The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-21
THE QUESTION OF EXPANSION
DISCUSSED IN ROTH BRANCHES OF
 CONGRESS YESTERDAY.
Senator Teller Declares There Are No Restrictions Upon the Rights of the United States to Expand It's Borders Flag Should be Hauled Down In the Philippines.

Flag should be Hauled Down in the
 Philippines.
 Washington, Dec. 2O.-Senator Teller occupied the first half of to-days ses- sion with speech in the advocacy of the theory that there are no restrictions upon the rights of the United States to expand its borders so as to include far distant territory. He went quite thor oughly into the legal points bearing up- on the question, and also incidentally discussed at some length the form of government for the Filipinos, saying that he would encourage self-govern- ment among the islanders and would give them the most liberal government which they were able to conduct, but that he would not take down the Amer ican flag when once planted.
 If we are a nation," MT. Teller de- clared, i've have the power to exercise the rights of a nation-all the rights of any sovereign power" MT. Teller dis cussed briefly the statement of MT. 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 erect ed into states of the Union. We can confer statehood in 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 de- manded with dramatic force, "can gov ern now in Cuba or in Porto Rico but the United States? That question is settled by the very circumstances of the case. The question Is now, What disposition shall we make of the terri tory that has come into our posses sion?' '
 MT. Teller said that he knew the Fil- ipinos were incapable of establishing government equal to the government of our states. MT. Proctor here read an extract from a letter from Admiral Dewey concerning the character of the Filipinos, as follows: These people can be governed with the slightest dif- ficulty. They readily give in to reason, and I have not had the slightest ditfl culty in dealing with them." MT. Proc tor also read an abstract from the let ter of an army officer speaking in terms of praise of the FiIipinos and indicating that there need be no difficulty with them. MT. Teller, in conclusion, ex pressed the opinion that the natives could not be governed from Washing ton. There was no reason why, if they were capable of appreciating them, our beneficent institution should not be ex- tended to them. He would give them all the liberty in this respect that they were capable of enjoying and if in time they manifested capacity to perform the duties of statehood, he would not deny them that boon.
 The house to-day listened to the first speech on the annexation of the Philip pines. Mr. Williams, dem., of Missis- sippi, democratic committeeman of the foreign affairs commission, in an hours speech stated his opposition to a policy which would bring the islands under the American sphere of infiu- ence He contended that it would be hostile to the spirit of our institutions to oassume control over 9,000,000 unwilling subjects, that annexation would cost us Sl4UUUU,UUU d year., Illoil IilC dliLCholloAl of the islands met none of the tests which applied to our past acquisitions of territory and would be a mistake from social, political and material standpoint.
 While he opposed the annexation, he said he would not return the Philip pines to Spain. q should leave the islands where they were the day after Dewey's glorious victory at Manila. I should haul down the American flag, I am for the flag for what it means not for itself It is nothing but piece of bunting and when some one an- nounces that it must not come down, care not how high his station, he says something unworthy of himself and his country. The flag should come down if it is right that it should do so, and the American people must pull it down. We would not let any other country do it." Prolonged applause on demo- cratic side).
 m p pEESTpN CONEEnER 1TES