New-York tribune., 1900-12-15
H4RRLSONONINSULARPOLICY
Ex-PREsIDENT TELLS MiCHiSAN Sio
DENTS OF RIGHTS OF CITIZENS
OF ANNEXED TERRITORY.

OF ANNEXED
Al, Arbor Mich. Dec IA (speciaD.-''rhe man
whose only protection against wrong depends Oh
the benevolence OF Congress is Save sueh
was the picture of the Porto Rican drawn by ex-
r,s,dan, Raptamin Harrison in lecturing tonight
before three thousand students of the University
of Michigan. a 7,arr,
! tory and OF the Rights OF Its Free anu
Citizens" In part he said:
/, Legal arguments are out of present purPosSe; s
\ shall consider the subject in popular ne Status
objections and an% ana the fights the
We bane do5e Something new American mis-
tory Heretofore regions taken lka SXer being near
TSese copntTies We're sparseiy peopled inhabited
! by uncivilized peoples, and were aoaP'eu AO ~
We have nc now taken lands lying in the tropics nn,
ntted for American set6eent We nave taken
over peoples lands and not Of our STOCK tre
Is total lack Of American ideas We Ne hSyH ave SIe fbe
Pbiltnpines do SO RAPIDLY and the tropics are pro-
duetve Of wholly new views ana then peopies orc
II has been held by Chief Justice Marshall that
because the Constitution confeTs on Ines 1RS r. eIao
gives it power to acquire territory elther py The
Government has the power of conquest and OF
treaty in acquiring territory. ~, 1,,ao,+ ord
Congress the power of acquiring territories py % the
power given them concerning 3d HaMaH II a appiies
only TO get land capable OF being erec'eu i'0 '-
Hawaii the Philippines and. excepting CT9a: Ysr four SIr
West ISan @ bS s6 no haxe Wten pedg
have made up own minds about it tneTl, ,obev
us Our hold on the Philippines is impeaehed on the
that Spain did not have them n IN Il ReT on IS he
ground that man elected from tarrh t,1 GFG this
s IT until must ns hsh Shows tS
from its hold However ie no4 81 the Revolution
could the coionists have ceased fghtins though
their new masters were ever SO benign! NeEe''
ru-tr
What is the status of our lands? Are these
neonies American citizens or American something's!
1t has been said that the Porto FGalS ana thew i'm
proper citizens? Already there is something iii
No treaty had the right give to Congrsss the
right to take the islands. the Spanisn nor has
CONGRESS right to receive any Treaties and Con- on
gressional rights are not eonsutuuoh11 statute
But neither treaty nor statute can apr1gddde fgsd
the Constitution. we cannot assume rights Ou's'ue
OF Howeyer the nphoders of the Porto Rican policy
the states not in Territories save as tbe Id
over 0v ths% So5 tRPt the
the pcwers given Congress and the these bowers
apply 10 ia an 9 When the Constitution says that
all duties and mposts shall be nn,,ai nnIUli There are
only three views than can be held in the situa'P"
with any show 20 Of TonnS the fact that Congress
the Executive and the Judiciary snam ann,a Under
their Sovereignty according to the ConsuHih Iii{ tP s
saying that the words u nited olaSi ri,, IN fact to
the widest limits of the territory unoer our '''
seeond-They say that the words United StateS
refer to inner circle ana thSt hSttbaTwse the Con-
TSir9 can also say that the Constitution, IN
rafsrrinr only to States does not refer to Terri
tories and under no restraints Ihey Woo1u p
fer These views have risen in commercial neces-
sity. Is it too much to say that this We" oi
R The peopIe of the new lands offered this poor
consolation: "A nation ION truly Tlo But If was not
question of good or bad power that we made 20 the
The new Subjects may expect such benelovence
as this: Revocation of the rights OF habeas corpus
the establishment of a State church and eensure of
nro+ppcte5 from wrongs bv the benevoience Of any
body or Government. Such is slavery;
the country and to apply all future possessions.
Our fathers were not content 20 hold TAR prlI-
They wanted rights. 1t is asked. whether the
them other than citizens is sad. And citizens they
cannot be if they do not have the rights OF
tariff for the States and on another Tor our terr-
Is it that we propose to get territory for colonial
ton? Do seek crown colonies? ..
which Congress- has worked concerning Porto Rico
is that Congress shall have power to collect taxes
fence and welfare Of the United States, but that
Congress- had to assume that Porto Rico was out
side the United States in imposing unequal tariffs
lands which if given free admission might com
pete with the States Are the civil rights of dwell
ers Of the mainland secure against assiduous greed
while islands denied the rights of men In the
Constitution? Is II not likely that the moral tone
of the country will be lowered by having people
over thsrs?
FLAG A MOCKERY.
Our flag waves but only sign of benevoleney?
For the flag 10 stand so is a mockery. We bid the
people hail the sign of freedom. and then our
IL the act of annexation does not carry the Con-
stitution and the Constitution is only In terri
tory by an act of Congress which can at any time
be repealed think of no way to carry 1t but by
annexation Of new lands as States.
That give back to Porto Rico all the taxes
| we draw from her does not modify the act. For
England TO give back TO the colonies the tea tax
such act is done it is only to show that State
is Vassal. II courts shall guarantee as absolute
the power of the Constitution then we shall more
take over land which It is only possible to hold at
Some one must determine how far our territories
no right make the lack OF this determination of
powers excuse for injustice. The Constitution
| quered territory. and as to whether We can hold
| Il otherwise than in state of freedom.
But il is practicable for the flag TO go without
| the Constitution. The conquest OF the annexed
Dutch republics has not strengthened Great Britain
garrisOns greatly; the number OF her dlsanected
| people has increased and she must have more de-
And The recent acquisitions from Spain, of these
| you must be judges. They present very difficult
| Questions since cannot safely let them in under
the Constitution, nor can we safely govern them in
! any way other than by the Constitution A man
true the old ideas OF freedom ignore that
the acquisition of lands at the cost of the aban-
| dOnment of old American ideas and that form of
| absolute government is intoerable and. under the
Fellow-citizens God forbid that the day shall ever
come when in the American mind the thought of
business man and consumer should overcome an
cient faith to unalienable rights.
/ -s