Based on the excerpt and the speech in it, we can infer that the American imperialists saw the Philippines as a useful base for increasing American trade with East Asia.
The views of the American imperialists were that:
The American imperialists believed that the Philippines were theirs and that they had the right to use it as they pleased including as a means to reach the valuable markets of China and the rest of East Asia.
In conclusion, the imperialists viewed the Philippines as a gateway to the East.
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