leaves a politi-
cal party he is likely to think that party
| is utterly bad
He leaves it because 1t Is utterly bad,
| suggested Mr.. Carmack CTenn.)
II think" retorted Mr.. Spooner, that II
| he waits until it is utterly bad before leav-
| ing it, he is quite as bad as the party. or
| course. make no reflection upon the sena-
tor from Colorado.
| Mr. Spooner maintained in further re-
sponse to Mr.. Teller's criticisms that no
man had the right to impeach the republi-
| can party and to launch into TRADES against
| the President of the United States for wag-
! ing military campaigns against insurrec-
| tionsts against the United States. He
| pointed out that Mr.. Teller had voted for
| army appropriations to support the Ameri-
| can troops in the Philippines.
when he SO votes, said he, me votes 10
enforce the authority Of the American peo-
| pie and to send troops against the Fllipinos.
| He votes to sustain the action OF the Amer.
| lean people. No senator who votes to SEND
| troops to the Philippines and then critlcises
| the government because those troops are
used there can be said to be consistent
Mr. Teller thought Mr.. Spconer did not
| discern the difference between senator's
| inp for q
of the government for the manner or car
| rying the proposition into effect.
Il may be obtuse," replied the Wisconsin
| senator, but l cannot see why senator
| who has voted to send troops to the Philip
| pines should complain if they fight when
| they get there. 1 would not. however.
| criticise and raise false issues as to the
| situation which l had helped to create.
Further along Mr.. Hoar interrupted to ex-
press his opinion that war never had eX-
| listed in the Philippines because war could
| not exist without authority of Congress.
| The American troops in the Philippines
now were being employed by executive
| order. Three times, he said. the minority
| had proposed to vote for troops in the Phil
| ippine Islands to be used for any reason
able time but the proposition had not been
| accepted. g
Mr.. spooner said there was no question
of the validity of the title of the United
| States to the Philippines, although differ
| ences Of opinion had arisen as to the ulti-
mate disposition of the archipelago. That
question would be decided in good time
| and would be satisfactory to the American
people.
Seizure of Canada.
Further along in his address Mr.. SpoOner
said in support of his argument that the
| United States had acquired the Philippines
| rightfully: that this country wanted no
war, for instance, with Great Britain. I'VE
| are welded" said he. Ito the arts of peace
war with Great Britain would be an un-
| speakable calamity, but do you suppose
| that the people Of the United States would
| be willing to enter into an agreement that
| if by any unhappy chance there should
some time in the distant future come war
| between Great Britain and the United
| States we would at the end Of the war
leave the British possessions and Canada
from ocean to ocean the property of Great
| Britain? Is it to be supposed that the peo-
| pie of the United States would be unwilling
| in such an untoward event to hold their
| government unable on account of the Dec
| laration of Independence to occupy and to
| keep the territory to the northward of us
| from ocean to ocean without the plebisc1te
| of it's people? l think not.
Mr. Spooner sharply arraigned the demo-
| cratic party for the encouragement which
| it's utterance had given the rebellion in the
| Philippines, and declared that the motives
| which actuated the democratic leaders were
| a blind greed for political powers" which
| made them forget for the nonce the army
| at the front
| Every patriotic impulse he maintained.
suggested that anything that would tend
| to give aid and comfort to the enemies of
! the United States ought to be withheld The
question of Imperialism did not enter into
| the discussion, and would not for a long.
| long time to come. But" said he. there
| is no question of the attitude of the demo-
| cratic party of this country or of It's effort
| to obstruct the government in bringing to
| the Filipino people the blessings of liberty
| and of peace.
Mr.. Spooner read the full text of General
I.swton's letter TO Mr.. John Barrett speak
| frg of the effect upon Philippine affairs of
criticisms in the United States, together
| with a note from Mrs. Lawton vouching for
the genuineness of the letter. He comment
ed sharply in this connection upon the
| course of the minority, which, he said. had
Done great harm and absolutely no good.
Mr.. Spooner said no one could believe
| that President Mckinley, the late COM
mander- -in-chief Of the army, would issue
any order that was cruel and tyrannous.
He had been sneered at for his belief in
destiny in these matters. but no one who
believed In the Deity could doubt that He
does exercise a supervisory power over the
affairs of man. President Mckinley was
behind the army and a tenderer heart had
never beaten in human breast. No kind
ler or considerate man had ever
lived and no more considerate state paper
had ever been written by any man In pub
lie office than Mckinleys letter of instruc-
| ticns to the Taft commission.
made by the minority of the Senate COM
mittee on the Philippines as the most mis-
chievous project that could be devised by
the wit of man in the present status of
affairs"
1T is" he exclaimed. "a bill to raise hell
in the Philippine archipelago-a bill which
has no merit whatever in it,
Mr.. Tillman in Opposition.
Mr. Tillman addressed the Senate in OPP
position to the pending bill. He declared
that the expression of the motives for
acting the bill was subterfuge and a
| humbug and everybody knew it. He as
serted that this government in its treatment
of the Filipinos had returned to the policy
of Great Britain. which had been over
thrown by our forefathers at Yorktown
1t was, he said, "a damnable doctrine"
vet we called ourselves liberty-loving Amer
leans and declared our pride in our ances-
try.
He charged that the American authori-
ties in the Philippines were steering clear"
OF the provinces in the islands, where war
was real and pressing. and were conflning
themselves to those places where oppor-
tunity was afforded to secure '.pelf' and to
rob the people. They were following. he
declared, the same methods pursued in
South Carolina after the war Of the rebel