Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-01-20

But he denied that 1t possessed the
astonishing" and "extravagant" pow
ers under the constitution which the
senator from Connecticut (Mr. Platt)
attributed to it. Mr.. Hoar then quoted
Mr.. Platt as saying:
Gas to every matter the United
States as nation possesses sovereign
power, except only where sovereignty
has been reserved to the states and the
people" And again: GAS a nation it
possesses every sovereign power not re-
served in its constitution to the states
or to the people The right to acquire
territory was not reserved, and is there
fore an inherent sovereign right In
the right to acquire territory he found
tire right to govern it, and us the iigi1t
to acquire is sovereign, inherent
right. the right to govern is a sovereign
right not limited in the constitution -
Constitutional Limitations.
These propositions of Mr. Platt Mr.
Hoar expressly denied He affirmed that
every constitutional power is limited
to the one Supreme and controlling pur-
pose declared in the constitution ii,aif
"ln order to form Il more perfect ru:cn
establish Justice. insure Gome-5ic tram
quillty, provide for tie COMMON de-
Tense. promote the general welfare and
secure the blessings of liberty to our
selves and to our posterity.
CIV hen the senator from CONNECTICUT
undertakes to declare, said Mr. Huar
"that we may do such thincs not for
the perfect union, the common defense,
the general welfare of the people of tire
United States or the securing of liberty
to ourselves and our children, but for
any fancied or real obligation to take
care of distant peoples beyond our
boundaries not people of the United
States, then / deny his proposition and
tell him he can find nothing either in
the text Of the constitution or the expo
sitiOn of the fathers or the Judgment of
courts from that day to this to warrant
or support his doctrine. We have heard
of limited monarchies constitutional
monarchies despotisms tempered by
assassination. but the logic of the sena-
tor from Connecticut makes pure, I'M
limited, untempered despotism without
any relief from assassins.
Mr.. Hoar maintained that the propo-
sitions advanced by Mr. Platt were not
sustained by a single one of his authori-
ties. He held. in the course of his argu-
ment that the powers of the United
States must be affirmatively delegated
or they do not exist. In other words,
the implied power referred to by Mr.
Platt-the power to govern territory
acquired through war-did not exist.
The power which Mr., Platt maintained
this government possessed was one, Mr..
Hoar said that our fathers and their
descendants have ever loathed and alb
horred, and they believed that no SOW
ereign on earth could rightfully exercise
it. He said that while Mr.. Platt had
admitted that governments derived
their just powers from the consent of
"some of the governed" he did not un-
derstand that in subjugating and gov
erning the Filipinos Mr.. Platt proposed
to get the consent of any of them.
Mr.. Hoar was inclined to ridicule
those who favor expansion and the rati-
fication of the treaty of Paris without
amendment. Their arguments, he said,
were: Three cheers for the flag. Who
will dare to haul it down. Hold on to
everything you can get.
Mr.. PIatt's Views Analysed.
81 have made careful analysis of
the constitutional argument of the SEN
ator from Connecticut. l think l can do
it justice. have not followed the pre-
else order of his statements, but l have
put them in logical order He says:
"'First That the United States is
nation. a sovereign.
Second. That as a nation it pos
sesses every sovereign power not re-
served in the constitution to the states
or the people
"'Third That the right to acquire
territory was not reserved, and is there
fore an inherent sovereign right.
Fourth. That it is right upon
which there is no limitation, and that
in regard to which there is no qualifca-
ton.
Fifth. THAT in the right to acquire
territory is found the right to govern it.
Sixth. THAT this right to govern
it is also a sovereign right.
Seventh That it is a right with
out constitutional limit.
"The senator from Connecticut pro-
ceeds to establish these propositions by
citations from decisions of the supreme
court, from Mr.. Webster, from text
writers and from legislative precedents.
Not one of these in the least helps him.
''From these postulates the senator
reaches the conclusion that we have
right to conquer hold and govern a sub
ject people of 10, 600, 900 without any
constitutional restraint, such people be-
ing entitled to no constitutional rights,
but subject to the uncontrolled will of
the American congress.
"He says that he has faith in the Dec
laration of Independence. That declares
that all men are created equal, and that
governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed, which
he interprets To mean, from the consent
of some of the governed, although l do