The Irish standard., 1898-11-26
ANNEXATION AND CITIZENSHIP.

He question mas Deen asked as 10
whether the natives of the Spanish is
lands. which may come into the posses
sion of the United States as a result of
the late war, would become citizens of
this country and be entitled to the right
of suffrage without naturalization. If by
annexation or forcible seizure the Phil
lippine islands, for instance, become
American territory. can the Filipinos or
Spanish residents thereof who recognize
American authority and are amenable
to our laws. leave the islands if they
SO desire and settle in the United States
as citizens without going through the
formalities of naturalization incumbent
on immigrants from Europe? That is
an important matter for the considera-
| ton of the American working classes and
all others interested in the prosperity
and welfare of the republic. Do the peo-
pie of annexed territories become citi-
zens and electors by force of the annexa-
ton. regardless of the fact that they may
be of inferior races and semi-civilized
at that?
The Chicago Chronicle declares that
not rod Of Spanish territory has been
annexted yet and cannot be except by
treaty ratified by the senate, or by a
| formal act of congress. both houses con-
curing. The constitution" it says,
does not authorize the president to 60
freebooting over the planet and annex
| everything he can get possession of by
the strong arm" That is what McKin-
Icy has done with Porto Rico and what
| he intends doing with the Philippines,
though in the case of the latter he ap-
pears to be willing to pay some $20.0OO,-
900 for the territory instead of Selling
it for nothing after the fashion Of Eng
! land. The Hanna Mckinley gang are
yet ashamed to be guilty of the stupen-
dous grand larceny of gobbling up the
entire group without giving some COM
pensation to Spain. They are robbers,
nevertheless. but the American press in
dorses their piratical act in the interest
! of American commerce The Chronicle
is the only great daily in Chicago that
cries out against the policy of the ex-
pansionists. On the question of citizen
ship Of ex-Spanish subjects in the con-
fscated islands it says:
THE constitution declares that all
persons born or naturalized in the United
States and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens of the United States.
1t also provides that the citizens of each
state shall be entitled 10 the privileges
and immunities of citizens in the several
states. The supreme co lrt of the United
States has held that every nation &C
quiring territory by treaty OF otherwise
must hold it subject to the constitution
and laws of its own government and not
according to those Of the government
cedng it, The same tribunal has also
held that the term United States used
in the first provision of the constitution
quoted includes territories as we'll as
states and that Chinese born in any of
our territories are citizens under that
provision, and. of course, entitled to the
same privileges and immunities as other
citizens"
The same paper says that if the in
habitants Of the Philippines and other
| Spanish islands become American citi-
zens by annexation they will have the
right of free access to our scaports and
the right to pass freely from one part of
this country to every other part. If that
be the case they would have the right to
labor and enter into competition with
the native-born American or naturalized
Caucasian. The Chinese are excluded
from our shores but the Filipinos can
come as citizens and curse the country
with their cheap labor" or be an in
cumbrunce on American taxpayers But
the anneXationists may amend the
constitution so as to shut out such UNI
desirable creatures and compel them to
/: stay at home to work for American syn
/ dicates in the development Of the islands
for paltry remuneration. And If the