The Elbert County tribune., 1898-12-29

the military forces of the United States
and the serretnry Of war wns instruct
ed to arrange for the immediate muster
out OF 10000 volunteers. The details
for the execution Of this order have
not yet been arranged. Several Of the
volunteer orders In the Philippines un-
roubtedly VIII be Included In the
number.
President Mckinley received from
the American Peace Commission. late
Saturday afternoon. the treaty OF peace
between the United States and Spain
In presenting this momentous docu-
ment, Judge Day, as chairman OF the
commission. snid II represented the
sentntives Mt Paris. and that II was
submitted with the hope that It would
rebound TO the peace, credit and glory
OF the American nation. Accepting the
treaty from the hands OF Judge Day,
the President responded with heartfelt
thanks and congratulations to the com
mission as n body and to the members
Individually. He spoke Of all that had
been accomplished and of the happy
method by which difficult questions
had been adjusted.
A well-inforIned newspaper man
\ says: There is no question Of the rati-
icatIon Of the Spanish treaty by the
sennte. although there may be good
deal OF debate. 1t Involves many in
teresting questions that have not been
discussed In that great debating socie-
ty and establishes number of prece-
dents OF importance. The only Repub
Iican who Is certain TO oppose II is Mr..
Hale of Maine. Mr.. Hoar and Mr..
Morrill,. on general principles, are
against the annexation of territory by
the United States in the West Indies
or the Asiatic ocean, but VIII not nntag-
onIze the government. At least one
half of the Democratic senators
vote for ratification, and probably
more The ntfempt to organize that
party against the Presidents policy Il
failure, because such a movement
could do no earthly good and would
only result In defeat
The Senate committee on foreign re.
lations has concluded Its revision OF tho
bills providing for a territorial govern
ment for Hawaii. and Senator Cullon
reported the changes TO the Senate
There were numerous changes, the
most Important being as follows: The
section defining citizenship was amend
ed by striking out the word white"
ana also the explicit reference TO Por-
tuguese and left to read as follows:
That all persons who were citl-
zens of the republic of Hawaii
on August 21, 1898, are hereb,
declared to be citizens of the United
States" The provision in regard to
the qualifications of territorial senators
is changed so rs to require that the SEN
ator shall be male citizen, thirty
years Of age. TINT he shall have resided
In the Hawaiian islands not less than
three years and that he "shnll be quail
ihed to vote for senator's" The explicit
property qualifications being stricken
out.
General Shafter appeared rather un-
expectedly before the War Investigat-
Ing committee last Tuesday and told
his story of the Santiago expedition.
He was supported by his aide. Colonel
Miiey, who was with him In Cuba, and
hanked by large portmanteau OF pm
pers. to which his aide occasionally mp
piled for reference. General Shafter's
story OF the operations around Santi-
ago was tersely told. but at times quite
Vivid In Its recital and interesting in
detail. Briefly summed up, his esti-
mate of the Santiago expedition was
that 1t had been military success, and
cheap at the cost of 500 men lost In
the fight He considered the expedl-
tion to have been ns well fitted out ms
the time allowed would permit, and
said that on looking back he had no
criticism of his plans to make and
would not change them II the events
had to be gone through again lie
said he had no complaints of any sort
to make and would be 10th to intrude
them at this time II he had.
A decision by the Supreme Court
some time ago seems to settle the
point raised against the constitutional.
ty Of Expansion" Ii said: 1.-The pow
er Of Congress over the territories of
the United States Is general and plen-
ary, arising from md incidental to the
right to acquire territory itself. and
from the power given by the constitu-
tion to make all needful rules md reg
ulations respecting territory and other
property belonging to the United
States. 1t would be absurd to hold that
the United States has power to acquire
territory and no power to govern II
when acquired. The power to acquire
territory is derived from the treaty
making power, the power TO make ac
QUESTION of territory by conquest, by
treaty and by cession Is an incident of
national sovereignty. These PROPOSE
tions are so elementary and 81 neces-
sarily follow from the condition of
things arising upon the acquisition of
new territory that they need no arg,I-
ment to support them. They are self
evident"
An examination of the Senate por-
ton of the Congressional Record for
the last, or second. session of the pres
ent Congress, which has Just appeared
In bound form, shows there were &c.
800 inches. or about 5000 feet of print
ed debate In columns three and one
half inches wide set in minion type. At
this rate each OF the eighty-nine sena-
tors was entitled to about 400 inches,
but six OF the senators occupied near
ly 0ne-fifth of the entire space. leav-
ing four-fifths for eighty-three OF their
colleagues. Senator Allen OF Nebraska
is the champion long-distance talker Of
the United States Senate, and occupied
over five and one-hnlf per cent. OF the
entire time of that body during the last
session. His remarks measure 2035
inches. Senator Pettigrew occupied l.
391 inches. being the second In YER
bosity. Senator Teller was third. He
occupied l .321 inches. and Senator But
Ter 300 inches. These four thus con-
sumed nearly 6.0OO inches Of space. out
of total of 10000. or one-sixth of the
whole.
Senator Teller occupied the first half
of Tuesdays session OF the Senate with
speech In advocacy of the theory
that there nre no restrictions upon the
right of the United States TO expand
Its forders SO as to include far dis
tant territory. He went quite thor.
oughly Into the legal points bearing
upon the question. and incidentally
discussed Mt some length the form of
government for the Philippines. say
Ing that he would encourage self-gov-
ernment among the islanders and
vouId tviva fhau tho unost llhoral fx.,x.