The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-28
Senator DepeW Is
an ESpansionist

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From iiis speech in the Senate, Deliv-
cred Yesterday.
honest people who gather every
q year in London, and did last year
in Boston, to protest against the be-
heading of Charles the First. But
Charles the First was beheaded two
hundred and fifty years ago. BY his
death the chains which bound q free
people were broken. Cromwell, with AL
his mistakes, all his errors, and all the
him. created that reign OF individual
Judgment and conscience which has
evoluted into civil and religious liberty.
which has created the commercial spirit
Of the English. speaking peoples. which
has made them explorers. travellers.
masters upon the sea and land. as
settlers and colonizers, and has carried,
with their influence, sclf-government
and representative institutions all over
the world. 1t is still an academic dis
cussion whether President Lincoln had
the right to coerce a sovereign state,
but the exercise of that right saved and
re-created this republic and has made
it the foremost power of the world.
There are constitutional lawyers and
writer's upon public questions who still
discuss the power of Abraham Lincoln
to issue the emancipation proclamation.
but he did issue it, slavery was abolish
ed, and the blessings of the act are en-
joyed by owner and bondman equally,
by the free states, and by those that
were once known as the slave states.
We are in the Philippines; we are there
to stay by conquest and by treaty
rights. All which precedes the ratiflca
tion of the treaty by the senate Of the
United States is an academic question.
Territorially. constitutionally and by
the decisions of the Supreme court the
United States have been expanding for
nearly century. Constitutional objec.
tion and indiscriminate abuse preceded.
attended and followed each of these
acquisitions. The grim specter Of the
ruined republic was each time dragged
out from the stage properties of the
spectacular drama of despair, only to
be laughed back into its crypt by pros
perity. population, thriving industries,
mutual benefits to the old and new
states, and the blessings of American
law and liberty impressing the people
with the wisdom of the expansion.
There have been tyrants and usurpers.
if President Mckinley Is one, doing
these same things in the past as ne
has done. and they are Thomas Jeffer-
| son, James Monroe, James X. Polk,
| and Franklin Pierce. Our country on
this continent, and without includins ;
the Spanish Islands. numbers 3,692, l2t
square miles Washington governed a
| republic Of 1.37S,SS1 square miles. and
2.313.144 have been added from the
! close Of his administration to the be-
ginning of President Mckinley's. The
United States has domain with nearly
three times greater area than II pos
, sessed when it became a nation, and
| stands original and alone in the benefi-
| ficent processes Of its growth. Its au-
| thority has been extended over new
/ lands covering an area as large as two
thirds of the continent of Europe. at a
mere trit1e of the cost to Frederick the
Great of the province of Silesia, or to
| France of the narrow limits of Savoy.
| For ninety-scven years we have, in the
| exercise of that sovereign power which
, is inherent in nations. gained property
! by all the processes known to govern
| ment but we have waged no war for
| conquest or subjugaton. We have
| treated our defeated enemies with ur-
| usual mercy and consideration. Wheth-
! er our territories have come by con.
| quest and treaty. by purchase, annexa-
| ton, or discovery. the people. CONGRESS-,
| and the country are unanimous in the
! affirmation of our title The time will
be brief until by similar unanlmity
| Puerto Rico and Hawaii, Guam and
the Philippines are held to be equally
| and sacrediy territory of the United
| States.
| Our friends in South Carolina. Mis-
! sissippi, and Louisiana who stand shiv-
; cring with fear lest the FilipinOs. by
! becoming citizens. vii. have the 2onsti-
tutionai right to vote, or by being de-
! prived of that vote will become the vic
! tins OF despotism more autocratic tha 4
Russia, have found no difficulty in e:;-
cluding from the ballot a large numbrr
Of their citizens. South Carolina. by
the new constitution of the state
makes the requisite for voting the abil.
! i;y to read understandingly the GCnsti-
I tuition of the United States, and the
possession of 5000 worth Of property
, VI this test We're imposed on the Philip
pines, it would effactually deprive tht
whole native population Of the su rage
They make for their denial of the con.
sent OF the governed the ingenious plea
, that neither by the declaration OF in
dependence nor the rnnstitut on did the
negroes acquire rights or recognition
that the fathers never meant to include
them. Certainly. II this be true, it ap.
plies with greater force to the alier
races who inhabit the Philippine
islands. whose existence was unknown
to the signers Of the declaration or ths
trainers Of the constitution.
by uniform legislation from the for.
nation Of the Republic and by reps ated
i and clear decisions of the Supreme
court these principles are established
First. that the constitution was mean,
for the states in the Union as they
severalIy' adopted it. Second. that il
becomes operative upor every state
i subsequently admitted into the Union
Third that it does not extend by it.
own force over territory acquired aftel
the adoption of the constitution. bu
that congress has the power to grant
so much of it's provisions as it deem.
| wise. 1t has been said that govern
ment by the United States in the new
islands will be a despotism. Such be
lief shows a singular ignorance ol
misapprehension of the constitutional
limitations upon our powers and th'
spirit of our institutions. While III,
constitution does not extend over tn
territories of its own force and withou
legislation, it's prohibitions are bindin.
on congress. In these prohibitions
which are also privileges enjoyed b.
the peOple wherever our jurisdiction