The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-12

cises shall be uniform throughout the
United States 1t will not be contended
that the modification of the power ex-
tends to places TO which the power itself
does not extend The power then, to lay
and collect duties, imposts and exercises
may be exercised and must be exercised
throughout the United States. Does the
term designate the whole or any partic-
ular portion of the American empire?
Certainly this question can admit of but
one answer. 1t is the name given to our
great republic, which is composed of
States and Territories. The. District OF Co
lumbia or the territory west of the Mis-
souri, is not less within the United States
than Maryland or Pennsylvania"
If this ruling of MarShall's, confirmed
by every ruling since made on the subject,
is sound, then the Puerto Rican Tariff
bill, levying different duties at the ports
and upon the people of that island from
those which are levied at the ports and on
the people of any State in the Union, is
unconstitutional 1t cannot become con-
stitutional except by revolution in our
policy so profound and far-reaching that
if the people vote to accomplish it there
is nothing to prevent this republic devel-
oping in the course of the twentieth GEN.
fury along exactly the same lines on
which Great Britain, Russia, France and
Germany have acquired by mixture OF
negotiation and force--a little negOtia-
ton among themselves and a great deal
of force among the subjugated peoples
enormous external territories, wherein
large fraction of the entire human race
is living under various kinds and degrees
CT arbitrary government, to none OF
which have they ever consented. And
that is the essence of the thing we call
imperialism-governme without con-
sent of the governed.
Our fathers from 1T76, downward, al
ways gave that name to it. Imperialism
is the denial of the fundamental rights or
man. 1t is the negation of the great
Declaration of independence. 1t contra
diets the sword of Washington and the
pen of Jefferson. 1t doubts the dlctum
of Webster, who said: ''No matter how
easy may be the yoke of the foreign
power-no matter how lightly it sits
upon the shoulders-if it is not imposed
by the voice of his own nation and of
his own country he will not, he cannot,
and he means not to be happy under its
burden 1t nullifies the fourteenth
amendment of the Constitution, in which
the Republican party once took great
pride and which declares: "All persons
born or naturalized in the United States,
and subject to the jurisdiction thereof
are citizens of the United States 1t
challenges the assertion of Abraham
Lincoln, in former times a respectable
Republican authority, that this republic
could not exist half free and half slave,
but must be either all free or all slave
"a doctrine which directly clashes with
the Mckinley conception of republic
composed of seventy millions of free peo-
pie at home and any number of millions
CT vagabonds" and -" savages" in Asia or
wherever else we may choose to acquire
and govern them on the European prin-
cipe-without their own consent.
1t is denial also of a famous declara-
tion of Charles Summer sustained at the
time by the great majority of the Repub-
lcan party. Speaking of the proposed ac-
QUESTION of San Domingo by a mixture of
un-American processes-half by corrupt
purchase and half by brute force-Sum-
mer said: "It is vain to set forth as the
message president Grant's) does, all
manner of advantages, commercially and
priceless blessng-Peace? ! am not in
sensible to the commercial and material
prosperity Of my country But there is
something above these. 1t is the honor
and good name of the republic, now dar-
kened by an act of wrong. If this terri
tory were indefinitely more valuable than
it is l hope the Senate would not be
tempted to obtain it by trampling on the
weak and humble. Admit all that the
advocates of the scheme assert with re-
gard to the resources of this territory
and then imagine its lofty mountains
bursting with the precious metals, its
streams flowing with amber over silver
sands. where every field is a garden of
the Hesperides, blooming with vegetable
gold and all this is not worth the price
we are called to pay Thus spoke the
most eloquent and scholarly statesman
of the Republican party in its better
days.
From Lincoln and Summer to Mckin-
ley and Hanna is a far cry. 1t covers the
distance betweenl the old American and
the new Imperial idea.