The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-01-28

the constitutionality of the purposes,
which congress is about to exercise, these
by congress itself through it's majority.
/ believe hat the power of the United
States in any territory or possession out
side the limits of the United States. in
any territory or possessions outside the
limits of the states themselves Is absolute.
with the single exception OF the limita-
ton placed upon such outside posses
sions by the thirteenth amendment, such.
at all events. has been the policy of the
United States and its course of action
in practice.
/ will not enter into any discussion Of
the bred Scott decision, which has been
so admirably dealt with by the senator
from Ohio. 1 was brought up to believe
that no greater injury was ever attempted
against the supreme court than when.
for political reasons. that decision was
forced upon it. l was also brought up to
believe that the famous Obiter dictum of
Chief Justice fancy was as bad in law
as it was wrong In politics and in human
doctrine. l am not very old. but that is
now. / am content to stand IN the broad
proposition laid down by Webster in de-
bate in 1919. that the territories are not
part of the United States. but belong to
the United States. as England's colonies
belong to England.
A BROAD PROPOSITION.
Constitutions do not make people; peo-
pie make constitutions. Our constitution
is great and admirable, because the men
who made it were so, and the people who
ratified 1t and lived under it were and are
brave. intelligent and lovers of liberty.
There is a higher sanction and a surer
protection to life and liberty, to the right
of free speech and trial by jury. to JUS
tice and humanity in the traditions. the
beliefs. the habits of mind and the char
acter of the American people, than any
which can be afforded by the cOnStitu-
the American people were disposed to
tyranny, injustice and oppression, a con-
%Stitution would offer but a temporary bar
rier to their ambitions. but the reverence
for the constitution and for law and jus
tice grows out of the fact that the
American people believe in freedom and
humanity, in equal justice to all men;
and in equal rights before the law, and
while they so believe the great doctrines
of the declaration of independence and of
the constitution will never be in peril.
Holding these views as to our conSti-
tutional powers. the great question now
before the American people resolves it
self. in my mind. to one of policy purely
There is only one question demanding
actual and immediate decision now be-
fore the congress and the people. and that
is whether the treaty with Spain shall be
ratified or not.
THE QUESTION AT ISSUE.
1 desire merely to state very briefly
what, as / understand II, that question
is. l have heard no opposition expressed
to any part of the treaty except such por-
tons of it as relate to the Philippines. and
that, therefore,. is the sole point upon
which l desire to touch: In our war with
Spain we conquered the fnilipDine is
lands. or, to put it more exactly, We de-
stroyed the power of Spain in those is
lands and took possession of their capital.
is wisely and skilfully drawn. 1t COM
mits US to no policy, to no course of &C.
ton whatever in regard to the Philip
pines. When that treaty is ratified We
nave full power, and are free to do with
those Islands as we please. and the Oppo-
sition to its ratification may be summed
can people and the American congress
are not to be trusted with that power
and with that freedom of action in regard
to the inhabitants of these distant is
MUST RATIFY OR REJECT.
We must either ratify the treaty or re-
ject 1t, for 1 can not suppose that any
one would seriously advance the PROPOSE
ton that We should amend the treaty in
such a way as to make pledges to Spain,
and to Spain alone, and give bonds to
conduct in a matter which will be wholly
our own to decide. Let us look, then at
the two alternatives. Suppose we ratify
the treaty. The islands pass from the
possession of Spain into our possession
without committing us to any policy. l
believe We can be trusted as a people to
deal honestly and justly with the islands
and their inhabitants thus given to our
care. What our precise policy shall be l
do not know, because /, for one. am not
sufficiently informed as to the conditions
there to be able to say what would be
best to do. nor. 1 may add. do 1 think
any one Is. But 1 believe that We shall
nave the wisdom not to attempt to incor-
porate those stands with our body polite.
or set their labor alongside of ours and
within our tariff to compete in any In
dustry with American orkme
THE NATIONAL COURAGE.
I believe that we shall have the courage
not to depart from those Islands fearful
ly, timidly. and unworthily, and leave
them to anarchy among themselves. to
the brief and bloody domination of some