Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-06-05


Editor Press
The week just past will be
memorable for three very remark
able speeches, all pertaining to one
phrase or another of the Philippine
question. On Friday, Decoration
Day." President Roosevelt not only
participated in the ceremonies of
commemoration of the soldier dead
who repose in the National
Cemetery at Arlington, but made
q defense of the American soldiers
in the Philippines which appealed
to every brave heart among his
auditors and which will command
the respect and sympathy of loyal
Americans throughout the country
In fact, yesterdays S cables brought
word that Mr.. Roosevelt's utter
ances had called forth loud encom-
ium from the English press. Ad-
dressing himself particularly to the
veterans present, the President
said, "the men, whom the uniform
of the United States, have for the
last three years patiently and un-
complainingly championed the
American cause in the Philippine
Islands are your younger brothers,
your sons. They have shown
themselves not unworthy of you
and they are entitled to the support
of all men who are proud Of what
you did. lie admitted that
isolated cases of cruelty had occurred
but asserted that they had happened
under great provocation and that,
moreover, they were being investi-
gated and would be punished and
he then referred to the outrages
and lynching which have occurred
in the United States and said:
''The men who fail to condemn
these lynching and yet clamor
about what has been done in the
Philippines are indeed guilty of
neglecting the beam in their own
eye while taunting their brother
about the mote in his. The
speech as a whole was strong
yindication Of the American
soldiers.
On Thursday the Senate was
electrified by speech from Senator
Morgan Of Alabama, a lifelong
democrat, who warmly championed
the Lodge Philippine bill. Mr..
Morgan's democracy connot be
questioned and his final support of
the course of the administration
and its policy in the Philippines
staggered the democrats who i'm
mediately retired to the cloak
rooms,!as they did when Tillman
delivered his recent harangue.
Their Indignation knew no bounds.
Senator Morgan stated that the
permanent separation of Church
and State in the Philippines was,
in his estimation, sufficient ground
for Warranting his support of the
bill, for it relieved the Philippine
people of the oppression of an es-
tablished church which Spain had
forced upon them.
On Thursday afternoon Senator
Spooner made, perhaps, the most
brilliant speech in support of the
Lodge bill which has been heard.
Although it was on Thursday that
he began to speak it was not until
the morning of Saturday that he
completed his remarks, the Senate
not having been in session on
Friday. He said he was free to
state that he did not favor making
promises to Il man who held a
revolver to his breast and he would
give no assurances to the men who
stood with their guns aimed at men
who wore the American uniform.
Mr.. Spooner ridiculed the senten-
tious pretensions of the democrats.
He stated that he had never been
III 1aVOr OF the permanent retention
of the islands by the United States
and he was not now, but that no
true American should wish to see
the islands turned loose to follow
for a day their own devices and
then to become again a prey
to the cupidity and rapacity of
Spain. Late Saturday evening the
general debate on the Lodge
bill was brought to close and
to-day it will be taken up under
rule proposed amendments will be
considered. At the close of Tues
days session the vote will be taken.
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