The herald., 1898-11-11
Effect OF ANNEXATION
DISCUSSED By CONTEMPORARY
CLUB MEN
THE POLICY OF ACQUISITION
Defended by Historian McMasters and
Sharply Opposed by Shearman
and Ex-senator Edmunds
Associated Press Special Wire


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. l0-"The effect
of territorial expansion upon our domestic
relations" was the subject OF discussion at
the last meeting of the Contemporary club,
the speakers being John Bach McMasters,
historian; Thomas c. Shearman of New
York and former Senator Edmunds. The
first speaker favored and the others op-
posed the acquisition of territory not con-
tiguous to the United States.
DR.. McMasters gave a history of the pol
icy pusued by the United States in its ac-
QUESTION of foreign territory and its method
of governing it, to show that the proposed
taking of the Philippines would be in line
with previous acts. He said he believed
there was no reason why we should not
govern these islands as acceptably as the
great west, which was acquired by several
purchases.
Referring to the declaration of indepen-
dence and its enumeration of the rights Of
the governed quoted by opponents of a
colonial system, DIR. McMasters said the
principles there stated had never been lit
orally Incorporated into the governmental
system of the United States or any state.
Jefferson, who drafted the declaration and
negotiated the purchase of Louisiana, and
the federalists of that day urged the same
objections in force today-that we would
be compelled to admit to citizenship on
equal terms the creoles, the Spanish, the
French, the negroes and all other persons
inhabiting these large territories. 1t was
their claim that the Mississippi was the
natural boundary of the United States and
later that providence had erected the Rocky
mountains as a proper boundary of our
union. He quoted from Daniel Webster
that the constitution could not be stretched
TO cover a territory. 1t related only to
states. The territory was simply owned by
the United States, as man would own a
horse. He showed also that from the be-
ginning of our acquisition of territory
the president had been the supreme author
ity, appointing governor and council, and
that territories were admitted as states not
as a matter of right, but of expediency.
Former Senator George +. Edmunds said
in part:
"Our sons and daughters cannot live in
the tropics. Look at the case of Great Brit
ain and her hundreds of years of Indian
mastery. Everybody knows that there has
never been an English settlement within the
tropics, but civilians who go there and nine
out of ten die before they are 60 years old
and the loss of the battalions that go there
is greater than our sons and brothers
who went to Santiago and Camp Alger.'
Referring to the Philippines Mr.. Ed
munds said:
eve now have from these islands all the
commodities they produce on the same terms
that other nations do. Suppose we take
them and adopt the British colonial policy
and make them close colony, and allow nc
one to trade with them, except ourselves
How soon would the other nations meet III
by saying: I'VE will treat you the same way
in our colonies and then the balance of tn,
commercial gain would bankrupt the Uniteo
States in ten years.
eve told Spain and told the world by 4
solemn declaration of our congress when We
began this war against Spain that we reject
ed the idea of territorial aggrandizement
Was that a lie, sham, false pretense
And we stand up in the face of the worlc
and say, Yes, we have been lying"