The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-10
CAN NOT ACQUIRE COLONIES.
HoAR MAKES A LOGICAL ARGU-
MENT IN ANSWER TO PLATT.

Criminal Observation-Disclosures
Criminal AEgressIOn-PIntt Makes
Reply.
Washington, Jan. 9.-This proved to be
an interesting day in the Senate, the prn-
cipal subject under discussion being the
constitutional right of the United States
to carry into effect the policy of expan-
sion.
The leading speaker was Mr.. Hoar (Rep)
OF Massachusetts, who delivered speech
in support Of the resolution introduced by
Mr.. Vest Dem) of Missouri, declaring it
to be in opposition to the constitution for
this country to acquire foreign territory to
be governed permanently as colonies.
Although Mr. Hoar occupied the time Of
the Senate for more than two hours, he
was accorded the unusual compliment of
close and undivided attention by his COL
leagues on the floor, and a large audience
in the galleries. He confined himself
closely to his manuscript, but his address
was delivered with all the fire, earnest
ness and animation of the orator that he
is. His speech was in answer to that re-
Gently delivered by Mr.. Plat (Rep) Of
Connecticut. and had been most carefully
prepared.
Wlthuot advertlng to the proposed poll
icy Of the United States in entering upon
an expansion Of it's territory. except in
general and indirect manner, Mr.. Hoar
entered upon a discussion of the constitu-
tiOnal phase of the question involved i'm
the resolution under consideration.
ia ol Mr.
Hoar's speech upon the resolution:
Mr.. President: L am quite sure that
no man who will hear or who will read
what 1 say to-day will doubt that nothing
could induce me to say 1t but a command
ing sense of public duty.
II am 10 speak for my country, for its
whole past. and for It's whole future. I am
to speak to a people whose fate Is bound
up in the preservation of our great doc
trne Of constitutional liberty. l am to
speak for the dead soldier who gave his
life for liberty that his death might set a
seal upon his countrys historic glory. [
am to speak for the Republican party, all
OF whose great traditions are at stake, ana
all Of whose great achievements are an
peril.
II have in my humble way, poor enough
! know, bus il was my best defended the
character of the American people, their
capacity for self-government, the charac-
ter of the great legislative bodies through
which that government is exercised, when
ever and by whomsoever assailed. do
not distrust them now. But the strong
est frame may get mortal sickness from
one exposure, the most vigorous health or
life may be destroyed by single drop OF
poison and what poison Is to the human
frame the abandonment of our great doc
trine of liberty win be to the republic.
our F0refnthers Knew Hest.
"After all, L am old-fashioned enough to
think that our fathers who won the revo-
luton ana who framed the constitution,
were the wisest builders of states the world
has yet seen l think that they knew
where to seek for the best lessons of ex-
perience and they knew how to lay down
the rules which should be the best guides
for their descendants. They did not dis
daln to study ancient history They knew
what caused the doWnfall of the mighty
Roman republic They read, as Chatham
said he did the history of the freedom.
of the decay, and the enslavement of
Greece They knew to what she owed her
CORY and to what she owed her ruin.
They learned from her the doctrine that
while there is little else that a democracy
cannot accomplish 1t cannot rule over vas-
sal states or subject peoples without
bringing in the elements OF death into its
own constitution. The Americans have
been aptly called the Greeks of modern
times The versatile enterprising, adven-
turous Yankee has been likened to the
people of Athens, who were of the Ionian
race and the brave, constant, in1exib.s
men Of the South to the brave, constant
and inhexible Sparta, whose people wera
Dorians.
There are two lessons our fathers learn
ed from the history of Greece which they
hoped their children would remember-the
IL. ,F.1
an indulgence in the greed and lust OF
empire. The Greeks stood together against
the power of Persia as the American states
stood together against the tyranny OF
England For us the danger Of disunion
has happily passed by. Our Athenians
and our Spartans are bound and welded
together again, each lending to the other
the strength of their steel and the sharp
ness Of their tempered blade in an indis-
soluble union. Our danger to-day Is from
the lust Of empire. 1t is little remarkable
that the temptation that besets us now
lured and brought to ruin the Athenian
people in ancient times. / hope that we
may be able TO resist and avert that danger
as we resisted and averted the peril of
disunion. Percles and Cleon. the conserv-
ative and the radical leaders, differing i'm
everything else. united in their vain warm
ing to their countrymen against this peril.
Cleon, though a demagogue and radical.
boldly told his countrymen that
Republics Rule Sel6shIy.
"A democracy was incapable of holding
dominion over others; that they were
slaves to every new paradox, and that
as thoz. listened to the orators for expan-
sion they resembled men sitting to be
amused by rhetoricins rather than delfber-
ating on state affairs"
"Prof. Greasy, in his six Decisive Bat
ties Of the World" we'll says:
There has never been republic vet
in history that acquired dominion over an
other nation that did not rule it seldshlv
and oppressiyely. There is no single ex-
ceptlon to this rule either in ancient or
modern times. Carthage, Rome, Venice.
Genoa, Florence Pisa, Holland and repub-
liean France, all tyrannized over every
province and subject state where they
gained authority
"A8y excellent friend, the honorable sem
ator from Connecticut, after stating that
in his Judgment governments derive their
lust powers from the consent of some or