The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-09
Denied Our Right Under the Constitution 10
Care For Distant Peoples.
EFFECT OF Mr.. PLATTS CONTENTION
II Would Make Pure, Unlimited, Uniempered
Despoism, Without Any Relief From Assas-
sins he Has Abiding Hope.

Washington, Jan. 9.-At the session of
the Senate today Senator Hear of
Massachusetts made am extended
speech on the proposed absorption by
the United States OF the Philippine
Islands.
without adverting - the proposed
policy of the United states entering
upon an expansion of it's territory. ex-
cept in n general and indirect manner.
Mr.. Iioar entered upon a discussion of
the constitutional phases Of the ques
tion involved in the resolution under
consideration. prefacing his argument
with statement of his personal posi-
tion ON The subject.
II am quite sure" said he, i'm begin
ming, that no man who will hear what
/ say today will doubt that nothing
could induce me To say IL, but a COM
manding sense of public duty. | dis
like to differ from the president, whose
election j hailed with sUch personal
satisfaction and such cXulting anticipa-
tions OF the republic. / dislike TO diiser
from so many of my party associates
I'm this chamber. with whom 7 have for
so many years trod the same path and
sought the same goal. j am one Of
those men who believe that little that
is great or good or permanent for free
people can he accomplished without the
instrumentality of party. And / have
believed religiously, and from my soul,
for half a century, in the great doc
trines and principles of the Republican
party ] stood in humble capacity by
it's cradle. I don't mean, if | can help
il, to follow its hearse. l am sure |
render il a service. ] am sure help to
protect and to prolong the life OF that
great organization, If | can say or can
do anything to keep it from forsaking
the great principles and doctrines i'm
which alone IL must live or bear no life.
IT am TO speak for my country, for
its whole past. and for it's whole flu
ture. / am TO speak to a people whose
fate is bound up in the preservation OF
our great doctrine of constitutional lib
erty. am to speak for the dead soldier
who gave his life for liberty that his
death might set a seal upon his coun-
try's historic glory. | am to speak for
the Republican part. all of whose great
traditions are at stake, and all of whose
great achievements are i'm peril.
Certainly. Mr.. President no man
can ever Justly charge me with lack
of faith in my countrymen, of lack of
faith i'm the principles on which the re-
public is founded. | have in the fullest
measure that which stands as the CEN
tral figure i'm the mighty group which
the apostle says is forever To abide
hope. / thank God that as my eyes
grow dim they look out on "A fairer
country, a better people, brighter fu-
ture.
1T is not my purpose, or course. to
discuss the general considerations
which affect any acquisition OF SOW
ereignty by the American people over
the Philippine islands which has been
or may be proposed | am speaking to-
day only of the theory of constitutional
Interpretation propounded by the sem
ator from Connecticut (Mr. PratD. If at
any time hereafter the senator shall
seek TO put his theories into practice by
reducing to subsection distant people,
dwelling i'm the tropics, aliens in blood,
most of them Moslem i'm faith, incapa-
BILE TO speak or comprehend our lam
euage, or To read or TO write any lam
guage. to whom the traditions and the
doctrines of civil liberty are unknown,
il will be time to point out what terri
BILE results and penalties this departure
from our constitutional principles will
bring upon us
NJ. 'Isar said that our fathers who
ersnn tic constitution we're the wis
est builders of states the wor.s liss '-t
zen. They had studied ancient MS
tory and had learned that while there
- tttlp else that a dCt~Dcfa y cannot
accomplish IL cannot rule over Nassal
states or subject peoples without
bringing the clements ~ death ia its
own constitution. Our fi'hers, he said.
learucd two lessons from the history of
Grrcrc-thc danger OF disunion and
domestic strife and an indulgence I'm
the greed uud lust ~ empires. and he
hoped We might avert the latter danger
as Nyc had aVcrtnd the former. In this
connection he quoted Prof. Crcusy as
saving IN his fifteen decisive battles of
tho world" there has never been a re-
public yet i'm history that acquired
dominion over another nation that did
not rule IL sclfShly and oUpressivcly.
There Us no single exception 90 this
rule either i'm ancient or modern times
Il hrpc not Go weary The Senate by
reitcrltion." said Mr. Ifolr. conciudinr
his preface. "Iut this is the greatest
question. this question Of tho power and
authority of our constitution iu THE
matter. I had almost said. that had
been discussed among mankind from
tho beginning of time. Certainly it is
tho greptcst question ever discussed I'm
this chamber from the beginning OF the
government
Mr.. Hoar believed. he said. this coun-
try Go hc nation--a sovereign nation.
Ito believed Congress possessed all the
powers necessary 60 accomplish the
great objects the trainers Of the consti-
tuition intended should be- accomplish
ed Hut he denied that ~ possessed the
"astonishing" and "eXtravagant' pow
ers under the constitution which the
senator from Connecticut tMr. Plato
attributed to it.
Nr Hoar then quoted Mr. platt as
N..a 10.