Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-06-06
FOR PHILIPPINES.
Senator Hoar Arraigns Administra-
TONS Policy as Wicked.
Declares War Was Forced ON Peace
able IsIanders-Contrasts Treat
ment OF Cuba with That Of Luz
zon-Censures Funston.

Wednesday, May %, Senator George
f. Hoar, of Massachusetts,, sharply
arraigned the administrations policy
in the Philippines, denouncing it as
the most foolish and wicked of chap
tiers in American history. Address
ing the president pro tenn. OF the
senate, Senator Hoar said:
Mr.. President: have something to say,
which l will say as briefly and as COM
pactly as 1 may upon the pending Dill. we
have to deal with territory O.UO miles
away. 1870 miles in extent, containing ~
000.CG0 people. A majority of the senate
think that people are under the American
flag ard lawfully subject to our auth ority.
We are not at war with them or with any
body. The country is in condition OF pro-
found peace as well as Of unexampled pros
perity.
.sThe Filipinos have right to call it war
They c. i'm to be a people and to be hghtlng
for Their rights as a people. The senator
from o. (A1r. Foraker) admits that there
is a people there although he says they are
not one people, but there are several. But
We CARROT be at war under the constitution
without. an act of congress
1--WE are not at war We made peace with
Spain on the 14th day of February, 1899
Congress has never declared war with the
people of the Philippine islands The pres
fdent has never asserted nor usurped the
power to do it. We are only doing on large
scale exactly what we have done at nome
within few years past, when the military
forces of the United States have been called
out to suppress riot and tumuit or laWless
assembly too strong for the local author
tiles. You have the same right to admins
ter the water torture or to hang men by the
thumbs to extort confession in one case as
in the other. You have the same right TO
do it in Cleveland or Pittsburg or at Colo
RADIO Springs as you have to do 1t within the
Philippine islands
.erhe senator from Ohio in his very bril-
hi oh haa r.
with delight and instruction, said that we
were bound to restore ORDER in the Ph1llp-
pine Islands, and we cannot leave them III
that should be done. He said we were bound
to Keep the faith we pledged to Spain in the
tre atty, and that we were bound. before we
left, to see that secured. He said we
were bound, especially, to look out
for the safety of the Filipinos who had
honor, depart until that should be made
secure.
War Is for Sovereignty.
"AIl that, Mr. President, Is true So far
a know no man has doubted it. But these
things are not what we are fighting for; not
If we had declared that we only there
to keep faith with Spain, and that We only
were there to restore order, that we were
only there to see that no friend OF ours
should suffer at the hands OF any enemy OF
ours, that the war would not have ended In
that moment.
You are fighting for sovereignty. You
are fighting for the principle of eternal do
minon over that people, and that is the
only question in issue in the conflict. we
said in the case of Cuba that she had a
right to che free and Independent. So we
only demanded in the treaty that Spain
should hereafter let her alone. If you had
done to Cuba as you have done to the Phil
ippine islands, which had exactly the same
right you would be at this moment in Cuba
just where Spain was when she excited the
indignation of the civilized world and we
compelled her to let go. And If you had
done in the Philippines as you did in Cuba
you would be to-day or would soon be in
those islands as you are In Cuba
But you made totally different declara-
tion about the Philippine islands. You un-
dertook in the treaty to acquire sovereignty
over her for yourself, which that people de-
MED. You declared not only in the treaty
but in many public utteranoes in this cham
Der and elsewhere that you had right to
buy sovereignty with money OF to treat it
rs the spoils' of war or the booty of battle.
i IL moment you made that declaration the
Filipino people gave you notice that they
treated it as a declaration of war. So your
generals reported, and so Aguinaldo ex-
pressiy declared. So you deliberately made
up the issue for a fight for dominion on one
side and fight for liberty on the other.
Then when you had ratified the treaty
you voted down the resolution in the senate,
known as the Bacon resolution, declaring
the right of that people to Independence,
and you passed the McEnery resolution,
" hich declared that you meant to dispose
of those islands should be for the inter-
est of the United States. That was the
origin of the war If it be war. That is what
the war is all about. If it be war.
Fixes Responsibility.
Now, Mr.. President, when you deter
mined to- resort to force for that purpose
you took upon yourself every natural con-
sequence of that condition. The natural re-
suit of a conflict of arms between people
coming out of subsection and highly civ
ilized people-one weak and the other
strong, with all the powers and resources
. of civilization-is inevitably. everybody
Knows that there will be cruelty on one side
ard retaliation by cruelty the other.
You knew it even before 1t happened, as
well you know 1t now that it has hap
psned, and the responsibility Is yours.
I'VE cannot get rid of this one fact, we
cannot escape it, and we cannot finch from
H. You chose war instead of peace. You
close force instead of Cancellation, with full
rot.ce that everything that has happened
Stree would happen as a consequence of
your decision. Had you made a declaration
TO Agu.naldo that you would respect their
tie to independence, and that all you de-
s:reG was to fulfill the treaty and protect
your friends. you would have disarmed that
re op;e in a moment. believe there never
has been time since when a like declara
ticn made by this chamber alone, but GER
tainiS .ade by this chamber and the other
house. with the approval of the president
would not have ended this conflict and pre-
waited all these horrors.
Instead of that, gentlemen talked of the
wealth of the Philippine islands and about
tbs advantage to our trade. They sought to
c z2le our eyes with nuggets of other mems
Eo.d. Senator's declared in the senate cham
hsr and on the hastings that the flag never
shall be hauled down IN the Philippine is
i1ESs, and those of YOU who think other
wise keep silent and enter no disclaimer.
The senator from Ohio says our policy has
not been in the dark. but 1t has been
policy published to the world. Has it? Has
it2 want to ask, what was it which created
the war, which keeps it up and which cre-
ated and keeps up the hatred and will make