The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-06-24
House of Representatives.

/ with which to construct the canal.
House of Representatives.
The opening day of the weeks de-
bate upon the Philippine government
bill in the u was signaliZed by a
strong and exhaustive speech by Mr..
Cooper, of Wisconsin, chairman Of the
committee on insular affairs. He spoke
for almost three hours and was given
close attention by both sides Of the
house.
Mr. Jones, Of Virginia, the ranking
member OF the minority Of the COM
mittee, made an able presentation OF
the democratic position, but he yield
ed the floor after speaking about an
hour and will resume tomorrow morn
ing. These were the only speeches
made today. The order under which
the house is operating provides for
night sessions until Wednesday, for
debate only, but as no one was pre-
pared to speak tonight, the order for
the session was not carried out.
Mr.. Cooper in his speech declared
the cession OF the Philippines had
brought the United States forward to
the arena of world politics.; it had
given US a foremost place in the adj
justment of Chinese affairs. Viewed
in its commercial aspect, it had placed
us at the gateway of the Orient where
the worlds commercial conflicts of the
future are to be waged. But our mis-
sion in the archipelago was, he said,
one for t~ranscending business and
commercial considerations. We are in
the Philippines to perform a duty, to
expand the bounds Of freedom, to
carry the blessings Of civilization to a
~benighted race, to establish in the
place of a decrepit old monarchy an
invincible young republic.
Mr.. Cooper drew the fire of several
democrats when he said that MI.
Bryan had counseled the ratification
of the Paris treaty and declared that
both parties became responsible for
the inevitable and necessary conse-
quence and obligations it imposed.
THE democrats endorsed the ratifi-
cation of that treaty." said he, when
subsequent to its ratification, partly
at Mr.. Bryan's insistence, they re-
nominated him for the presidency"
Republican ~applause.)
Mr.. Cooper did not deny that in
stances of cruelty may have occurred
in the conduct of the war in the Phil
ippines. But" said he, earnest as
is the demand for justice n deep as
is the Indignation, the people of the
United States who see the true pro-
portion of things will not despair.
They know how great the work of
civilization that has been accom-
plished. Certain soldiers may have
brought disgrace upon themselves, but
they have not brought dishonor upon
the administration"
Amid tremendous applause on the
republican side, Mr.. Cooper contrasted
the present denunciaticn of the adj
ministration's policy and the platform
in the declaration of democratic con-
ventions with those Of 1864. Now, he
said, the democrats speak of Roose-
welt as the mar on horse back" then
they described Lincoln as the .'emper-
or at the other end of the
Mr.. Jones replied to some of Mr..
Cooper's arguments. He laid special
stress upon the absolute increditabil-
ity of Buencamino whose testimony
MIR. Cooper had quoted. Buencamino,
he said, was first a Spanish soldier,
afterwards an insurrectionist and now
a supporter of the American admins
tration. This 'renegrade," he aid,
was the only Filipino who a ever
appeared before a committee of con-
gress in advocacy of the course the
United States was pursuing.
Continuing, Mr.. Jones said that his
purpose was to discuss first the pres
ent political conditions in the islands
and secondly, the features of the bill
to prove that if passed the people of
the Philippines would be in a worse
condition than they were today under
the present despotic government.