Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-20
Senator Nelson Speaks in Favor Of
Expansion.
OUR DUTY 10 PROTECT FILIPINOS
Sensational Attack in the House
on Contractors.
ON THE PRIVATE CALENDAR

tiais Of Henry Cabot Lodge. who was re-
Gently reelected a senator from Massa-
chusetts for term Of six years, beginning
ou March l. 1899. The credentials were
filed.
Communication From Filipinos.
Mr.. Caffery G-aD offered the following
concurrent resolution: That the President
be. and he is hereby requested. if not in
compatible with the pubic interest, to fur
nish 10 the Senate copies of any communI-
cations received by The State Department
from any representative OF agents of the
SO-Cai4td Philippine republic: and a.So TO
furnish any information IN his possession,
or any documents Ned before the state
Department relative 10 the bounds Of the
territories in the Philippine Islands, to-
Sether with the number of inhabitants
therein. held respectively under the con-
JTOi of the American forces and the au-
thOrity of the sO-ca.Ied Philippine republic,
showing particularly what is.ands or parts
u islands. If any. can IN any event be de-
ivered by Spain to the United States.
The resolution went over under objection.
Mr.. Allison Uowa) endeavCred to secure
unanimous consent for The taking of a vote
on the Nicaraguan canal bill at ) O'Clock
today. but 4lF. Cancry objected.
A House joint resolution was passed re-
appointing James &. Angel of Michigan
one of the regents of the Smithsonian lnsJi-
tuition.
Mr.. Nelson On Expansion.
Mr.. Nelson CMinn) was then recognized
TO make speech upon the Vest anti-expan-
SION resolution. His address was con-
sJiJuti0ual argument IN support OF the right
Of the United States UNernment 70 acquire
and govern foreign territory. He nam
tanned that 1t was no longer an unsettled
question that this COuntry udd the power
no, only to acquire foreign territory 10y
discovery. conquest or trea,y, but also to
govern territory 50 acquired. That 4ueS-
ton he said, had been settled by decision
OF the Supreme Court. and was scarcely
longer open L. debate. he maintained that
the Iuited States had inherent power TO
acquire terri-ory-a power as iuA and COM
prehenSIVe as that possessed by any other
nation He referred 10 the territory that
had been acquired n the past by the TINTED
States government, ana declared mat IN no
single case had the people of the terri
tory acquired been consulted or their con-
sent secured In the TWO cases of Texas
and Hawaii We had more nearly approached
the point of consulting the inhabitants than
in any other. hut even in those cases there
was but shadow of consultation In that
OF Hawaii less than 300 of the inhaDi-
taurS out Of a total of I21GH had been
asked for their consent to annexation. In
the course of this debate, he said, the con-
tention was being made that the people of
the territory proposed to he acquired were
noc fl for citizenship in our republic
Admitting that that contention was cor
rect. il was quite as true that the people
Of much territory therto acquired by
this country were unfit for citizenship at
the time tn territory was taken into the
Union. Had We applied the reasoning that
was now being advanced against the ac-
QUESTION Of territory 10 the people of Flor
ida and the Louisiana territory when they
were admitted into tn United States they
scarcely could have passed muster, as it
WAS well known that they were not fitted
for citizenship
Mr. Nelson thea entered upon an elabo-
rate constitutional argFIme MT. citing nu-
D. If
sitIon. He maintained that the arguments
that taxation without reprcSeu alton was
tyranny and that governments derive their
lL-I powers from the consent Of the gov
tTE-G were true only in limited extent.
\ majority Of our people, he said. were
without direct representation. Women,
minors and imbecIles were without rep
resentatton in our government and had to
bear their share IF taxation. They had
IN other words, to undergo the burdens
control
In response TO a question by Mr. Mason
Ql-)- Mr. Nelson said that no man could
say truthfuuy thai the rights OF English
men had been destroyed or even in any
sense impaired by Great Britain's great
scheme of colonization.
Further replying to Mr.. Mason, ne de-
cIdred that the United States, our own
magnificent government was the product
OF the colonization plans Of Great britain.
and he demanded TO know whether Mr.
Mason would desire to blot oYt that q-rsot
work Of England What the people of Eng
land have done said he. certainly the peo-
pie Of the United safes could accomplish
Colonies have not destroyed England:
how Will they destroy Us?-'
Mr.. Tillnan IS. c.. iuterrupting Mr.. Mel
son ana referring 10 the contest between
sweden and Norway and the practical
severance OF thei~ relations, Incurred why
The NorWegianS at home wanted liberty
Wnue those OF the United States did not
"g ,Tbis t. give Aoerty to the Flipinos.
sian birth aroused him.
I am a citizen Of the United States. Mr..
President he replied. 4 am not repre-
athuhs either the people or the govern
5Aett oi norway, whose nights and liberties
am SATISFIED We're greater than those Of
the people Of South Carolina" Q.aughtar1
Conditions in the Philippines
In his discussion of the situation in the
Philippines when Admiral Dewey arrived
at Manila on the memorable LIST Of Nav
M Nelson pointed out that the islanders
were in = state Of practical slavery under
the dominion Of Spain. AgunaIdo had
abandoned them. he said. on the pavnent
10 MIN by Spain Of paltry thirty pieces
OF silver which in this case was to be
SNNNH. half Of which amount The irsf1r
gent leader had already received He was
{" testNe the people and leave the country
70 the tender mer. les Of Spanish crueIties
nat sdi1 MI. Nelson, was the situation
Nh-n Adm1rdt Dewey arrived with his fleet
lie maintained further that TODAY tha
Philippines were rightly in the coutroI ~
the chief executive OF this counrry-as
completely and legally in his control as any
territory ever was
Replying to question OF Mr. Mason he
declared that the government of the United
states was as lawfully in control of the
Philippines rs IL was Of the state OF Illinois
'When our feet entered Manila h3y ON
the lst Of May" continued Mr. Nelson
We entered not as cOuqutrors not as de-
e spoilers Of liberty. but with the earnest de-
sire 10 assist the Filigiros by breaking the
yoke Of Spain. We went there as liberia
tors and as such are there TODAY. our
duty Is 10 protect those people from the
anarchy and Gesp0tism that threaten them
Our duty is to breathe into them the life
and spirit which viii enable them 10 enjoy
and appreciate the government and the
privileges that are 70 he given them
In response &C another question put to
him 10y Mr.. Mason. Mr.. Nelson replied:
Are we bound By any utterance or any
acton OF ours 10 eHsiaye the Fiiipinos? is
there a single word in the utterances of the
chief executive OF this country or in the
NtttranceS Of any senator on this floor that
Ieaos the senator from Illinois 10 believe
that We expect to euslave them? In MAX
ing even an iHtimation of such a purpose
the senator Is slsndering the officials of