The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-12
DEBATE IN SENATE.
HOAR AND PLATF LOCK HORNS ON
PHILIPPINE CUES
TION
BOUQUETS FOR GOVERNOR TAFT
Connecticut Statesman Defends the
Course of the Government in the
Is1and-Massachuset Senator
Criticises Commission.

WASHINGTON, Feb IA stirring
debate on the general Philippine question
was precipitated in the serate late to-
day, the principal participants being Mr.
PIatt of Connecticut and Mr. Hoar Of
Massachusetts,. Mr.. Teller of Colorado
had concluded for the day his argument
against the enactment of the pending
Philippine tariff bill. In response to
some statements he had made, Mr.
Platt directed the senate's attention to
the situation in the islands, as he
viewed 1t, maintaining that great prog
ress was being made by the government
in Subduing the instruction. He re-
ferred to the elections for municipal Off
GERS in various cities of the islands and
to the establishment of schools for the
education of Filipino children Mr.. Hoar
ridiculed the statements of Mr.. Platt and
in a facetious vein adverted to the eff
forts of the American government to
control the Filipino people.
The remarks Of the Massachusetts SEN
ator aroused Mr.. Plat, Who delivered a
notable speech, in the course OF -nich
he referred to Mr.. Hoar in pretty sharp
terms His speech was listened to by
senators on both sides of the chamber
with profound attention. In conclusion
he paid an eloquent tribute to the eff
forts of the United States to carry the
principles of free government to every
territory where it had control.
In his reply. Mr. Hoar delivered an in
cisive criticism of the action Of the
Philippine commission. declaring that he
had been taught to judge men rather
by their actions than by their words and
by this standard he could not judge the
Philippine commissioners with any de-
gree of favor.
Speaking of the petitions for independ-
ence presented to congress a year ago,
-
Ffatt said they were paralleled here
now as they had been at the time of
their presentation, as positive proof that
all the Filipino people wanted independ-
enee and freedom from American con-
troll He intimated that they had been
prepared by the Filipino tunta, "either in
Hong Kong or in Boston" and asserted
that they bore on their face, evidence of
being machine made"
Mr.. Plat paid high tribute to Gov.
Taft and his associates on the Philippine
commission and inquired: rs what these
men say about the Philippine islands to
be whist1ed down the wind by our friends
on the other side, REINFORCED by the
senator from Massachusetts? Personally,
I propose to trust the Philippine COM
mission"
Mr.. Hoar Interrupted to inquire if Mr..
Platt thought the Filipinos would have
adopted the treason law enacted by the
Philippine commission had 1t been sub
mitted to them.
The Connecticut senator replied that he
could not say but Connecticut had law
which the people Of that state had never
found inconsistent with their rights and
liberties. He read the law, which proved
to be not dissimilar to that which Id
been enacted in the Philippines. he
pointed out as one of the benefcient re-
suits of American occupation of the
49, o,oI-.
lished in the islands and that nearly one
thousand American teachers had gone to
the archipelago to educate the Filipino
children. Prior to the arrival of these
teachers in the islands, he said, private
soldiers from the American army had
been detailede as teachers in many of the
schools. Against this effort OF the Amer
lean government to educate and elevate
the people of the Philippines, the senator
from Massachusetts. he said, was di-
recting his sneers and his denuncia-
tons"
Mr.. Plat then read the treason law
referred to by Mr.. Hoar to show that it
was directed against the formation of
secret societies, the purpose of which, in
whole or in part, was-the promotion of
sedition, rebellion and treason. lit seems
strange" said he, that human OBJ
servation can be so warped as to draw
such conclusions from the enactment of
this law as had been drawn by the sena-
tor from Massachusetts.
1t was a statute, he said. aimed at
secret plotting, such plotting as at one
time nearly resulted in inducing in the
city of Manila, massacre of cur troops
and friends. 1t did not prevent, he de-
clared, the reading of the Declaration OF
Independence in the schools. of the islands
or in the utterance of patriotic addresses.
1t prevented simply plotting in the dark.