The record-union., 1898-05-22
OUR RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES

many of them are protected by coal
walls and central steel decks.
OUR RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
The New York Tribune" remarks
that General Merritt goes out to the
Philippines on an errand unique in
American history Military Governor
ship is strange with us outside of the
/ temporary rule of that order at the
time of the rebellion. The Tribune"
/ finds in our history but one precedent
| for it, and that only partial one,
namely the military governorship es-
| tablished over California when we &C
quired it from Mexico. But that lasted
1 only a short time. The thrush of Amer
| lean gold seekers rendered the estab-
lishment of civil government speedy
and easy here. Besides California was
taken under very different circum-
stances; it was indisputably ours, con-
! ceded by treaty 20 US; so that our title
was not at al in question.
But in the case of the Philippines we
have not asserted title but simply mill
tary possession, and it is very doubtful
| if we viii ever break through our old
time policy opposed to ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ton in a sea of difficulties. Our as
sumption of sovereignty over the Phil
ippines is, therefore, only temporary,
and nothing has been said or done to
indicate that it extends beyond the
single island on which Manila is stu
ated
There should never be any American
civil rule over the Philippines, but there
! ship, and even that is certain to be one
full of trouble and demanding the high
est ability, and the utmost care. The
Tribune" disposes of the objection
raised that the Federal Union cannot
acquire or hold territory, as this is a
union of States exclusively, by saying:
Nothing could be more sophistical.
| This is, indeed, a union of States. Moth
| ing but a State can be a member of it.
| But there has been no time since it's
| formation when it has not possessed
territory that was not State and that
was not intended ever to be a State.
! The Constitution explicitly provides for
such holding of territory and its gov
l.ernment The Federal District is not
a State and can never become one. The
Northwest Territory, comprising the
| present States of Ohio, Indiana, I'LL
nois, Michigan and Wisconsin, was not
a State in 1888, yet it belonged to the
United States. New Mexico has be-
| longed to this country for nearly half
a century, yet it is not State and has
! little present prospect of becoming one.
Alaska was acquired by us more than
thirty years ago, with no expectation
that it would ever become a State, and
we have held it without overstraining
the Constitution. There is no reason
in fact or law or common sense why
we should not similarity acquire and
hold other territory, whether directly
contiguous with the States, as Florida
was, or remotely separated from them,
as Alaska was.
The right and power of the Federal
Government to acquire territory is I'M
questioned, but beyond securing us rea-
sonable space in the Philippines for a
harbor of refuge and supply. we be-
lieve wisdom will not 60 1t will be a
very dangerous experiment to venture
over that line. To do so will be to
engage in requirement of territory by
conquest through the vicissitudes of
war, which is defensible as to terri
tory on this continent, as in the case Of
| California Acquisition is defensible
also when a State comes to us without
compulsion, and seeks to become a
member Of the republic, as does Hawaii.
In that instance, because of the situa-
ton Of the group, our extensive inter-
ests there, the necessity for mid
Pacific station, and other reasons which
have been fully presented in these col
umns, the United States is justified in
actively promoting annexation. But
such considerations do not enter into
the Philippine case in the Australasian
seas, far to the westward, indeed, in
the other hemisphere, to an extent sup
| porting the claim of sovereignty by
conquest.