The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-04-23
RAJ Wins | ! |! MAKES
AN EPICRA!MI
1 TosThln i is Sedition and to Talk |lt:
IS treason as
.DENoUR \! PHIL ! pPlNE BILL 'l.ll.
win Establish ans Iigarchy as Foul as.
Anyin History, Declares Utah senator.l
House Rejected Claims Attached
to Omnibus Bill by Senate.
DENouR cEs PHIL pPlkE B L q

z(By Associated Press.

(By Associated Press.)
WASHINGTON. April 22.--Formal dis.
cussion Of the bill temporarily to pro-
vide a government for the: Philippine Is
lands was begun in the Senate to-day
Mr.. Raw1ins, Of Utah, the leading mi-
nority member Of the Philippine Com
mittee, denounced the bill as an unwar-
ranted imposition upon the, Filipinos. de- de-
claring that 1t would establish one Of
the foulest oligarchies in the history OF.
the world.
We seem to have arrived at that point
in our history said Mr.. Ra;wlins, where
there are those who affect to believe that
it is sedition to think and treason to
talk. For Gods sake let us keep silent
the war is over, exclaims a peripatetic
hero and graduate from the Philippines,
who wants to mako free speech treason
and to cart us away to the galloWs, al
though he might give the Senator from
Massachusetts, the benefit of clergy on
account of his sympathy for 'supei1
heated conscience all, If we are to be-.
}lieve him, with the approval of the Pres
ident of the United States.
DECLARES WAR.
congress no longer has to declare war.
An Otis or Chaffee is prepared to
attend to this any day in the week a
few days ago a message came to US that
Malyar, the last of the insurrectos, had
surrendered. The next day 1t was an
.nounced that General Chaffee had de-
clared q new war, and had dispatched an
army to wage it against two millions OF
people in theGIsland of Mindanao, but
mum is to be the word 80 long as there
is any disturbance anywhere within our
borders or in any one of the Islands be-
yond the seas.
'.This bill strikes its roots into and
derives its support from that excrescence
upon the army bill Of 1901, known as the
Spocner amendment. The qualiilcatlon
Of the absolute power therein conferred.
adopted at the instance Of the Senator
from Nrassa chusetts. by this bill, is ell
minated.
..All property rights in the islands, and
the fate of their inhabitants are turned
over to the control and disposition OF the
commission. without any qualification.
The commission may declare war and
make peace; raise and provide nav1es,
regulate comerces with all sorts of dis
cr,mna lions between islands and ports;
lev taxes without limit and without uni
forn1itv 1t may coin money and regu-.
late the value thereof; and establish rel1-
gion and punish those who do not con-
form to it's tenets. It may destroy free
speech and punish as an act of sedition,
the publication of the truth in regard to
their administration. It can establish an
iruuisition,r and compel persons to be wit
nesses against themselves. It may :prac-
tice any or all of the acts of tyranny
which history has disclosed or genius may
devise. g.
ut is useless to say that: this power
will not be abused. Attention will be
invited to some instances in the history
of our relations with the islands, showing
the extent to which our representatives
have gone In acts Of perfidy, injustice,
oppression and creulty.
In the House.
fBy Associated Press.)
& WASHINGTON April 22-The House
to-day, by a, vote of rs to ~, rejected
claims attached to the omnibus claims
bill by the Senate aggregating $1,S0O,O0u,
and on the heels Of that action non-con-
Cured in the whole Senate amendment,
dhe various items having been ruled to
constitute a single amendmenD and sent
the bill to conference.
The bulk of the claims stricken out
were those known as the findings of the
Selfridge Board. The motion to strike
out was made by : Mr. Underwood, u of
Alabama.
The Military Academy Appropriation
Bill was passed to-day, after the limit of
cost for the improvements at West Point
had been reduced from SIX and half
to five and one-half millions. and the
amount Of the appropria ton in the bill
from three to two millions.
The Senate amendments to the River
and Harbor bill were disagreed to, and
the bill was sent to conference.
Messrs. Burton. of Ohio; Reeves OF
Illinois and Lester, of Georgia. were ap-
pointed conferees.