Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-08-04

pie could remember when, il q maj
undertook to journey to California, he
was considered Is see the last time
by his friends; that the Philippines
are nearer us to-day than was Louis.
lana or New Mexico, California o,
Oregon when all that country became
a part of the United States.
The next thought was, why not the
Philippines? They r fertile; they
are rich in mineral wealth; they are
the territory of our enemy who has
mismanaged them for ages, keeping
their people in ignorance and admin
istering to them the same methods
administered in Cuba.
Whenever the public mind took un-
der consideration, in the slightest de-
gree, the acquisition of these islands,
the annexation of Hawaii, Porto Rico
and Cuba was settled. 1t remained
only to arrange the details.
The geographical position of the
Islands of Cuba and Porto Rico in the
Gulf of Mexico, lying at no great dis
lance from the mouth of the Missis-
sippi, and in the line of the greatest
current of the commerce of the United
States, would make them t%erritorially
and commercially valuable posses.
sions to the United States.
We are told that such acquisition il
Imperialism and conquest, but the
people of the United States are moi
going to be frightened away from 6
deliberate examination of the ques.
ton of the annexation of these islands
by an application of false terms to it
1t is annexation, pure and simple
nothing more and nothing less-ane
the only question involved ia the RICH
and expediency of 1t.
The opinions of American statesmen
at different times and under varyin,
circumstances, have differed as to tn,
desirableness of the acquisition o
these Islands.
On the subject Thos. Jefferson, in
letter to President Monroe, June %
1928, said: SIT is better then to Ii,
still in readiness TO receive that inter
Getting incorporation, when solicited
by herself, for certainly her addition
to our confederacy is exactly what i
wanted to round our power as a nation
to the point of its utmost interest,""
MI. Calhoun, at a later date, said
$50 long as Spain remains a friendl!
nation let it alone, but whenever tn,
time comes that Cuba shall pass from
her then it should 60 into no othe
hands but ours" And he added tina
this had been the policy of every ad
ministratIon since he had been con
nected with the government.
Mr.. Everett, Secretary of State
expressed the same views in 1851, an,
Mr.. Buchanan, in three separate mess
ages, urged upon Congress the advis
ability of the acquisition of Cuba, ant
one political party, in 1850, in its plat
form declared in favor of it's annexa
ton.
But our Congress has disclaime'
any intention of going into the war TO
the purpose of acquiring Cuba. Tha
was never the purpose of the war,an'
nobody is now in favor of forcible an
nexation of the island. Whether
will come by a direct cession by Spail
in the interest of good government
by a treaty of peace, whether by con
sent of the Inhabitants of the island a
this time or in the near future, as
will then be inhabited, is immateria.
The American people at this time ar
almost unanimous that such acquisi
ton is not only to be desired, but
close at hand.
As to Porto Rico and other contem
plated territory, while it is not elaine
by natural justice, there is q right {
conquest, there is in natural justice
such a principle as the right of redress
and in the exercise of this right
wrong-doer may be stripped of a por
ton of his territory, or in the exercis
of the right of self-protection an
possibly of punishment, it may b
lawful to deprive him of his means c
doing evil.
| But it is said that in order to hol
such territory it will require a larg
standing army. But a sufficient an
swer to this is, that a self governin
people have never required a stand
ing army mol will they ever require i
External defence by a navy is a
sufficient, and nobody ever heard of
+ navy undertaking to set up an Empir
and nobody ever will SO long as ths
3 navy is composed of lIberty-lovini
citizens drawn from the masses {
the people of the republic.
Up to the present time in the histor
> of the world the Angle-Saxon rae
. alone, with some Insignificant exceI
tions, has disclosed the capacity
t self-govern. 1t used to be said this
j SO huge a people Al that composin
t the United States could not be hel
, together as a single national aggre
= gate, or If kept together at all, coul
3 only be 80 by means of a powerfl
: centralized government like that {
ancient Rome under the emperor
q But now the United States is prepare
to demonstrate that such a claim is
: great mistake, and we have seen this
I the centralized government of Rom
did not save it from political disintegr'
8 ton. The fact is that its strong Ger
Q tralized government is what brougl
about its obstruction.
In contrast with that strong centra
9 lied government we have the Amer
r can system of federalism, worked Of
by Hamilton and Madison and the
g associates, as the finest constructio
9 of craftsmanship that the world hi
9 ever seen.
The principle of federalism, brief
: stated, is this: That the people Of
state or country shall have full ar
entire control of their own domest
d affairs which directly concern the
only, and which they will natural
y manage with more skill and with mo-
intelligence than any distant govern
1t ing body could possibly exercise; b