Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-10-26
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.

anCe says. II ne paTd'lel ocOWVVh WV"
jefferson did with Louisiana and what
is now being done in the philippines Is
exact
What are the facts? Mr.. Jefferson, in
what he says of the capacity of the in
habitants of Louisiana for self-govern-
ment. refers to them in words quoted ny
Mr.. Roosevelt as "our new fellow-citl-
zens." The treaty of cession of Louisl-
ana to the United States provides:
The inhabitants If the ceded terri DRY shall
be Incorporated in the union of the United
states and admitted rs soon rs possible ac
cording to the principles of the federal CON
stitution, to the enjoyment of all the rights,
advantages and immunities of citizenship OF
the United states; and in the meantime they
shall be maintained and projected IN the free
enjoy ment of their liberty, property AMI the
religion which they profess.
The vast territory of Louisiana when
acquired by the United States was practi-
cally uninhabited. A few thousand
Frenchmen lived near the mouth of the
Mississippi. Some tribes of Indians
without permanent settlements roamed
at will over its plains. 1t lay along our
western border fair field for the extern
sion of our constitutional system. Our
people settled its mighty soitudes.
They planted there the institutions of
liberty. TO paraphrase what the SUI
preme court of the United States has
again and again said of our extensions of
territory. 1t was acquired to become states
of the union. The "title and dominion
passed to the United States for the
benefit of the whole people and in trust
for the several states to be ultimately
created out of the territory" (Shively
VS.. Bowlby, 152 u. S. Reps, ~ In
steady pursuit of the original purpose
our people have occupied it; they have
there established our Institutions; we
have from 1t created many states of the
union.
Does Mr.. Roosevelt mean to say that
the condition in Louisiana in 1903 are to-
day repeated in the Philippines? Above
all, does Mr.. Roosevelt assert that it was
or is our purpose to do in and with the
Philippines what we IN fact did in and
with the Louisiana purchase?
The Spanish treaty contains no provi-
sion like that above quoted from the
treaty of cession of Louisiana In respect
to the inhabitants of the island. 1t
merely secures them sin the free exercise
of their religion" and in their rights of
property, and provides
The civil rights and political status of the
native inhabitants of the territories hereby
ceded to the United States shall be deter
mined by the congress.
Here is no promise of citizenship, no
pledge that the inhabitants of the islands
S,-J I,n tod In ho ion of
the United States as in the Louisiana
treaty. The Porto Rican act is based on
a denial of the application of the consti
tuition to the island. The Republican
platform merely promises to their inhab-
itants "the largest measure of selfgov-
eminent consistent with their welfare
and our duties" Mr.. Mckinley nowhere
makes or suggests to them any promise
of citizenship.
This is by no means all. DO we want
to pursue the same course in the Philip
pines that we pursued in LOui Sana?
Can we safely admit their inhabitants 70
citizenship? Have we acquired them as
raw material for states of the union?
No.-Chicago Record.
>oO>
ENFORCING NATIONAL BIRD LAWS.
Last winter congress passed an act in
trodnced by Mr.. Lacy of Iowa Intended
to protect the plumage and game birds
from ndscriminate slaughter by making
it unlawful to sell or hold in possession
in one state birds and animals that were
killed in violation of law IN other states
and forbidding common carriers to trans
port birds or game killed in violation Of
state laws. In other words, milliners
and dealers in milliners' supplies in Chi
cago, New York and any other city or
place can be punished for using or SELL
ing or keeping on hand and any woman
can be punished for wearing as hat trim
mings the plumage of birds killed In
states where the killing of birds of plum
age is forbidden. The law also requires
that birds and game when offered for sale
or when shipped shall be plainly marked
so that it may be known from whence
they came and from whom they were
obtained.
The enforcement of this law was in
trusted to the secretary of agriculture,
who has detailed Il. S. Palmer of the bio
logical bureau to take the matter in
charge. Mr.. Palmer is endeavoring to
secure the cooperation of game wardens,
societies organized to preserve bird life,
ornithologists and lovers of birds gener-
ally to assist him. Already milliners
and dealers in millinery supplies have
become aroused over the danger of pun.
ishment for handling bird skins, and in.
quiries from commission houses and
dealers in game are coming in large
numbers to the department of agriculture
to ascertain its intention regarding the
enforcement of the new law.
The first important act thus far was
the seizure few days ago of 2600 skins
of sea gulls at Baltimore and the ares
of firm dealing in millinery supplies
who intended to use the plumage as ha
trimmings. The laws of Maryland arr
explicit on this subject, and forbid wo
men to wear the plumage of birds. Sc;