The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-03-27
SENATOR TELLER'S IMPERIAL
ISM.

Senator Teller made n speech In the
Senate last week which will give cold
comfort to the anti-imperialists Mr..
Teller is old enough to remember the
days before the war, when the Demo
Gratis were contending that the con IT.
tution-slavery and all-extended ut
self, of its own power, over the terri
tories; and he made up his mind then
that it does no such thing; and he is
consistent with his own belief, formed
in that early day
Mr.. Teller declared he could find
ample authority for legislation relat-
ing to our insular possessions, author
ity not derived from the constitution.
"And / do not believe" said Mr.
Teller, that the constitution is in
force in our new possessions. Con
gress, l believe is supreme as far as
the asking of legislation for acquiring
territory is concerned. OF course, in
enacting such legislation, Congress is
bound by certain fundamental prin-
ciples that underlie this free govern
ment.
after a careful examination of all
| Supreme Court authority 1 have been
able to find only one case that Will
support the doctrine that the consti-
tuition goes of its own vigor into the
acquired territory.
MY own belief is that we can make
the acquired territories a part of the
United States or not, rs Congress may
see fit. If we do not make them part
of the United States l believe We may
hold them as colonies-that we have
the same power to hold them as Great
Britain has TO hold colonial posses
sions.'
Mr.. Teller did not believe that it was
necessary to make the acquired terri
tory part of the United States in the
sense that it could be regarded and
governed as incipient states of the
Union. Puerto Rico, he thought, might
be held under the sovereignty of the
United States, and the people, subject
to our dictation, might make the laws
of the land and the United States
might determine what the inhabitants
should or should not do. He found no
legal difficulty in dealing either with
the acquired possessions or their in
habitants.
I'VE do not want to make Puerto
Rico and the Philippines part of the
United States, and l do not want to
make their inhabitants citizens of the
United States" said Mr.. Teller
He added that the relation that he
would establish between the United
States and the acquired territory was
entirely consistent with the history
and traditions and principles of this
country. If he had time, he believed
that he could prove that the fathers of
the country contemplated the acquis-
ition and the holding of colonies by the
United States.
Thus, on the main principles involved
in the bill, Mr.. Teller is in line with the
Republican party. He opposes the
pending bill, not because it is too i'm
perialistic," but because it is not i'm
perialistic enough. He objects 10 the
use in it of the word Citizens" in re-
ferring to the inhabitants of Puerto
Rico and he objects to any action that
will tend in the least degree toward
making Puerto Rico either territory,
in the sense in which New Mexico and
Arizona are territories, or n state of
the Union.
On the general question of imperial
ISM there is no doubt that Mr.. Teller
represents the opinion of the great ma
jority of his constituents, and that Mr..
Bell and Mr.. Shafroth do not represent
that sentiment.