The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-09-21

.'ws are opposed 10 war Tor e5nasrEi, hsss
a this war was forced ON M by the into,~g.
ans ccndart os tspr spanish government and
people, ". deciarc that 70 xisoasd tss prose
cutsd aniii spain Ii driven fro1a the West
~sn Hemisphere. And. since the psppecn'
ton Of ,ise war has enisiiei srest loss TO ms
of both liie and trcasurr. we demand that
Porto is,co and ali Spanish territory IN the
West ladies. except cuba. shah In seixnd
by the United states or taken By posssssicn
OF arms. and held under sne sovereignty Of
this country"
This 10 interpreted BY tho Register
10 mean that '.we ASSUME tho righs TO
abrog1le The Declaration Of indepepd-
cnce, a" that the inhabitants u Pono
lIico are $40 become the lawful prey
Of the victor. their courts wiped eas
and military tribunals subsii,uied---an
alien race put 10 bayouesied lnastership
oScr ihcm." But such construction b
not warranted by the language nor the
character Of the body that adopted II.
II DeAus that lbe islaad 10 so be held
just as territory purchased or acquired
by conquest by she United States has
ever been held, until Congress Is called
TO nc; upon the application ui IT, peo-
pie for statehood. A mans own In
,erpriaiion Of the meaning Of his Ian
guagc is entitled 10 come consideration.
In an accredited Interview on Senator
Vests anti-eoiVsial res0sutiop in the
Senate last fall, GOV. SsoDe said;
~ have said IN speecssss In the pass few
months. ard n win h~ seen that was In nc
cord with Democrats both On Missouri and
out OF 70. tnR1 rnc Democratic party Htnuus
on this question OF territorial expansion ex.
artiy where Thomas Jcfrerson plaesd 70 ana
THAT wnai 'TmE UNITED sFaTKa nAs We
niauT 10 ACqsRE SEw TKungrpsr KxcHFT
To DEvKLoP IT INTO A coSpITIos 90 STATE
HOOD"
And this may be taken as an honest
Interpretation Of the meaning Of the
paragraph by the man who wroee IL.
Surely nothing but n strained eonstruc-
lion could invest Il with n sentiment VI
imperialism.
But, asks The Register, 'bow much
oi the 'conseD, OF the governed Is In
this plankP' This much. ami onL
this: that the people Of no territory
ever acquired by the United staies.
when the conditions OF statehood were
complied with, have ever been denied
the rights of citizenship under our
American system Of government. In
the acquisition Of territory by the
upiied States, cxeep, perhaps In tho
annexation Of Texas, the consent OF
the people inhabitiug that territory has
never been consulted. when Spain
sold the vast Louisiana domain TO the
United States, did either government
consult the people Of that territory
about the exchanged Yet that was The
act Of Democratic administration and
no one ventures to say that jefferson
violated any Of the principles of Dem
fs. l.s 4kta A..I
not vast area of the riches, section Of
our country acquired by copqucsI or =.
n war :adcmnityG
II Is well known that jefferson de.
sired and favored the acquisition Of
Cuba aud Porto Rico. In letter To
President Monroe discussing linz doc.
lrine laid down by thai eminent states
man and Democrat, he inquired
"Does II exclude future yh'ws of &c.
Iuiring Porto Rico. etc., as we'll n
Cuba?" Aud ,hen said: II cand,d
Iy confess that ever look upon tuba
~ the most interesting addition which
could be made t"uur system Of Stat.
We might quote similar seotimru,s
frum others of uur eariier DemOcr.,,c
statesmen, but we do not wish 10 Irngih-
en this article, and the Register +" I.
all this, We have merely quolea '"Is
much 10 remark that the acquisition IS
these islands, both for their slralegieaI
aud commercial importance. baS tong
buen policy Of ihe ihrn 'ccs'h
and that tbs DcmnGraim N..t'u, "
vention of 1860 whist ..uIru o.
Douglas ad pied This ,.tnk N a.. =
form:
"HrsOivsd. raa, 80 Dca :.If'. -
are IN favuT UT TIA. acauIsltiJh ~ tulI n
such terms ms shall oe honorable 10 ,ai .
selves and Just TO SPAIN"
Nothing IN that about the ''cuns-n
Of the pelple" To b. transferred j., iu
sovereignty OF the United stsIes Jn.
may have been an unpar,!pnabc o,
sight 10 tho convention. 90 well rs III
same lack Of consideration may ha,
been with jefferson In his desire to al
quire it, OF In his purchase OF The Lus
islana territory. Condnioss ~ 10 Gu,
are somewhat changed, aud the Drmo
cratic party woall, Ia fuldllmcut OF
the pledge OF Congress, aid her IN rs.
tsblishing IN independent, gcrernmrnl.
and then by the coascn, Of her people
annex her u they desire w. hot Fort.
Rico Is ours by conquest, aud there l.
90 Democratic precedrn, agains, hold
iutF fha ..iaud mai as .. noau........t ,..s..,