Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-12-13
55th CONGRESS.
Morgan Makes Speech on Mic
araguan Canal.
Advocates Action Without Waiting
For Report Of the Commission.
Senator West Again Brings On Debate ReIat.
ing 10 Territorial Expansion.

Washington, Dec. 12.-Discassion Of
two questions each of interest and i'm
portance at this time, was begun by
the Senate at its session, today. The
territorial expansion and the construc-
ton OF the Nicaragua canal occupied
the attention of the body during the
greater part of the afternoon.
AS soon as the routine morning busi-
ness had been disposed of Mr.. Vest,
Dem, Mo-, walled UP his resolution,
offered. last week, declaring it to be
unconstitutional for this government
to acquire foreign territory except for
coaling stations or some like purpose,
unless its intention was to confer
statehood upon the territory and citi-
zens upon its inhabitants. Mr.. Vest
declared it was a basic principle of
this government that the power of
the government were derived from the
consent of the governed" and main
tanned that the federal government had
no authority, either in morals or in the
constitution to go beyond that prin-
ciple. He held that the principle had
been sustained by the supreme court
in various decisions and that no pub
lie man of prominence and no recog-
niZed tribunal had ever been reckless
enough to controvert it.
Mr.. Platt, Rep. Conn, took issue
with Mr.. Vest and announced that at
some convenient time in the near flu
ture he would offer some remarks up
on the resolution, in the course of
which he would endeavor to show that
Ia fnr IN, n
Interpretation and inaccurate in his
deductions from the law.
Mr. Morgan opened the debate on
the canal bill with a three hour ap-
peal for action at this session. The
whole country, he said. would be dis
appointed if Congress did not act He
was willing to take any measure
which would result in the building of
the canal. He agreed to accept an
amendment specifically excepting the
canal from neutrality with regard to
any country with which the United
States might be at war.
In the Senate, today, Hoar, Mass,
and Hale. Me. presented resolutions of
citizens of their states. demonstrating
against the extension of American sov-
ereignty over the Philippine islands.
and against the acquisition of foreign
territory without the consent of people
Of such territory. The resolutions were
referred to the committee on foreign
relations.
Pettigrew introduced a bill author
izing A. A. Bartlett TO raise the bat
tleship Maine and transport it to the
United States.
Hoar introduced resolution direct
ing the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House to appoint a
committee of five members of the Sen
ate and House of Representatives 10
prepare and carry out plans for the
preparation of the celebration of the
centennial of Washington as capitol Of
the United States. Hoar also intro
duced 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 SOL
diers in the regular army who have
families or parents depending on them
for support, or whose education or op-
portunities for business will be serious
ly interfered with by longer continu-
ance in the. military service and who
enlisted for the war, or under assur-
ances that they would be held only
while the war lasted, may be promptly
discharged and their places, so far as
necessary, be filled by new recruits
Vest (Mo,) then called up his reso-
luton declaring that the constitution
confers no powers on the federal gov
ernment to acquire territory to be
held and governed permanently as
colonies and addressed the Senate
thereon.
lie did not propose. he said, to say
anything that would necessitate Sc
cret 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 pc
culiarly appropriate u discuss the
power of the United States govern
ment under our constitution. Vest
maintained that the fundamental
principle of this government was the
granting of citizenship to all within
the jurisdiction of the government,
except alone the Indians.
when, where, how" he asked,
Have we surrendered the great power
that this is a confederation Of states?'
l cannot conceive it to be possible to
point out any other form of govern
ment under the constitution.
IF the constitution is too small for
the present conditions of our present
government, it seems to me time to.
inquire what our constitution is.
Vest said he had fought for four
years against taxation without repre-
sentation. The Declaration of 1nde
pendence had been drawn up with the
idea that all governments derived
their just powers from the governed.
1t was increditable that they could
have looked forward to-the time when
millions of human beings could be
held without their consent. merely as
chattes TO be disposed of as the SOW
ereign powers of the mother country
might cease.
1t seemed to him the historic arSu-
ment that the just powers OF the gov
ernment, We're derived from the conss
sent of the governed fully covered his,
position inasmuch as it had been fully
quoted from the Dred Scott decisian
Continued on page %
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