Graham guardian., 1900-08-24
TRUE DEMOCRACY VS.. TOREY
FEDERAL IMPERIALISM.
We Want no British Absoiutism.
ny A. BUCK.

We Want no British Absoiutism,
ny A. BUCK.
tits certainly interesting to peruse
the quibbling subterfuges that
the conjurers at imperialism--or
absolutism-have resorted to in
their abortive attempt to demon
strate that the people who inhabit
our territories are not citizens of
the United States and that Con-
gress has absolute power to rule
over the Territories without be-
ing restricted by any of the pro-
visions of the constitution, and
even going SO far as to contend
that treaty is superior to the
constitution and that the District
of Columbia and other territories
are not within the limits of the
United States. Certainly it must
be q charming revelation to the
average citizen to learn that our
constitution, after all, is nodded
after that of Great Britain and that
| we have right to govern our ter
ritories outside of the constitution
and treat the people occupying
them as a nonenity. 1t all clearly
indicates that our modern Tory
Federalists have created great
monster, and as it comes back to
plague them they are at a loss to
know what to do with it, provid-
ed they cannot be permitted to
substitute in the place of our con
stitution the absolutism of Great
| Britain.
The of spring Of these imperial
istic coniurings is that the congress
of the United Statet is not the
creature of the constitution; that
its powers were.not created by the
constitution, and that the limita-
tions placed upon congress by the
constitution must not be applied
to all legislation which it origina-
tes. In other words Congress can
be a despotism in certain parts
of our dominions and body of
limited powers in other parts-a
limited sovereignty in the states
and despotism in the territories.
Under.such a doctrine Congress
could, in legislating for the ter
ritories, pass bills of attainder and
expost facto laws, grant titles of
nobility, work corruption of blood
and forfeiture, prevent the freedom
of speech or the press, forbid the
right to keep and bear arms, take
away from the people the right to
be secure in their persons, houses
and effects, deprive them of life,
liberty and property without due
process of law and without com
pensation, do away with tho right
of trial by jury, subject the people
to cruel and unjust punishment, in.
stitute unreasonable search and
seizuers and quarter soldiers in
time of peace in any home without
consulting the owner. The fore
going are some of the limitations
which the constitution places upon
congress and forbids that body to
invade any of them; and still, how
ever shocking it may seem, our
Modern Hamiltons, our Modern
Tory-Federal Imperialists are con-
tending that all these limitations
do not extend over the entire
domain of the United States; that
congress has the power to enthrone
a king, either in the Philippines,
or in Puerto Rico, in Arizona or.
Oklahoma, with the right of sue
cession and provide for Lords and
Dukes with all the machinery nee
essary to create an ideal monarchy.
1t is unnecessary to state that such
pusillenimity ought to shock the
moral concience ofany enlightened
community, and especially one
over which the stars and stripes
have floated for so long time.
Suppose for a moment that the
legislature Of territory should
confer titles of nobility, pass a |
law for the coinage of. money or
for the emitting of bills of ex-
change, pass laws declaring that
our gold and silver coin shall not
be a legal tender in such territory;
would not the clauses in the con-
stitution forbiding such measures
be Immediately invoked? Under
lch doctrine any citizen of the
nited States going to reside per
entity in Puerto Rico or the
pines would loose his citi.
and become an absolute
mat the great men