The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-09-26
HOLD IHEN SAYS DENEf
Admiral Dewey Speaks AbOut
Or fOfsgn Possessions
- H3srltAta 9t4k nN :94j4F Htaza4
OUR DUTY TO THE INHABITANTS
Should the United States Give Them
URsaHe. Says japan Would Acquire
Them to the Disadvantage Of This
Country

- 80 -&-7TT 8
Washington Special Admiral
Dewey strongly resents the proposition
that has been discussed In a more or
less academic manner to surrender the
Philippines, which of all men he was
q leading Factor In bringing under the
American flag. In an interview the
admiral set ont clearly the reasons
which impef him to insist upon the
retentiensof the islands. aSingularIy
enough Ia view of the fact that the
admiral Is aman OF war by trade; the
strong point of his argument is not
based upon the military OF naval inn
pOstanee Of the archipelago; but al
most altogether upon the great value
present and prospective of the Phliu-,
pines to America in the extension of
our trade with the Orient, which he
regards as holding out the best prom
ise of commercial expansion. The ad,
miral says:
Abandon the Philippinest. I don {
believe u country will eyer do that.
Certainly it should not because it has
altogether too much at stake. It is
only our control over the Philippines
that makes it possible for us to insist
upon the open door in the East, to-
ward which our diplomacy has been
directed for a number Of years. We
want our share of the enormous COM
mercs of the st:andwe-ca mot
keep the door open for il, "unless we
hold the islands.
Why Did Spain Hold Them.
"Why did Spain for 200 years dom
mate the commerce of the Orient E
just because she had the bay and har-
Dor of Manila as a great commercial
and naval base. That base can be just
as useful to US commercially as it was
to Spain. For the past 10 years every
strong European nation has been try
ing to get 3 foothold for commercial
and naval purposes in. Eastern wa
ters-Germany, England, France and
Russia. Through the forces of war
the United States obtained rightfull3
and without e~hicanery the best and
most stragetic position possible Civ
ing us superior naval and commercial
advantages over the other nations
What sort of common sense would it
be for us to give up such a position
"Suppese we should dispose of the
Philippines and Japan should acquire
themf See how the islands stretch
alon gthe coast. Here are the Jap
aneserislands, here is Formosa which
Japan owns. and then come the Phil.
ippines. If Japan had them, she would
command every gateway to the Orient
and the United States would be com
peltely shut out.
EVERY one comedies that the
Orient is the future great field for the
principal commercial nations of tie
world. We ought to be. the leader:
but we must at least have a share II
the enterprise and in order to do sc
We must maintsip the positions we
have occupied through force of cir
cumstances in that4region.
Commercial Phase.
CT am talking now of the purely
commercial phase of the question AM
/ think it is plain that we must have
a commercial base of operation suct
as Manila furnishes. And then in or.
der to protect commerce we mus
have a naval base, and at Subig bay
such a base is now being developed
Congress has recognized our needs IL
the Philippines and has appropriateC
literally for fortifying the islands
Modern guns are being mounted
large dry dock has been located il
Subig bay, troops are stationed in Tho
island of Luzon and In every way con
gress has shown its desire to protect
the islands from foreign aggression
and also to establish a base for posi-
bic military operations.
cit has been frequently said tha-
the United States has assumed respon,
sibilities in the Philippines which i
can not pass over to other hands.
do not care to discuss this phase o.
the situation, except to say that / be
lieve the American people will never
shT1nk.from such responsibilities al
were assumed for them when th'
United States took over the Philip
pines.
ri want to emphasize my belle
that the United States as a world pow
er will always have commercial AM
diplomatic interests in the Far Eas
and can not maintain itself proPerl,
without 9 base Of operations. Th'
United States can not withdraw from
its present enterprise In the East Blu
must 80 forward seeking its share o
the advantages and sustaining it
share OF the responsibilities"
NJ. -. - T1-,o.ton