The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-25
A HARvAHD PROFESSORS SUCCESS

TIOA.
] A number of men Of more or less prom.
inence have appeared in the public prints
recently as favoring an amendment 10 the
/ constitution forever prohibiting the admis-
sion Of any one of the islands we are
about to acquire from Spain to the union
as a state. one OF those who have recent
" taken this position is Prof. James B
Thayer of Harvard College. He has nc
doubt that Congress has the constitutional
right to provide any government il pleases
for our prospective new possessions. but
he thinks that it would be the greatest
kind Of mistake TO leave the way open
for these possessions 20 become states in
the union. In the course of his article
he says: 1T VIII be madness for this
country to settled down after this war
without doius what it did after the last
war. namely amending The constitution.
The crisis is hardly less grave. We should
at once provide by amendment that no re
gion beyond the sea should ever become
a state of The union. Unless this be done
party exigenoies will prove 100 much for
us and we shall go 10 the dogs"
There is apparent in the country two
clearly defined views respecting the rela-
ton which Porto REQ, Hawaii the Phil
ippines and Cuba, if we should ever have
possession of that island, should bear to
the United States. One view is that
voiced by Prof. Thayer. It is that it would
be in the highest degree dangerous to leave
the question open as to whether these is
lands or any one of them should ever be
admitted TO the sisterhood of states If
this question were not settled at once it
would not be long, In their opinion, after
these islands came under our control, be
fore efforts would be made to have states
made out of them. If the report of the
Hawaiian commission is adopted Hawaii
will very soon have a territorial form of
government. Having become a territory
how long would it be before efforts would
be begun to have her admitted as a state?
There are plenty of ambitious men in Ha-
wan who are anxious for a seat in The
United States Senate. And who can say
that a condition of affairs will not arise
in the near future where the party in
power will need additional votes in the
Senate for the success of it's policy?
Would the dominant party hesitate to get
the additional votes If it could do so by
making a state out of Hawaii?, What Is
true in respect to Hawaii is true in re-
spect TO Porto Rico and the Philippines.
Would it be advisable to have The eavages
of the Philippines, or even the inhabi-
tants Of Porto Rico, legislating for the
people Of this country or to assist in choos-
ing President? The time might come,
and come quickly, when they would hold
the balance of power. Therefore. those
who foresee danger from these new pos
sessions urge that the constitution be
SO that they can never become
states.
Those who take the other view-the view
that there is no occasion for any amend
ment to the constitudon-contend that no
effort to have any one Of the islands ad-
mitted as state is likely to be SUCCESS
ful before the people of the island are
fully qualified for citizenship in the union.
ilSy AdhS lLS pOSlllOH tNaI the people
are to be trusted in this matter as they
are trusted in all other matters. They
contend chat there is not now, and that
there is MOI likely to be, condition of af-
fairs such as that which brought about
the admission of the state of Nevada.
The people can be trusted as a rule, but
would it not be better to put it out of The
power of any political party to bring the
Philippines into the union? Even the peo-
pie under great political excitement might
make a mistake they would have occasion
to greatly regret. 1t would be better to
remove the temptation II would be a
difficult matter, of course to amend the
constitution, but IL could be done if it
We're undertaken promptly. There is no
sentiment now in favor of making states
out of the new possessions, but it cannot
be said that there win not be a score of
years hence. The suggestion of Prof.
Thayer Is not lacking in wisdom.