The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-23
Circulation Statement
The Consent of the Governed.

whatever may be the merits or dement's
OF acquiring and governing alien colonies
without their consent, the comparison
made by the Republican press of the Lou
isiana Purchase and the control OF that
territory with the acquisition and pres
ent colonial government of Porto Rico and
the Philippines is misleading and, in many
respects. absurd. 1t is said that the con-
sent of the inhabitants of this immense
territory was not obtained. nor their
wishes consulted, when We doubled the
area Of our domain by this annexation
Jefferson. who made the negotiation, is
called an imperialist and is accused of
violating his own theory respecting the
consent of the governed his example
being cited in justification of the Admins
tration's course in Porto Rico and the
Philippines.
There is no analogy between the pur-
chase of 1903 and our recent acquisition
OF Spanish colonies. The Louisiana ter
ritory. stretching from the Rocky Noun
tatns and the Canadian boundary to the
Gulf of Mexico. was practically uninhabit-
ed. save for a few settlements along the
Mississippi and its tributaries, and the
rowing bands of savages who roamed at
will over the vast plains between the
mountains and the great river. France
had but recently acquired the territory
by eession from Spain and it is probable
that at the time of its purchase by JEFF
ferson not more than a small minority
OF its occupants were aware that France
was even the nominal owner. Over so
sparse population and over so extensive
a region there was little opportunity to
apply government in any shape, except in
the most nominal fashion.
There was some resentment on the part
OF French settlers against the act of
the French Emperor and there was mani
tested at later period impotence by the
people inhabiting The towns on the Mis-
sissippi at the delay in admitting that sec
tien as a State or States into the Union.
But the United States had guaranteed to
the inhabitants the privileges and immu-
mites CT citizenship and eventual incorpo-
ration of the territory into States.
On the other hand, Porto Rico is said
to be the most densely populated country
on the globe and the Philippines TEEN with
an enormous native population of some
ten millions. more dense, indeed. than any
section of the United States. The Porto
Ricans, while accepting our sovereignty,
resent and protest against the carpetbsg
government imposed upon them, and the
unjust tariff Determinations contained in
the Payne Foraker act. The FilipinOs pro-
test against and resist any assertion of
sovereignty. or authority on the part Of
the United States. claiming that they are,
and OF right ought to be, free and indepen-
dent. 1t is not intended in this place to
consider the merits of our Governments
position. but il is obvious that there is
no similarity between the situation and
conditions existing in our colonies OF to-
day and those attending the acquisition
OF Louisiana. 1t is preposterous, there
fore, to charge Jefferson with inlperialistie
policies, or with having set an example
which Mckinley is simply following. JET
ferson was ever true to the principles laid
down by him in the great declaration OF
lIT6. and. while he had some misgivings
as to the constitutionality of the Louis
lana purchase. the question of consent
Of the governed was not an issue in the
transaction.