Arizona republican., 1899-10-24
PHOENIX. OCTOBER 4 1899.

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Mr.. Bryans vaporings on the Ynilip-
pine question are inconsistent/and I'M
reasonable/one day
PRESIDENT his attSck is on what
AND THE he csHs ''fmperia ISM
PHILIPPINES. ir which he tries to in
dict President McKin-
ley as pIayirs the role of an arbitrary
emperor Next day he attacks the
preside5C for declaring that the future
goveehment of the Philippine archipel-
axis not a matter for him to decide
Nt for congress to settle. B-yan's lat
~est utterance is that ''the presidents
declaration that congress would care
for the islands was subversion of the
declaration of independence Such
statements are sheer nonsense.
The president had no power either
to take or give away the PhilippinesI
The islands were under the sovereignty
of Spain. Nobody questions that Spain
coded her sovereignty to the United
States. The United States thrEugh it's
senate, which ratified the treaty and
through the house of representatives
which appropriated 2o.009, Geo as car
ried by the treaty, accepted the sover-
eighty over the islandk. The president
cannot alter those facts. AS BGr Nc
Kinley said at Madison, Wis:
The president has no power even if
he was disposed, which he is not,f to
ALLEVIATE a single foot of territory which
we have honestly acquired or give up
sovereignty over it to other peoples.
That power belongs to the people. That
poweT is vested in congress, which rep
resents the people, and no such power
was ever given to the chief executive
by the people, by congress or by the
constitution; and to use such power
would be base usurpation of the pre-
rogative by the chief executive of the
government"
The president cannot Withdraw the
troops from the Philippines It is his
duty to maintain the sovereignty OF the
United States and employ for that pur-
pose such forces as congress places at
his disposal All he can do in the Phil
ippines is as far as possible to subdue
the rebellion, restore order and protect
life and property. For this purpose he
can give those islands a temporary
form of government, of a military ma
ture, but that is all. The constitution
limits and fixes his authority. If he
were to go beyond the law he could be
impeached. He could no more promise
the Filipinos independence than he
could give up the islands or establish
a permanent government The constf-
tuition about which Mr.. Bryan pirates
distinctly fixes the powers and the
duties of the president. The presidents
duty under the constitution is to put
down the rebellion in Luzon and else
where, to restore order all over the
islands, and to protect life and prop
erty. Congress viii take up the prob
lem when these things shall have been
done, and probably before they shall
have been done. Congress can sell the
islands, give them away. or keep them.
Congress alone can establish for the
Philippines a form of government. AS
congress is not in session no man can
say what congress will do.
If the president were to attempt to
do what only congress is authorized to
do he would be guilty of the 'imper-
ialism' of which the copperheads are
so afraid. The president is the chief
executive officer of the nation and not
the chief legislative one. Laws are to
be made by others. 1t is his duty to
enforce those laws He may direct the
forces needful for their execution, may
exercise his power to sustain The SOW
ereignty of the nation and preserve its
integrity and honor. but he cannot
make those laws, cannot change the
boundaries of that sovereignty, and
cannot take into his hands powers be-
longing to other branches of the gov
ernmcnt.