The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-09

THE MENACE OF COLONIES.
NJ. Paul de Cassagnac has written an
article on representation in the (French)
colonies" which furnishes food for thought
for Americans at this juncture, when we
are upon the eve of entering upon a new
departure in our national life and becom-
ing colony holders. France is a republic
with colonies. as we shaH be a republic
with colonies. Frances experience, there
fore, should be guide to US in the for
nation of our opinions and policies.
The French colonies have representation
in the national chambers. To this repre-
sentation NJ. Cassagnac takes pointed ex-
ception. He says it is "idiodc and scandal
lous'' for the colonies to have deputies and
senator's They do not pay the taxes
which Frenchmen have to pay; they are
not subject TO military service as French
men are; they do not speak the language,
and their ideas and civilization are wholly
foreign to the French; nevertheless they
are permitted TO assist IN making laws for
The government of France and Of the me
tropolis, and 1t is in their power to even
overturn ministries. He names an instance
in which a deputy for Cochin-China, who
had been elected by handful of office
holders in the district he represented, was
the direct cause of the downfall of the
Freycinet-Goblet ministry, on The ques-
ton of the mayoralty of Paris, and at IA
time when eve were threatened by fresh
invasion by Germany Thus the very life
of the republic was jeopardized by a dep
uty for Cochin-China upon question in
which he had not one particle of real in
terest and in which he should have had
no right to interfere.
Speaking of Frances colonial system, NJ
Cassagnac says that one consequence of
it has been "to let loose a war of races
and submit unfortunate whites to the inso-
lent revenge of the savage populations,
negroes and Hindoos-in our possessions.
The intelligent and educated while man
Of the old coloniai race is rejected from
parliament, from the councils general, by
a swarming mass OF half-breeds, who are
ignorant of our laws and customs, can
neither read nor write, and do not even
speak French. White slavery has replaced
black slavery. 1t is the whites who are the
slaves to-day one OF these DAYS
we shall have the pleasure of elbowing at
the buffet of the Palais Bourbon our new
colleagues from Tonl1in, AMMAN the Con-
go, Dahomey, the Soudan and New Gale
donia. all elected by a number of votes in
ferior to that which appoints the most in
significant municipal councillor in France
and by an electorate of monkeys coming
down from the palm trees to deposit their
bulletins in the cocoanut; and these fell
lows, who will represent nothing any mora
than their colleagues from the present col
onies VIII form majority to maintain or
overturn ministries"
Who can say that the United States
have not started out towards a colonial
system which will embody as much adj
ocy' and injustice as Nj. Cassagnac says
the system of France does? Already we
have adopted a territorial form Of govern
ment for Hawaii. That involves limited
representation at Washington, and opens
the way for the admission of Hawaii, as a
state, 10 fun representation. 1t is proba-
bic that the same system will be extended
to Porto Rico, and possibly also to the
Philippines. In order to maintain our
character as a republic, we shall be under
the necessity of giving our colonies repre-
sentation, just as France has done. We
may begin a limited scale, but once the
thing has been started there is no telling
where it win end