The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-10

! OF giving citizenship, local government
and final Statehood to newly acquired ter
! ritory. stand by the resolutions OF the
! Galveston convention and OF my county
convention as the true expression OF DEM
ocratic faith and practice and am ready
I TO defend them against all who como
against them.
But notwithstanding the State platform
was adopted after full consideration and
! discussion, there are yet some who par
ticipated in that convention who refuse
to abide by the result and who maintain,
first, that the acquisition of Porto RIO
and the other West Indian islands Is Goa
trary to that clause of the declaration OF
1 independence which says that "all gov
ernments derive their Just powers from
the consent of the governed" second,
! that the acquisition OF any territory by
! the United States Is contrary to the Fed
! eral constitution, because that instrument
contains no express grant of power to
acquire territory; third. that Cuba and
1 Porto Rico are not desirable acquisitions
1 for US. l understand that my opponent,
| Hon. r. l.. Henry, maintains these three
propositions. If he is right, am wrong;
! for | maintain, first, that the clause cited
! from the declaration OF Independence has
/ no application whatever to the case OF
Porto Rico; second. that while ii is true
! that our constitution Is a grant OF ex-
| press powers by sovereign States to the
general government, that the general gov
! eminent Is within its sphere the represen-
tative OF the sovereignty of all the states
and has exercised, from the very founod.
ton OF the government the sovereign and
inherent power of acquiring territory by
every method known to the law OF ma
lions; third, that these West Indian is
lands are most valuable and desirable ac-
QUESTIONS. l propose to maintain my
| PROPOSITIONS BY we'll known historical
| the construction
which democrats have always given to
this question OF territorial acquisition for
| am persuaded that an unhroken line OF
democratic presidents will be more
convincing than any attempt at original
argument on my part. For convenience
I shall consider my two first Propositions
/ together promising the discussion by a
brief statement concerning the Ca) &C
ouistion of Porto Rico which has already
been accomplished, and Cd the future
annexation OF Cuba. which is hoped for.
Ia Porto Rico, prior to its cession
by Spain to the United States, was an
integral part OF the Spanish monarchy?
it was not crown colony like Cuba, but
was a subdivision of the monarchy just
like the provinces of the kingdom proper
and il had its representatives in the span
ish cortes lust as Andalusia, Barcelona
and other Spanish states Notwithstand-
ing its favorable political position in the
Spanish kingdom its interests, CONNER
mercially, were more nearly allied TO the
United States and when General Miles
landed his army on the island he was
hailed as a friend and deliverer by the
inhabitants, who desired immediateg an
nexation to the United States. The treaty
of peace ceding the island to the United
states was duly ratified by the Spanish
government of which Porto RICO was, at
the time an integral part.
with raensnr IN Cuba IL Is DrDDOSed
Ia permit the people of the island 10 or
ganize their own government and for
the authorities OF the United States TO
withdraw from the country and then II
the Cubans should atterward, of their own
accord desire annexation that we would
consent TO annex the island to the United
States.
History Of territorial acquisition by the
United States%
When the constitution OF the United
States was adopted the American Union
embraced a narrow ribbon of land lying
along the Atlantic seahoard between the
ocean and the Allegheny mountains. 1t
did not touch the Gulf OF Mexico, and
was divided into thirteen petty States,
having an aggregate population of about
3 900 600; but the men who formed The
Union were the sons OF the Cells, who
rowed their boats across the English chan
mel and the Irish sea and by strength OF
hand swept the aborgines from off the
British isles. They were the descendants
of Hardicanute. OF l1ngist and Horsa and
of william. the Conqueror. They began
at once the work of pushing their from
tiers further west and south. They swept
over the Allegheny mountains and fought
ard made treaties with the red man; and,
whether it was a battle or the pipe OF
peace, the Indian always like poor Joe, -
moved on, and the pale face occupied the
land, iii presently he planted the Stars
and Stripes on the eastern bank of the
Mississippi river and gazed across the
OF the great West. This Western land
and this great river lay in the terri ory
of Spain. 81. On the 4th OF March, 1901
Thomas Jefferson. author OF the Declar-
alton OF Independence and founder and
great apostle of democracy. was inaug-
urated president Of the United States. His
first congress met on the Sth of December
1902. and on the 18th of December, only
seven days later, IN a message to con-
gress, he opens mp the question of The
purchase of Louisiana. The Napoieonic
wars were raging in Europe and Spain
coded Louisiana to France to hold
in trust. Jefferson appointed commission
ers to negotiate with Napoleon for the
purchase Of Louisiana. At thai time thu
province OF Louisiana embraced a vast
territory reaching from the mouth of the
Mississippi 10 the Rocky mountains, great
er in extent than the then existing Union
and out of which have been
created about fifteen SOVEREIGN State
: lis civilized population consisted o.
about 100000 French and Spaniards
living along the Mississippi. New
Orleans was the capital and con-
tanned a considerable population and was
: an important seat OF commerce. Did JEFF.
ferson send commissioners down to Louis
lara TO ask the consent of those peopl;
to be annexed and governed? Did he have
them to hold an election TO decide wheth-
/. er they wanted to be annexed? Not onS
word did he say 70 them, but on October
a. 1903 he notified congress that he ans
, Napoleon Boraparte, the first consul o.
France, had exchanged notifications where
by Louisiana had been ceded TO the Un'te5
States Napoleon had never seen Louis
lana and only held II In trust for Spa n
, and although Spain protested against ths
, sale, and although there were murmur!
, OF dissent in Louisiana, he went right or
and took deed and paid the sl5.00oc0
purchase price to France. And after tn:
purchase he appointed Governor Claiborne
governor of Mississippi Territory, and
General Wilkinson to go down to New