CONGRESS. (THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.) 



155 



;and to lead to a more beneficial intercourse be- 

 tween the empire and the modern world; while 

 in the critical period of revolt and massacre we 

 did our full share in safeguarding life and prop- 

 erty, restoring order, and vindicating the na- 

 tional interest and honor. It behooves us to con- 

 tinue in these paths, doing what lies in our 

 power to foster feelings of good-will, and leav- 

 ing no effort untried to work out the great policy 

 of full and fair intercourse between China and 

 the nations, on a footing of equal rights and 

 .advantages to all. We advocate the " open door " 

 with all that it implies; not merely the procure- 

 ment of enlarged commercial opportunities on the 

 coasts, but access to the interior by the water- 

 ways with which China has been so extraordi- 

 narily favored. Only by bringing the people of 

 China into peaceful and friendly community of 

 trade with all the peoples of the earth can the 

 work now auspiciously begun be carried to frui- 

 tion. In the attainment of this purpose we neces- 

 sarily claim parity of treatment, under the con- 

 ventions, throughout the empire for our trade 

 .and our citizens with those of all other powers. 



We view with lively interest and keen hopes 

 of beneficial results the proceedings of the Pan- 

 American Congress, convoked at the invitation 

 of Mexico, and now sitting at the Mexican capi- 

 tal. The delegates of the United States are under 

 the most liberal instructions to cooperate with 

 their colleagues in all matters promising advan- 

 tage to the great family of American common- 

 wealths, as well in their relations among them- 

 selves as in their domestic advancement and in 

 their intercourse with the world at large. 



My predecessor communicated to, the Congress 

 the fact that the Weil and La Abra awards 

 .against Mexico have been adjudged by the high- 

 'est courts of our country to have been obtained 

 through fraud and perjury on the part of the 

 claimants, and that in accordance with the acts 

 of the Congress the money remaining in the 

 hands of the Secretary of State on these awards 

 lias been returned to Mexico. A considerable 

 portion of the money received from Mexico on 

 these awards has been paid by this Government 

 to the claimants before the decision of the courts 

 was rendered. My judgment is that the Congress 

 should return to Mexico an amount equal to the 

 sums thus already paid to the claimants. 



The death of Queen Victoria caused the people 

 of the United States deep and heartfelt sorrow, 

 to which the Government gave full expression. 

 When President McKinley died, our nation in 

 turn received from every quarter of the British 

 Empire expressions of grief and sympathy no less 

 sincere. The death of the Empress-Dowager Fred- 

 erick of Germany also aroused the genuine sym- 

 pathy of the American people; and this sympathy 

 was cordially reciprocated by Germany when the 

 President was assassinated. Indeed, from ' every 

 quarter of the civilized world we received, at the 

 time of the President's death, assurances of such 

 grief and regard as to touch the hearts of our 

 people. In the midst of our affliction we rever- 

 ently thank the Almighty that we are at peace 

 with the nations of mankind; and we firmly in- 

 tiiul that our policy shall be such as to continue 

 unbroken these international relations of mutual 

 respect and good-will. 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 



EXECUTIVE MANSION, Dec. 3, 1901. 



The Philippine Islands. Dec. 17 the House 

 :>f Representatives took up the consideration of a 

 icasure, ' temporarily to provide revenue for 

 'ie Philippine Islands, and other purposes," and 



two days were allowed, under special order, for 

 debate. Mr. Payne, of New York, who was in 

 charge of the measure, made the open-ing argu- 

 ment in its favor. Among other things, he said: 



" It becomes necessary at this time because of 

 the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the 

 United States holding ' the Philippine Islands not 

 being foreign territory, and the existing law for 

 the collection of tariff duties including only those 

 articles impdrted ' from foreign countries, that it 

 does not apply to imports from the Philippine 

 Islands, and that no collection of duties upon 

 such imports can be made. 



" But the bill goes further than that. It gives 

 the force of an act of Congress to the tariff act 

 already enacted by the Philippine Commission. 

 That act depends for its force upon the war 

 power of the Government and also upon the legis- 

 lation of Congress on what is known as the 

 Spooner amendments, giving the Executive au- 

 thority to legislate, to execute the laws, and to 

 exercise judicial functions in the Philippine Is- 

 lands. The war power arose from the fact that 

 within ten days of the cession of these islands 

 by Spain on Feb. 15 a conspiracy was formed 

 to overthrow the power of the United States in 

 the language of the conspirators, to massacre the 

 army, and after they were out of the way to 

 massacre the inhabitants of Manila who were 

 not Filipinos. This made the Philippine Islands 

 hostile territory. This, under the law of nations, 

 and under the repeated decisions of the Supreme 

 Court, gave the war power to the Executive of 

 this country to govern those islands with a mili- 

 tary government, or, at his discretion, to govern 

 them by appointing persons from civil life to 

 execute the offices. 



" The organized opposition to the Government 

 of the United States was overthrown in March, 

 1900, and since then the war on the part of the 

 Filipinos has been a guerrilla warfare sporadic, 

 spasmodic, and at times carried on with great 

 cruelty and without any regard on the part of 

 some of these men to the rules of civilized war- 

 fare. As the insurgent forces were dispersed the 

 President of the United States thought it best 

 to send out to these islands the Philippine Com- 

 mission, known as the Taft Commission, which 

 was appointed March 16, 1900, and which reached 

 the islands about Sept. 1 of that year. These 

 commissioners were instructed generally by the 

 President. 



" Those instructions are varied in their char- 

 acter. They provided for separating the judi- 

 cial, the executive, and the .legislative power: 

 for the establishment of government where it 

 could be done in the different cities and towns 

 and provinces of the island. They provided gen- 

 erally for giving to the Filipinos a good and, 

 for the time being, a stable and honest and 

 equitable government throughout all the islands, 

 and for levying such taxes and imports as. in the 

 judgment of the commission, should be right and 

 necessary. 



" Afterward, on March 2, 1901, the Spooner 

 amendments were passed, amplifying the power 

 of the President of the United States, enforcing 

 the authority which the President already had 

 under the military power of the Government by 

 the legislative arm of the Government, and legis- 

 lating to him the full authority, which he already 

 perhaps possessed under the military power. 

 Under this power the Taft Commission was au- 

 thorized to impose taxes. We found when we 

 went there a tariff law in force under the old 

 Spanish regime. 



" Some of the duties imposed by that law were 



