The San Francisco call., 1898-12-21
Says Uncle Sam Should
 Acquire Territory.
UPHOLDS RIGHT OF CONQUEST
THINKS NEW POSSESSIONS WILL
 MAKE GOOD STATES.
By Giving the People of the Islands Self Government the Necessity of Large Standing Armies
 Would Be Removed.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

Special Dispatch to The Call. WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-In accord
 ance with the notice given yesterday, Teller of Colorado to-day addressed the Senate on Vests resolution, declaring that under the constitution no author ity is given to acquire territory to be held and governed permanently as col
 onies.
 Teller's address was a constitutional ar
 gument, which he prefaced by saying that in view of Platt'S very able expo
 sition of the question he (Teller) might
 omit properly much that he had intended
 to discuss. He did not think there
 was the slightest question of the power of this Government to acquire foreign
 terFttQry ri ay .ra nation " ,a declared .ue have vhe power to exercise the right of a
 nation-all the rights of any sovereign
 power" When the country was called
 upon in 1861 to meet this question 1t met it fairly and settled 1t for all time. So far as the United States was concerned
 the question was settled finally at Ap- pomattox.
 Then" declared Teller, i've took our
 place as nation, endowed with all the
 powers of sovereign, and We possess those powers to-day"
 Referring to the territory acquired by
 the United States during the recent war, Teller said:
 We have already acquired this terri
 tory. We need, as matter of fact, no treaty with Spain to confirm our right to 1t. By right of conquest-a right undis-
 puted-we come into possession of Cuba,
 Porto Rico and the Asiatic archipelago. They are ours just certainly as they
 could be made so by treaty"
 Teller discussed briefly the statement
 of Vest that many of the deeds of cession United States contain clauses providing
 that the territory ultimately should be
 created into States of the Union.
 We can confer statehood upon these
 Territories when in our judgment 1t is proper so to do. Nobody can call into question our right to exercise our judg-
 ment in this matter. If we acquire terri tory the very act carries with it the right
 to govern. Who" he demanded with dra-
 matic force, can govern now in, Cuba or in Porto Rico but the United States? That question is settfed--settled by the question Is now, What disposition shall we make of the territory that has come into our poSsession?
 Teller thought it a duty of our people and legislators to keep in mind constantly the great principle upon which this Gov
 ernment is founded-that the just powers of a government are derived from the consent of the governed.
 we ought" said he, ito extend to the people of these possessions the power to govern themselves as soon as they are prepared to exercise that power. We are coming to deal with the greatest question the American people have met since 1861. I anticipate much difficulty. and embar- rasSment, but have at no time felt the dstrusts that have been manifested by many of our people.
 'If this Government will say to the peo- ple of this acquired territory" said Teller.
 ts.sWe will give self-government,' we will not need an army of 500O0 men In Cuba, 10000 in Porto Rico and 30000 in the Philip pines. To. say this to those people Is the only way to escape a great standing army. II am not one" he said further along,
 ito turn these possessions back to Spain, but I do believe that we ought to give
 selves. I may say that nobody wants these possessions made into States now.
 No public man Is in favor of such plan: so far as l am aware, yet, in course or time we may take them in
 So far and as soon as possible, Teller
 believed, the inhabitants of Cuba should
 believe that the United States should leave the infant power thus established
 as prey of any other nation, either
 it tt'i folly S to speak of imperialism" as ap-
 piled to this country. No man or senate of men had any intention of establish ing in this country the European policy or imperialism, and none "oulu cHdhploI
 Proctor here interrupted Teller to read an extract from a letter from Admiral Dewey concerning the character of the Filipinos. as follows: These people can be governed without the slightest difti- cultY. They readily give in to reason.
 and I have not had the slightest dllncuity in dealing with them"
 Proctor also read an extract from the
 letter of an army officer, speaking In terms of praise of the Fflipinos and indi- eating that there need be no difaculty
 The House resolution providing to ad- iourn Congress from December 2l to Jan-
 uary was adopted without , division. .,r Several private pension biRs were dis nosed of. after which Elkins called up the bill relating to the registry of foreign built vessels wrecked in this country. EI- kins asserted that we pay million dol lars day to foreign built ships. The bal ance of trade appeared to have been S6oo,- GOO GOO in our favor for the last year, but as matter of fact, 1t was only about half that. as so large a portion of it went to foreign ships.
 ippines where will our coast trade end? FIkins replied that he hoped it would end in the Philippines, but that was an extraneous question and he did not want to raise 1t.
 inc unfinished business, was taken up. to the displacement of the registry measure. Caffery spoke in opposition to the canal bill. He said the proposition to connect the two oceans by means of canal was
 so attractive to. the imagination as to
 cause many people to accept It as wise son on its merits. He deprecated the per sonal attacks upon the members of the Maritime Canal Company, but indicated his belief that the bill was an attack upon the treasury of the United States. He de- clared the enterprise under the bill was in violation of the ClaytonBulwer treaty, in contravention to the concession from the Isthmian countries and In opposition to our own constitution. These proposi- lions he undertook to maintain by an analysis of the bill by sections. While Caffery was speaking a message was received from the House of Repre- sentatives announcing that an amend ment of the Senate, the final question in controversy, to the war and navy de- ficiency bill, had been agreed to. This passed the measure and as soon as signed 1t will go to the President
 Without having concluded his remarks
 Caffery at 4:10 p. m yielded to Galiinger, and on his motion the Senate went into executive session. At 5:10 p. m. the Sen o+a adiourDad