Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-20
ARGUE ON EXPANSION
Senator Platt Holds Annexation
a Sovereign Right.
ATTACKS VEST RESOLUTION

Acquire Territory in Africa. Consti-
lS tuition Docs Not Guarantee
Suffrage. Hoar Replies.
a. By Te1egraph)
SEg NVASHINGTON. Dec. 19.-The Senate
had a busy day and there were several
l5lmportants speeches. MIR. Plat, CT Con-
Enectlcut, spoke against the Vest resolu-
ton. which declares that the United
Estates has no power to acquire terri
tory.
lsEI shall maintain" said Mr. Plat
Issthat the United States has shown a
45sreat capacity for government in all
Etrying times and under many trying
Eeonditions. and that it is capable to
Imeet any emergency that is likely to
Iarlse. l propose to confine myself to
the, question of the right or the power
denied by the resolution. ! shall con-
tend that the United States is a nation
and that as such itpossesses every SOW
tereign power not reserved by the Con-
ssstitutlon to the States or to the people
themselves; that the right to acquire
1ss1nrrltory was not reserved, and that,
therefore. that right is an inherent
! srlght-a sovereign right, a right to
which there is no limitation. I shall
show, also, that in certain instances,
this inherent sovereign right is to be
inferred from specific clauses of the
! Constitution ITSELF
8 QUOTES FROM OPINIONS.
Mr.. Plat then launched into a con-
lstitutional argument, quoting extern
siVely from authorities treating of the
ISquestion. In maintenance of his posi-
t;tion of the right Of the United States
to acquire foreign territory, he quoted
from the opinion of Justice Gray in
the Chinese exclusion case He declar-
4 ed 'that during the discussion of the
sanneXation Of the Hawaiian Islands
1.-the entire question Of the governments
fright to acquire foreign territory was
considered thoroughly and that the
ESenate had settled it safely and rightly.
We did not anenx the Hawaiian IS
\ lands as a State" said Mr.. Plat, .'or
EyyIeh any declaration that the territory
L should become a State. We took it
Thy cession. Our title to the territory is
Ep Pc s. complete and constitution
Mr. Plat aintained that our right TO
| F1orida&did not rest alone upon the quit
claim, but upon q broader and deeper
I right. He held that the United States
nave the right to acquire territory in
all ways that are, conceded to other SOW
ereign nations of the world
TERRITORY IN AFRICA.
Further along. Mr. Platt suggested
that it might become necessary in the
Interests of commerce, or some other in
quire territory in Africa Shall we he
bound by the Constitution to organize
a State from such acquired territory.
and to admits its Inhabitants ito citi-
zenship?''
Suppose he continued shat the
Senator from Alabama (N1r Morgan)
secures the passage of his bill for the
| construction of the tNicaraguan canal
| tand pray that he hnay); and suppose,
1t this connection it shout be deemed
necessary for the United States to ac-
quire a strip of land along the route of
the canal of 100000 acres-I think that
is the amount suggested-can we not
take it? If we take it. what clause of
the Constitution directly or implicitly
says we must organize State of the
acquired territory or confer citizenship
upon the people who inhabit it?'
I DECISION A DEAD LETTER.
/ Referring to Mr.. Vests reliance upon
certain parts of the bred Scott deci-
sion, MIR. Tolatt declared that in the
light or recent years, Chief Justice
Taneys opinion became a ''mere die
tum," and that it was too late. in these
days, to rcsurrect the bred Scott deci-
sion as a basis Of constitutional action
4 on the part of the United States
Continuing Mr.. Platt contended that
the doctrine he was presenting was not
new, but it was the doctrine of the
fathers and he quoted Governor Morris
as advancing the theory that acquired
territory might be governed as pro-
vince, but not as a State. The II re-
mark acquired to the possibility of the
requirement of Louisiana and Canada.
In response to a question from Mr.
4 Allen. Mr. Plat said that he did not
Think there was any limitation to the
4 power Of the United States to acquire
TERRITORY.
.'As complete as the power OF Russia.
for instance, in such matter?" asked
Mr.. Allen.
FREE OF RESTRICTION.
! yes: the right to acquire Territory is
an element Of nationality. And do not
I believe that there is any obligation to
4 give to the people OF. acquired territory
4 the right of self-governhnent until such
i time as they are fit to exercise that
4 right. If we believe that the people of
a country acquired are not fitted for
4 the government of themselves it is our
/ duty to give them the most liberal gov
1 ernmcnt they are capable of accom-
1 plishing, and to educate them up as
best we may to the point where they
i will be capable of self government. The
/ Constitution does not confer the right
i Of suffrage"
Mr.. Platt said that he could not agree
4 with those who contended that the
i Requirement OF such territory as that
embraced in Porto Rico and the Phll-
.I.ippines is a menace to he existence of
j our republic This mistake, he said.
j arises from the fact that Mr. Vest and
those who agree With him assume that
1.-THE Constitution guarantees the right Of
/ suffrage and the right of a citizen living
in certain territory to have it admit
Il ted as State.
NO SUCH GUARANTEE
This assumption was without found
1 alton. as there was 10 such guarantee
/ in the fundamental law. Though the
q fifteenth amendment prohibits abridge-
4! mont of the right of suffrage, for rea-