On the 2d of March the
Congress voted the sum contemplated by the treaty, and the amount was
paid over to the Spanish Government on the 1st of May.
In this manner the Philippines came to the United States. The islands
were ceded by the Government of Spain, which had been in undisputed
possession of them for centuries. They were accepted not merely by our
authorized commissioners in Paris, under the direction of the Executive,
but by the constitutional and well-considered action of the
representatives of the people of the United States in both Houses of
Congress. I had every reason to believe, and I still believe that this
transfer of sovereignty was in accordance with the wishes and the
aspirations of the great mass of the Filipino people.
From the earliest moment no opportunity was lost of assuring the
people of the islands of our ardent desire for their welfare and of the
intention of this Government to do everything possible to advance their
interests. In my order of the 19th of May, 1898, the commander of the
military expedition dispatched to the Philippines was instructed to
declare that we came not to make war upon the people of that country,
"nor upon any party or faction among them, but to protect them in
their homes, in their employments, and in their personal and religious
rights.
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