The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-11
BLOWS FOR LIBERTY
Senator Mason Against Gov
ernment by Force,
THE TRUE EXPANSION
OTHER REPUBLICS WE'RE BORN
OF OURS.
SHALL WE STRANGlE FREEDOM NOW ?
An EIouuen. Plea FIR The fipinos. Some Of
The Evils Of Our Own Government.
Expansion Fever kbsting.
Law of Compensation.

Law of Compensation.
Washington, Jan. 10.-Senator Mason,
of Illinois. occupied the attention OF the
Senate for nearly an hour and half
to-day with speech in support of his
resolution declaring that the United
States will never attempt TO govern the
neople of any country without their con-
sent. In many respects the speech was
one of the most notable utterances III
the Senate thus far this season. Rug
ged in language, pointed and effective In
illustration, Mr.. Mason commanded the
attention of the Senate and of the gal
leries from the first sentence of his
speech to the apostrophe to liberty which
formed his peroration. Several times
spontaneous applause swept over the
galleries, but under the stringent rules
of the Senate it was quelled quickly. Ii
was several minutes after the conclu--
sion of the speech before the Senate
could proceed with it's business on ac-
count of the confusion incident to the
congratulations which many of Mr.. Ma
sons colleagues hastened 70 extend to
him.
1T is easy to drift with the tide
began Mr.. Mason, but it is not always
safe. 1t is pleasant to remain IN the
harbor when the storm is on, but some
times the storm within the inner con-
science is more dangerous TO peace of
mind than the storm without the .iarbol
is to human life.
ssThe simple resolution / have intro
duced has nothing necessarily to do with
any treaty, so far as | am informed.
nor do intend to speak of any proposed
treaty.
1.-The resolution / present. does not
involve a question of law, but S ),
question as to the future policy of this
republic. My resolution recites the Dec
laraton of Independence. I do not
apologize for the resolution regret lis
necessity. l agree that you can, rs Lin
coin said, in the long run trust the peo
pie. / am willing to trust he paop.e,
and / want the people to haa: botn
sides of the case before the verdict
is rendered.
sDistinguished editors and statesmen
say the Republican party favors g,.crn
ing certain nations without the consen
Of its people. Who dares speak in ad-
vance for the party that speaks only IN
its convention? That party sprang like
a young giant from the WOMB of con-
science and made its first fight for hui
man liberty. 1t has never bowed to the
storm of expediency, and if may b.
allowed to prophecy, predict that if the
delegates will go in again, the rafters
will ring again and again when they de
Al. sx,1 lann fnp hn
citizen of the Philippines rs they die
two years ago for Cuba.
do you say l am speaking for the
Philippines? Yes, one word for them,
and two for ourselves.
Il may appear to speak one word for
the Philippines, but two for my own
people when l plead for the broad man
hood of the man who wrote All just
powers of government are derived from
the consent of the governed
I'VE ought to begin to learn the inexor
able law of compensation. You cannot
govern the Philippines without taxing
them; you have not yet their consent
and when the proposition of taxation
without representation is made again
look out for tea parties-those little semi
social functions are likely to break out
even there, for Hail Columbia and Yam
kee Doodle .have been heard in the arch
ipelago.
I'VE may talk of it as we please, but
there is nothing that SATISFIES the human
mind in an enlightened age, unless man
is governed by his own country ana the
institutions of his own government. NO
matter how easy may be the yoke OF a
foreign power-no matter how lightly u
sits upon his shoulders, if it is not in-
posed by the voice of his own naticn
and Of his own country, he will not, he
cannot. and he means not to be happy
under its burden
1--WE are now asked to say to the citi-
zens of the Philippine Islands, You
poor ignorant creatures, YOU can't gov
ern yourselves; we will extend our com
merce and we will do it for you. You
don't know how to tax yourselves. ana
in order that we may continue to exer-
else our Christian duty to you we will
prevent your exercising sovercignty-wt
will exercise that function ourselves.
Mr. President they will never learn
to govern themselves while we govern
them. There is no such thing as teach
ing the art Of government.
when Kossuth wrote the declaration
for hungarian independence he said h
had in mind our own Declaration of In
dependence. For over 100 years every
lover of liberty has pointed 10 this sen
tence within this resolution: That al
just powers of government are derived
from the consent of the governed, as a
reason for their fight for liberty. This
sentence has been pillar of fire by