The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-11
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION.
QuestiOn Discussed at the Meeting
of the Contemporary Club.

PHILADELPHIA. Nov. ic-"The Effect
OF Territorial Expansion Ppon Our Domes-
TIC relations" was the subject of discus
sion az the last meeting Of the Contempt
IaFy Club, the speakers being John Bash
McMaster. historian; Thomas G.. Shear
man. or New York, and ex-senator Ed
munds. one SPEAKERS favored and the 9TH
er opposed the acquisition OF territory not
contiguous 10 thccountry. DIR. McMaster
gave history OF the poxy pursued by
eisn territory and its method of governing
i, 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 those
islands as accep;ably as the Great West.
which was acquired by several purchases.
Referring TO the Declaration of indie
pendence and its enumeration of several
rights OF the governed. quoted by oppo-
contiguous 10 the country. Or. McMaster
said the principles there stated had never
been literally Incorporated into the gov
ernmental system Of the United States or
any state. jefferson who drafted the dec
larauon 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 10
citizenship on equal terms the Creoles the
Spanish. the French. the negroes and all
other persons inhabiting this large terri
tory. 1t was their claim that the Missis-
S.ppi was the natural boundary Of the
United States. and later that Providence
had erected the Rocky mountains as a
from Daniel Webster that the constitution
could not be stretched 10 cover territory
1t related only 10 states. The territory
was simply owned by the United States as
a man would own a horse. He showed also
that from the beginning of our acQu sitinn
or territory that the president had been the
supreme authority. appointing governor
and council, and that the territories We're
admitted as states. not as a matter of
right, but OF eXpe9iency
Former Senator EGmunds said III part:
Our sons and daughters cannot live in
the tropics Look at the case Of Great
Britain and her hundreds of years OF In
dian mastery. Everybody knows that there
has never been an English settlement with
there nine out OF ten die before they are
GO years Old. and the loss OF the battaiions
that so there is greater than that of our
sons and brothers who went TO Santiago
and Camp Alger."
Referring TO the Philippines. Mr.. Ed
mIndS said:
We now have from those 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 a close colony and
allow no one 10 trade with them except
ourselves How soon would the other ma
tons meet US by saying: We viii. treat
then the balance of The commercial gain
would bankrupt the United States In ten
years.
We told Span and the world by a sol
ernn declaration OF our congress when We
began this war against SPAN that we re-
jected the idea or territorial aggrandze-
Inent. Was that a lie. Il sham. Il false
pre:ense? Are We 10 stand ~ III the face
of the world and say: Yes; We have been
lying p