The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-12-21
OUR GREAT QUESTION
NO ENGLISH COLONIAL SYSTEM
UNDER OUR FLAG.
NO RULE BY FORCE IN THE PHILIPPINES
They are Tractabe and intelligent and w
Should Give them as Soon as they are
Prepared, an Opportunity to
Govern Themselves,

Washington, ID. c., Dee. Ex-senator
Teller occupied the first half of to-day S
session of the Senate with a speech III
advocacy Of the theory that there are no
restrictions upon the right of the United
States to expand its borders so as to in
clude far distant territory.
Mr.. Teller's address, like that of Mr..
Platt, was constitutional argument, III
the course of which hes maintained the
right of the United States to acquire for
eign territory without entering upon a
discussion of the policy of expansion, eX-
cept of course in an incidental and in-
ferential way. In view of Mr.. Platt's
very able exposition of the question Mr.
Teller thought he might omit properly
much that he had intended to discuss.
He did not think there was the slightest
question of the power of this Govern
ment to acquire foreign territory.
five are a nation" he declared, swe
have the power to exercise the rights of
a nation-al the rights of any sovereign
power"
He believed that the founders of this
Government intended to found nation
and the idea that they carried their Ing
tent into execution had been sustained
by the Senate, House of Representatives
and the courts ever since, He declared
that it was prerogative of a nation tT
defend itself. When the country was
called upon in 1861 to meet this ques-
ton, it met it fairly and settled it for
all time. So far as the United States
was concerned, at least, the question
was settled finally at Appomattox.
''Then," declared Mr.. Teller, "'we took
our place as nation, endowed with all
the powers of a sovereign. and we pos
sess those powers to-day"
Referring to the territory acquired by
the United States during the recent war,
Mr. Teller said:
1--WE have already acquired this terri
tory We need, as a matter of fact,
no treaty with Spain to confirm our right
to it. BY right of conquest-a right un-
disputed-we came into possession of
Cuba. Porto Rico and the Asiatic arch
ipelago. They are ours just as certainly
as they could be made so by treaty
Mr.. Teller discussed briefly the state
ment of Mr. Vest that many of the deeds
of cession of foreign territory acquired
by the United States contained clauses
providing that the territory ultimately
should be erected into States of the
Union. I'VE can confer Statehood upon
these territories when in our Judgment
it is proper to do so. Nobody can call
into question our right to exercise our
judgment in this matter.
IF we acquire territory" he continued,
''the very act carries with it the right to
govern. who" he demanded with
dramatic force, "can govern now in
Cuba and Porto Rico but the United
States? That question is settled-settled
by the very circumstances of the case.
The question is now, What disposition
shall we make of the territory that has
come into our possessionT
Mr.. Teller thought it duty of our
people and legislators to keep in mind
constantly the great principles upon
which this Government is founded, that
the just powers of a government are de-
rived from the consent of the governed.
He believed the United States could
not govern the possessions acquired abb
solutely i'll violation of this fundamental
principle. 1--WE ought" said he, ito ex-
tend to the people of these possessions
the power TO govern themselves as soon
as they are prepared to exercise that
power"
I'VE are" declared Mr.. Teller,
coming to deal with the greatest qucs-
ton the American people have met since
1861. / anticipate much difficulty and
embarrassment, but have at no time felt
the distrust that has been manifested
by many Of our people"
Mr.. Teller said that the United States
did not go to war with Spain for con
quest but for freedom and humanity. As
soon us that which was proposed had
been extended to the people of Cuba,
they ought he thought, to be permitted
to govern themselves. This was the
declaration of the resolutions adopted by
the Congress. The declaration applied
only to Cuba, but he believed it might
have been made applicable to the people
Of the acquired possessions.
'If this Government Will say to the
people of this acquired territory" said
Mr. Teller. 1--WE will give you self-gov-
ernment, we will not need any army of
10000 men in Cuba, 20,00 in Porto Rico
and 10000 in the Philippines TO say
this to those people is the only way to
escape Il great standing army"
II am not one," he said, further along,
ito turn these possession back to Spain,
but | do believe that we ought to give
them the opportunity to govern them
selves. | may say that nobody wants
these possessions made into States now.