Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-06-27

our hands TO the plow, and every instinct of
henor and humanity forbade us 10 turn back.
A universal a, mand arose from all over the
country that We should retain our hold upon
these islands, ahord their people the prOtec-
tlon or our laws, MT them out of their an
fortunate condition ana ht them IL possible
for self government. ANY agreement by our
commissioners to give back the Philippines
to Spain. reservins For ourselves an iSl.id
or a eoaling station would have aroused
a universal national indignation and would
never have been ratified By the representa-
tives Of the people.
We assumed dominion Of Porto Rico. Cuba
aad the Philippines for reasons differing as
TO each Of them. Ne took to ourselves the
! little island of Porto Rico because 1t lay
/ under the shadow af our own shores, and
because its continued occupancy BY Spain
I or by any foreign government would be a
I constant menace Go he States and TO that
+ great inter0ceanc waterway which we shall
/ build and own ana operate as al American
| canal. We found II impoverished by years
! OF colonial mlsEoverument and without any
/ system OF revenue laws. Soon after the
/ peace It's people were further stricken by
food aud famine. We assumed toward them
I every obligation which sympathy and friend
/ ship could prompt We contributed as Il
nation large sums Of money 10 ameliorate
4 their condition aud enable them to plant
4 and garner their crops Then wc said TO
4 them: We shall give you Just and equita
/ bic form of free government. with power
I to manage your hone affairs CnJil you
shah devise proper and efficient fuerhdds of
4 revenue and taxatiou your needed funds
| shall be raised as follows You shall pay
upon your imports 10 per cent. Of the pres
/ eut tariff rate governing importatons Into
| the United States, which means an average
I duty of about I per cent All the neces-
saries of life and building materials for the
! structures you need shall he free. Ca the
! LIST day Of March. 1902, an these duties shall
/ cease in any event and shall cease sooner II
before that time you can arrange for the
needed revenues Of the island.
The recommendations Of the President
! Fol md GatfSFapfnritV gnmDiian with
| the people of the island are content, the
/ vast mass OF the American people approve,
! and we have avoided presidents that might
| vex us when we come to deal with the prob
lens that finally await Us In til establish
ment of our permanent relations toward the
people of the Philippine Islands.
Flag and Constitution.
There has been much discussion during
| the last few months In erspeCt to the extent
| of the power of this country TO deal with
! Porto Rico and our other possessions and II
| has been frequently contended by the Dem
| ocraey that as soon as we become the own
| ers of any OF these Islands the Constitution
! of the United States at Cuce extended over
/ them or. In the oratorlcal bus misleading
| phrase. The Constitution follows the flag"
| y @ argument is speci0us but 1t will not
| bear investigation. The same question was
| raised In 1908, at the time OF the Louisiana
purchase, and the doctrine then established
1 by Congress that could Mcguire foreign
soil by purchase, that Congress had the
| right TO establish there such government as
| II saw fit, and that the Constitution did not
I OF Its own force extend over such territory.
The doctrine was never questioned until In
| Calhoun's time 1t was soggut TO be denied
in the effort to extend human slavery Into
| the territories.
The supreme Court OF the United States
has more than once determined the question,
| and the contention concerning II now by our
| opponents Is not because anybody believes
that the laws we have enacted for the gov
| eminent of the Island are unjust but in
, order to embarrass the administration in
dealing effectively with our new posses
sions The flag went TO Mexico In IS4S, the
Constitution did not. The flag went to
Cuba and was carried into Santiago. and Is
! there vet. But our Constitution not only Is
not there but we are busy encouraging
Cuba to prepare a Constitution Of her own.
| When any portion Of our territory becomes
| sovereign state. then is pur Constitution It's
| corner stone. In the territory of the United
States not included within state boundaries
| Congress alone determines the extent TO
| which the provisions Of the Constitution ex-
tend.
In regard to Cuba he declared the Re
publican party still adhered to the pur-
pose to leave the government and control
of the island to its people. He continued:
And in this connection It is fitting to say
| that the peculations and frauds committed
| I'm Cuba by subordinate officials have made
! every American blush with shame, and until
/ the last guilty man Is arrested and convict
| ed and sentenced that shame will know no
| abatement. IL Is no more to be charged
| to the party than would theft by a trusted
employe be charged against the character OF
| a merchant who employed him. The party
that shields and protects dishonest officials
| forfeits public confidence, not the party that
| exposes and Furnishes them. The Republican
| party has been rarely the victim OF mis-
| placed confidence in its officials. In this
instance the appointments were made with
the greatest care many of them from the
| classified service Whenever fraud has been
1 discovered the guilty have been pursued un-
sparlngIy and with the greatest publicity.
| SO has 1t been with these fhieying postoffice
| officials, so has II been always.
| We are dealing with Cuba In spirit not
| only OF fairness, but OF generosity and OF
/ absolute unseihshness, and whenever the in
1 habltants Of that Island evnce and declare
their ability to take over its government and
! control, that day they shall receive Il; and
until then we shall continue to administer its
affairs under rule sanitary and satisfactory
| to all good citizens In Cuba and creditable
| TO the administration al Washington, under
| whose orders the gov eminent Is conducted.
Will Not Give Up Philippines.
| When the war ended and we faced our
! victory in all its completeness we found
! 5000, 900 people living upon uncounted isl
| ands delivered into our hands. We are told
! that the islands rich in all the products
| OF the tropics, In mineral wealth ard IN the
/ possibilities OF their future development.
! So much the better But If they were az
/ taken them just the same.
We haven't been there long, bur long
! enough 10 reach two conclusions. One Is
that the first thing we intend doing Is TO sup
/ press the Tagal insurIeetiOn and TO establish
/ law and order throughout the archipelago.
! That is the first thing we shall DO. And the
/ last-the very last ming we intend doing
/ is to consider even for moment the ques-
/ tion Of giving up or IT abandoning these Isl
ands.
What would he Democracy have us dO2
! Give them up to raplDe and blOOdshed. and
! leave the Islands as h0tsam and jetsam on
/ the face OF the watersg The insurrectioH
/ against IT legitimate authority which for
/ the time Inns sdes 0Ur efforts to establish
| a government fJr the ilipihos involves us IN
/ a sacrifice Of Ii yes and Of treasure The DIR
/ hcuities we encounter in the island OF Luz0n
| are many. but the edisf Inspiration and en-
| Cuuragem Of the ] gal Instruction come
/ from the Democrat headquarters IN the
| United States Par sanship has proved
| stronger than patriotism, even while cur
| soldiers are being murdered by marauding
| bandits, and II Il not for the hope heid
| out TO Aguinaldo by american sgmpa hizrrs
1 the instruction In he Philippines ~oaIu
| long ago have ended
/ The wise Statesman nip Of the President
/ and our able Secretary % state has already
/ brought from the countries Of Europe rec
/ ignition Of our right to share 10 the vast
1 commercial az autaEe- which HiH foiloW
1 the opening 0f the Chinese empire 70 Tor
eign trade; the Aicaff sudn canal will soon
/ be constructed; Hav ], with its valuable
harbor. is ours; we puzsess the best OF the
/ Samoan Islands. Riih Is magnificent road-
/ way; the Philippines are almost at the door
1 Of Cblns. and II couus- Of fear do not ore
! vail th!s generation IS u see the American
/ nation girdiing han THE globe with Its nag