The sun., 1898-12-13
EXTENSION POLICY OPPOSED.
Senators Hoar and Hale Present
Protests From Citizens or Their
Respective States.


WASHINGTON, Dec. l2.-In the senat,
today Mr.. Hoar and Mr.. Hale presented
resolutions of citizens OF their States re
monstrating against the extension o.
American sovereignty over the Philip
pine Islands and against the acquisition
OF foreign territory without the consent
Of the people OF each territory. The reso
lutions were referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations.
Mr.. Pettigrew introduced bill AL.
thorizing A. A. Bartlett to raise the bat
tleship Maine and transport it to the
United States.
Mr.. Hoar introduced resolution d.
recting the President of the Senate and
Speaker of the House to appoint COM
mittee Of five members of the Senate and
House OF Representatives to prepare and
carry out plans for the preparation of
the celebration of the centennial of the
city OF Washington as capital of the
United States.
Mr.. Hoar also introduced the following
resolution:
"That the Committee on Military be
instructed to inquire and report as soon
as may be, whether some policy may not
be established by law by which soldiers
in the regular army who have families
or parents depending on them for sup
port, or whose education or opportunities
for business will be seriously interfered
with by longer continuance in the mill.
tary service and who enlisted for the war
or under assurances that they would be
held only while the war lasted, NAV be
promptly discharged and their places, so
far as necessary, be filled by new re-
cruits."
Mr.. Vest, Of Missouri, then called up
his resolution offered last week, declar-
ing that the Constitution confers no
power on the Federal Government to
acquire territory to be held and governed
permanently as colonies, and addressed
the Senate thereon. He did not propose,
he said, to say anything that would
necessitate secret session, as he had no
intention to discuss any treaty now
pending or which was to be proposed
hereafter to be offered. 1t seemed to him
peculiarly appropriate to discuss the
powers OF the United States Govern-
ment under our Constitution. "When
the principal law officer of the Govern
ment, u said he, "says that the Consti-
tuition is too small for the present condi-
tlons OF our Government, it seems to me
time to inquire what that Constitution
is"
Mr.. Vest said our forefathers had
fought for four years against taxation
without representation.
The Declaration OF Independence had
been drawn up with the idea that all
governments derived their just powers
from the consent of the governed. 1t was
Incredible that the founders of the gov
ernment could have looked forward to
he time when millions of human beings
'ould be held without their consent,
merely as chattels, to be disposed of as {
ne sovereign powers OF mother country {
night choose t
1t seemed to him the historic argument
nat the Just powers of the government
were derived from the consent of the (
'overned fully covered his position, mas
much as it had been fully maintained by
he courts. He then quoted from the i
)red Scott decision of the United States
supreme Court in support of his promo.
ition, and declared: |
Il assert now that not one tribunal or c
single public man has contradicted that a
'art Of the bred Scott decision until .r
within the last six months, when the t
raze OF expansion seems to have taken y
'ossess!on of the American people," |
Mr. Vest thought it was the purpose of C
ne expanslonists to adopt the European /
ystem OF colonization. lie pointed out v
nat Great Britain had in the mother S
ountry l2O,979 square miles of territory v
nd In her colonies l6,G67,O7l square t
llles The disproportion of population v
'as about the same. @