Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-09-16

by regained what was theirs OF right? :?
If Spain had no Just title when she
assumed to transfer the islands to the
United States. what right morally have
we to insist upon the possession of
| them?
As to Our Legal Right.
AS a rule, whatever is good in NOR
ais is found to hold good in law, and so
| it is in this case. The rights of men
were perfectly guarded by the trainers
of the constitution and the older
statesmen of our republic. When
Louisiana was acquired from nation
whose title to the territory was undis-
puted. the instrument transferring 1t
contained the following provision. to-
| wit: "The inhabitants of the ceded
territory shall be incorporated in the
Union of the United States and ad-
mitted as soon as possible. according
o''-according to what? the will OF
the president? No; the will of con-
gress? No; but according TO the prin-
ciples of the federal constitution to the
enjoyment of all the rights. advan-
tages and immunities of citizens of the
United States" From this we ascer-
tain definitely what the principles OF
the federal constitution require, and
we ascertain also that under the con-
stitution we can not hold either on
this continent or elsewhere colonies,
dependencies or territories never to be
admitted to the sisterhood OF states.
Florida came to us upon substantially
the same conditions as Louisiana, and
so also did the territory obtained from
Mexico and Russia. Texas was an in
dependent nation, and asked for adj
mission into the Union.
AS to the third question suggested
can not do better in a short space
than present a summary of an edi-
torial which appeared in Harper's
Weekly, of April Sth last. 1t was
based upon the testimony of business
man who lived for many years in Ma
nilla. and gives the following esti-
mates of what it would cost the United
States to hold the Philippine country,
and of what we should derive from it
in way of income:
I'VE can not maintain peace in the
islands without garrisons aggregating
75, 900 men and at an annual
charge of $4,000, 900. To. this sum
must be added 25 per cent army pay
for colonial service, the cost of trans
portation back and forth, the frequent
recruitments for maintenance of the
strength of the garrisons, the cost of
the Naval StlNlCe anu VIC hA0
that the annual charge for military
service in the Philippines would reach
S1OO, ,00O, ,O00 Assuming that the Amer
leans engaged in the Philippine trade
made a profit of 10 per cent on their
sales to the islands, we should then
have a revenue of about $1,500,000 ac-
cruing to a score or so of americans,
and for the maintenance of this rev.
enue the country would be taxed at
least 500. 900, 900 a year.
In other words, the tax payers of the
United States would pay $100,000,00O
annually to enable say fifteen Ameri-
cans to each make yearly profit Of
100000. Can the taxpayers afford
to do a business of this sort?
AS to the fourth query l need SIM
ply quote the language of our ma
tional Republican platforms:
The first platform of the Republican
party, that of 1856, said: The main
tenance of the principles promulgated
in the Declaration of Independence
and embodied in the federal constitu-
ton is essential to the preservation
of our republican institutions. The
highwayman's plea that might makes
right is in every respect unworthy of
American diplomacy, and would bring