Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-08-21
SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO THE
MISRULE OF SPAIN.
Liberated People Should BE Regard
ed as Americas Wards Until They
Are Fit to Govern Them
seIves-TallSs Against
Expansion.

brief address he defined himself
anti-expansion:st. I'VE must treat those
islands captured from Spain as prizes TO
be dealt with as we think best said he.
I'VE must do the best thing we can under
the circumstances. While we may not hold
them by right of conquest, we should see
that a proper form OF government is es-
tablished over each. We should never for
a moment forget the great principles that
underlie this great republic"
Morefield Storey, of Boston. spoke in part
as follows:
IF words have meaning, if the prom
ises of this nation are not as worthless as
n rope of sand, can any one doubt What
our duty is to this island?
Surely, whatever government IS estah-
lished there, whether Cuba becomes a ter
ritory of this Union, a colony or an inde-
pendent state, that government must rest
upon the free consent Of her people. IL.
without loss. we annex her to impose our
sway upon her, We rot only break our own
premise, but we deny that governments
derive their just powers from the consent
of the governed
eve shake the foundation upon which
our own liberty rests. If we treat her as
territory and impose upon her people our
protective tariff and our internal revenue
laws. or any other system of taxation,
whether American or Spanish, without CIV
ing her representation in the congress
which imposes the taxes. we establish tax
alton without representation and become
tyrants by our own confession.
"ls the case OF Porto Rico different? It
is an island larger than Connecticut. with
denser population ard numbering some
10000 people or more. peaceful, prosper
Gus, contented, devastated by no civil war,
divided by no fierce hatreds. as is the case
with Cuba. Does the man live who can tell
why Cuba ought to be free and independ-
ent' and why Porto Rico should not be so?
Why Cubans are fit to govern themselves
! and the people Of Porto Rico unfit? There
can be no distinction unless Porto Rico,
which never sought our interference, has
greater claims on our forbearance or her
people are better fitted to self-goverrment."
Samuel Gompers, who declared he spoke
as a wage-earner. argued in opposition to
the policy of expansion. Like Mr.. Storey,
he denounced even the annexation of Ha-
waii.
Mayor P. W. Medium, of Savannah.
presided at this afternoons closing session
He expressed himself an expansionist, and
, in favor of the United States spreading its
power and control over the islands recently
acquired by conquest.
E. V. Smaliey. of St. Paul. in a short
address, also expressed himself in favor of
expansion.
DR.. William P. Wilson. director Of the
! Philadelphia Commercial museum drew an
:! interesting sketch of the topographic, geo.
detic and climatic features of the Philip
pines, and made an argument for the re-
| tention of the islands, based on their ne
cesSity to this country foothold for
! the extension of American commerce to
! the countries of the Orient.
Chancellor McCracken, of the University
| of New York. as chairman of the commit
! tee of twenty-one on resolutions, presented
! a report which he said had been unani-
mously agreed upon by the committee. The
resolutions were unanimously adopted by
. the conference as follows:
! We the participants in the national con.
| ference on the foreign policy of the United
! States. held at Saratoga on August 19 and
/ 20. 1888. are substantially agreed as follows:
I'VE commend the wise and patriotic pur-
| pose of the national administration in first
| seeking to avoid war with Spain and in
subsequently prosecuting the war with high
| aims and success in bringing it to a speedy
! conclusion. 1t is glorious to our arms and
| gratifying to the high aspirations of our
people.
! ION behalf of freedom and human well
| fare. We thank the officers and men of our
| army and navy for their skillfuI and heroic
| achievements on land and on sea, and for
| their chivalrous conduct toward the de-
| feated enemy. We believe that the res
! cued and liberated people of the surren-
| dered Islands are in a sense temporarily the
| wards of the conquering nation, and that
| we should treat them as such.
| with our view of natural right and of
| the inestirIable privileges of civil liberty,
| We should not be justified in returning the
1 Sl fn IVA, t,niGr l..
preston from which We have relieved
| them. AS soon as the islands under our
| present protection can be trusted to govern
| themselves, they should be allowed to do
| SO, the United States retaining under its
| authority only necessary naval stations.
| Until such time as they may be able tC
| govern themselves they should continue un.
Ger the protection of the United States, and
| the question as to whether, at some future
period. and at the mutual desire of both
| they should be permanently annexed, Shoult
be left TO the time when it arises. The
United States. on behalf of each of the ter
ritories in question. and SO long it shall
continue under our protection. should adopt
proper measures for securing, out of ths
| revenues OF these countries, the establish
ment of free, elementary, unsectar;ar
schools, sufficient for the instruction of al
| persons of school age.
| We count the present an auspicious tim.
| for the establishment by the United State.
of a graded diplomatic and consular serv
| ice.
We heartily approve of the principle o.
arbitration in the settlement OF information
al difficulties and urge that its larges
practicable application be secured by trea
ties OF arbitration.
I'VE cordially favor the precedent set b,
President Mckinley IN refusing at the be
! ginning OF the war to grant letters o
maraue and reprisal. and We recommend
that. in the peace to be concluded between
! the United States and Spain. the practc.
OF privateeriug be forever prohibited: ast
that provision be made, as foreShadowet
by the government of the United States
| in requiring to sign the declaration o
i. Paris in 1856 for the exemption from cap
| ture of private property at sea in accord
!, | ance with the enlightened sentiments o
mankind
Chairman Henry Wade Rogers and Secre
tary Ralph W. Eastley, of Chicago, and tn
| committee of twenty-one were instructe,
TO present the resolutions to President Nc
Kinley and his cabinet for their consid
Grafton. The convention tonight adjourne'
subject to cali of Chairman Rogers.
| -----------
l Bad Aim.
. | From the Detroit Free Press.