Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-23
HON. JOHN /. STEVENS
CONTINUED from LIST page.l
strongly stated the reasons in favor of an

| Blaine, in the Garfield administrator anu
/ in the Harrisoa administration, was IN full
/ accord with the views of Secretaries Marcy,
4 Seward, Fish. and their cabinet associates
/ as to the great value to the United Sites
/ Of the Hawaiian Islands and the necessity
1 Of acquiring and governing Them, whenever
/ the native monarchy could no long be
maintained, and the native race should d.
ninish to minority of the population and
/ become unable to care for those valuable
| possessions.
/ There are those among US who cay
4 that it is unconstitutional for the United
/ States to hold outside or insular losses
sious. If there ha. been any great, patfi'
/ OH and statesmaulike measure from the
| lime of George Washington AMI Alexander
I Hamilton to the present time, which has
| not been declared unconstitutional, would
| ike to know Of it and at what date it was
| proposed. In tie day of James Buchanan
/ the Supreme Court of this Republic ruled
| that the colored man had no rights which
I the white man was bound to respect; and
/ soon after the President and lis advisers
( said there was no power in The Constitution
| for the Union to defend itself against armed
treason and for the security of its own life
| When President Jefferson and his asso-
ciate statesmen saw it was necessary to ac-
ouire the territory of Orleans and thus
prevent i. falling into tn" hands of Great
Britain, strong protest was raised
by able lawyers, who maintained that
it was unconstitutional for the United
States to annex foreign territory, though it
could thus acquire the control of the Miss
| issippi valley, so necessary to the future
! vi Of he IFOiQn
| Strict constructionist as h. had been, Presl-
Dent jefferson promptly swallowed his dry
1 logic, au' horiZed the purchase OF Louisiana
| for SIS 900 900, at the risk of war with
Spain and with the threatened opposition OF
Great Britain. Even stronger objections
were made to the acquisition of Texas,
California, New Mexico and Alaska. But
the pressure of the nations necessities and
the logic of the nations life, have proved
stronger than special constructions of the
Constitution and the idiosyncrasies OF men.
A healthful, freedom giant must and will
continue to grow in virtue of its own nor
NAL powers and by the favorable conditions
which surround it.
l had supposed and still believe, what
| think the ablest expounders of interra-
tional law teach us, that the annexation of
foreign territory to our national domain, is
an act of national sovereignty. The
sovereignty of nation exists outside of
aud independent of the written Constitution.
[ have a profound regard for the Constitu-
ton of my country and for the illustrious
men who created it. But i have never sup
posed, and do not now believe, that the
Constitution is an iron coffin in which our
national sovereignty is carefully embalmed
in the ancient Egyptian mode and quietly
stored away in our archieves. This assump-
tion Of constituting the Constitution to be
supreme even against our national life
snd authority, will never be admitted by
patriotic Americans, nor by saga
cious American statesmen. Doe, any
ser sible, thoughtful, American citi-
zen really believe that the American
nation, planted between the two great
occ ans, on broad, sure base, such as no
other nation in the world ever occupied,
with it, immense resources to feed the
worlds commerce, is to be shut up within
its present boundaries? am amazed that
anyone who has made history serious
study and understands the force of its stern
and irresistible logic, can believe this pos
,ible. To make sale of the enormous sur
Plus pTOuuCtS VI our mlues, Uut LllIls, Jul
spindles, of our countless forms of ma
Oh merry, our merchants and our ships must
% abroad with sill the agencies of mighty
Commercial commerce which will dwarf
in extent the combined trade of ancient
Tyre and Carthage, and of modern Great
Britain. In aiding our producers. our ship
owners and our merchants, to DO this, we must
use the light of experience. What are all the
great commercial nations of the old world
doing now: See with what scrupUlous care
and firmness they hold islands, harbors and
valuable possessions outside of their origi-
nal boundaries. In this regard observe the
- ,mples of Great Britain, France, Ger
many and Holland, the most sagacious and
successful commercial nations. The Uni
ted States must and will occupy the fields
which are the most available to its uses and
it, agencies. In the East the older nations
rad the start ana hold the vantage ground.
GA the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the
Europeans, by the ir proximity, their cheap
lator, their low interest On capital, and
their prior possession, have the advantage
and will continue to hold their commercial
ascendency. But in the North Pacific we
have the advantage by proximity and other
| favorable conditions. We have 4 frontage
OF 1000 miles on that magnificent area OF
water, over which, at no dist ant day, there
will be the commerce of five hundred mil
! liens of people. From this vast field of
human intercourse and traffic the European
nations are thousands Of miles more distant
than the United Ststes. There we can hold
the commercial leadership, if we will use
the sgencies and methods which the worlds
experience has demonstrated to be neces-
say to commercial supremacy. To this
nations necessities, to the welfare Of Amer
lean posterity, stinted formularies and pro-
yincial prejudices must give way. The
Haw allan Islands being the key of the Nortl
Pac' fic for our commercial and naval ma
rine, we must holj them against all contin
geneies and all corners.
Let us not forget to remember that al
ready the commerce of these islands with
the United States is nearly twenty million!
Of doll lrs per annum. Let US not forge
that in the North Pacific our commerce
uader the American flag largely exceeds
that of any other naiion-a fact which hold,
good as to our commercial marine in NJ
other part of the globe. If we do not con
,inue to hold this vantage ground in largely
increased proportions, i. will be our OWL
fault. l repeat-in no other part of The twt
hemisphercs have we the same commercia
~avanta gas and onnnrfunities