Ambassador to France, and as one of the negotiators of the treaty with Spain, has had his mind enlarged since his old days in the Tribune's tower, and that he now represents a majority of the best opinion in the States we do not doubt. We take the following from My. Smalley's report to the Times of the recent dinner at the Lotos Club. In the course of his speech Mr. Reid said "When Admiral Dewey sank the Spanish fleet and General Merritt captured. the Spanish: army that alone; maintained: the Spanish hold on the Philippines, the Spanish power there waa gone.. The civilisaion, common sense, and Christianity of the world locked to the Power that succeeded it to accept its responsibilities. So we took the Philippines. How could men representing their country, jealous of its honour, or with an adequate comprehension cither of its duty or its rights, do other. wise Mr. Whitelaw -Reid: refers to the: possibility. of leaving. the Filipinos to themselves as a policy of scuttle, which no responsible Christian Power could: adopt. He insists further that, apart from questions of justice and honour, America was entitled to'an adequate indemnity for the war, and could not obtain it otherwise than by territory. He admits that the Filipinos are giving trouble, "but nobody ever doubted they would give us trouble. That is the Brice which mations must pay for going to war even ina just cause. I was not one of those who were eager to begin this war with Spain, but I protest against any attempt to evade our just responsibility in the position in which it has left us. We shall have trouble in the Philippines; so we shall have trouble in Cuba and Puerto-rice. If we hesitate, and lesd them to think that we-fear them and fear trouble, our trouble'will be great. If, on the: other hand,, we grasp this nettle of danger, if we act promptly, with inexorable vigour and with justice, it may be slight. But the graver the crisis the plainer our duty' God give us-courage to purify.our-polities and strengthen our Government to meet-these new and grave duties
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.