The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-02-09
ENTER THEIR PROTEST..


~ Eninent CftSzens.
New York, Feb. G-The following petit
tion, signed by ~ citizens Of the United
States and addressed to ."The Senate OF the
United States" 10 made public The sfgn-
ers are:
Charles Francis Adams, Boston; Felix
Adler; George 8. Boutwell,, ex-secretary Of
the treasury; John g. Carlisle, ex-secre-
tary OF the treasury; Andrew Carnegie,
Grover Cleveland, ex-presidenr Of the
United States; Theodore L. Cuyier; Charles
samuel Gompers, president Of the Amerf-
can Federation Of Labor: John B. Hender-
son, ex-Unfted States senator from Mis-
souri,; William b. Hornblower; W. H
Palmer, president Of the Rio Grande West
ern railway; Wheeler II. Peckham; Sher-
man 8. Rogers, Buffalo; Carl Schurz. ex-
secretary Of the interior; Edward ". Shep-
ard; Edwin Burritt Smith. Chicago; Moor
field Story, Boston; William g. Sumner,
Yale university; Rev. Henry vandyke,
Herman Won Hoist, University Of Chicago;
william L. Wilson, OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
now president Of Washington and Lee uni
versity. Virginia: Theodore 8. Woolsey, OF
Yale university; Henry c. Potter, bishop
of New York
ITO the Senate Of the United States: The
undersigned respectfully submit that the
treaty between the United States and the
Kingdom OF Spain, now before your hon.
cradle body, ought not to be ratified until
provision shall be inserted, Ls part of it's
text, to the effect that the United States
shall not annex the Philippine islands or
Porto Rico, or permit their inhabitants to
become citizens, or compel them to become
subjects Of the United States without their
free consent and the further and express
authority of congress. There seems to he
no reason to doubt the entire Willingness
nj t.
spects, or to suppose that the delay of its
ratification for this purpose involves the
slightest renewal Of hostfIities.
I'VE submit that every constitutional
treaty when ratified becomes part Of the
supreme law Of the land constitution,
article g. If the United States accept alb
solute cession Of the Philippines and Porto
Rico under the treaty, 1t will be claimed
with force perhaps irresistible that the
acceptance will Of itself make the territory
coded part Of the United States and give
to their inh bftants (vho shall not elect to
retain Spanish citizenship and to their
descendants the rights OF American citi-
Zens.
I'VE submit that the treaty, unless modi-
fed, will introduce changes of far-reach-
Ing character into both the foreign and do
nestle policy of this republic. The late
war was undertaken with our distinct as
surance that we did not look toward for
eign conquest or the acquisition Of terri
tory. It was undertaken, and to this we
pltghted the honor of the American nation,
In the cause Of humanity and liberty and
for no other purpose.
LAS a result of the war, Cuba, Porto Rico
and the many hundred islands near the
coast Of Asia, known as the Philippines,
have fallen more or less under the control
OF this country. Spain abandons her SOW
ereignty over all Of them. But IN addition
the treaty purposes that, as to the Philip
pines and Porto Rico, an absolute cession
shall be made to and accepted by the United
States. Over the Philippines and Porto
Rico, therefore, should the treaty be con-
f1rmed the United States will acquire pre-
ctsely the sovereignty which Spain has en-
Joyed. The president has on various occa-
sions indicated disposition on the part Of
the executive to hold the Philippines and
Porto Rico as a part Of the United States,
and, as has been pointed out, that may well
be the effect Of the treaty in it's present
form. Such, at any rate, is the intention
of most of those who are now crowding
upon us the plan Of expansion
THE public sentiment Of our country is
not ready to endure the concession Of
American citizenship to the FTlipinos and
Porto Ricans. But the effect will. for a
time at least no doubt, be to hold their is-
lands under revenue, tariff, navigation and
other laws very different from those in the
United States. The Philippines and Porto
Rico would, at least 1T the outset, be
separate dependencies under an extra-ter-
ritoriaI and extra-constitutionaI sover-
eighty not provided for in the constitution
of the United States and grossly fncon-
sistent with its entire spirit and intent.
That this sovereignty In the case Of the
Philippines Is extra-territorial is the more
apparent from the fact that the constitu-
ton was established for the United States
of America and not for the United States Of
America and Asia That the transfer pro-
&c TOW ~
vious from the fact that the consent Of the
people of the Philippines and Porto Rico IS
ignored in their transfer from Spain to the
United States, and is hereafter to be con-
sidered only SO far as the United States
shall see fit to give it consideration.
I'VE further submit, that in the history
of our nation there is no precedent for an
acquisition of this sort-of the territory Of
a distant nationality, peopled by other
races and belonging to another continent
In the case OF Louisiana, President Jefer-
son expressed the opinion that the annexa-
ton was unconstitutional and needed the
authority Of constitutional amendment
The resolution annexing Texas did not pass
without the well-known protest against its
constitutionality made in the senate by
Daniel Webster. If the exIgencies under
which the Louisiana and Texas annexation
were made caused the question of their
constututionality to be ignored, it was be-
cause those territorities were Immediately
contiguous to the United States were stu
ated in the same latitude, were practically
uninhabited and contained vast area OF
virgin territory which inevitably had to he
settled by Americans who had already ex-
plored It and had begun to overflow It's
boundaries. With neither Louisiana
Florida nor California, was it the case nor
until now has it been thought possible un-
der our form of government, that perma-
nent extra-territoria1 and extra-constitu-
SnveroiQDfu no ocfo III;
the United States over dependencies not
intended hereafter to be made states, or to
be governed by laws in common with the
United States or as part thereof What is
now proposed IS a wholly new departure,
full OF menace to the integrity and perma-
hence of American institutions
I'VE respectfully submit that. according
| to the principles upon which our republic
was founded, we are in duty bound to
recognize the rights Of the Inhabitants Of
the Philippines and of Porto Rico to in
dependence and se1f-government, precisely
as we have recognized that right in the
case of the Inhabitants Of Cuba: that IT, as
President Mckinley declared, forcible an
nexation cannot be thought Of In the case
of Cuba because It would. by our code Of
morals, be criminal aggression the forci-
BILE annexation Of the Philippines will be no
less criminal aggression according to the
same code Of morals. The Philippines have
a more settled government and a control
Of their islands more extensive than the
Cubsns when we took up arms in their be-
half. But we declared as to Cuba that it 's
and Of a right ought to be free and inde-
pendent Why ought we not. then frank
ly and generously, to say Of the Philippines
that they are and Of right ought to b"
free, independent Since their popuIa-
ton has. as an unforeseen incident Of the
war. waged by the United States for the
liberation Of the Cubans, fallen more or
less under the control or influence Of this