The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-23

out debate a resolution offered by Mr.. Allen
which declared that when Porto Rico was
annexed to the United States the ustitu-
ton was thereby extended to the Island.
| We ventured to regard this curt and appar-
entity contemptuous disposition of n great
constitutional proposition, which ALREADY
| has become the dominating issue of the
Presidential campaign of 1900. as unworthy
and to remark that lin the golden days
when the Senate was recognized as the
most dignifed and able deliberative body
in the world resolution such as the one
referred TO would have been debated ex-
haustively before anyone would have
! thought of bringing it to a vote.
Our esteemed contemporary, the New
! York sun takes US courteously to task
for the expression of this view, and re-
minds us that the question as TO whether
the Constitution extends to Porto Rico
! ex proprio vigore had been discussed for
| days and weeks in connection with nearly
every subject before Congress. prior TO the
| introduction of the Allen resolution. This
is true, but the naked proposition that when
| foreign territory comes under the flag
| and sovereignty of the United States it
| -faete-eones- ,.4adeE. the Constitution of
the United States. had never come up di-
| rectly until presented in the Alien amend
| ment.
When the statesmen who had helped the
Administration to abandon its original at
titude of good faith and constitutional
obedience in relation to Porto Rico, and
had led it in the race to display abJect
subEervience to the trusts. found them
selves face to face with the main issue.
| they dared not meet II. While debate had
been general on the Payne Foraker bill
and other measures. and had not been
directly addressed to the constitutional
question. they were able to evade it, or In
some sort of way to defend the course OF
the party. Some of them, though by no
means successfully. had ventured to argue,
largely on the strength of garbled or unim
portant decisions. that Congress- albeit
creature of the Constitution. is above that
auth0rTts ana may e%rend itself to the ex-
cIusion of its creator TO all parts Of the
United States not. within State boundaries.
But when the direct issue was raised the
Republican leaders lodged and ran away.
In the golden days Senator's had the cour-
age OF their convictions and would have
Joined battle on the instant; but in thoss
same golden days convictions were more
personal and honest than they have since
become in. some quarters. At least their
genesis was not traceable back TO the stock
ticker or to the banks and offices of pluto
Gratis who furnished the Republican cam,
paign fund of 1896 and are depended on TO
contribute that of 1900
In calling us to account for what it
regards as an insinuation that the Senate,
or rather the portion OF it controlled by
the trusts and protected by monopolies,
is open to a suspicion OF 'degeneracy or
dishonest evasion" we are glad to observe
that the Sun" nowhere attempts to
apologize for or palliate the offence Of
those Republicans in the Administra-
tion or Congress. who have been or now
are championiRg a course of national bad
faith and dishonor. and defiance Of the
Constitution. Being the ablest and most
influential exponent in New York of
the party organization TO which it ad-
heres. the Sun has shown itself to be
independent of machine dictation, in its at
titude toward the Hay Pauncefote Treaty,
and other questions of national or inter
national Importance. We should not
therefore expect so great a journal 10 be
swerved from the path of Constitutional
Americanism, merely because its party
leaders are under pressure of q terrible
campaign temptation.
sa- ha ~ l.
cerned the question OF the extension
of our Constitution TO Porto Rico and
every other insular possession. ex proprio
vgore, may be considered as res adju-,
dicata. The affirmative was held by
President Mckinley when he sent his an
nual message to Congress in December.
1t would be useless for his friends to
deny that now AS lately as the twenty
sixth Of January his manager on The
floor Of the House declared, in letter to
a constituent, that free trade must
be given to Porto Rico since it had been
accorded TO every other State and Ter
ritory, and TO Alaska, not organized into
a Territory" Nothing could be more
conclusive OF the fact that until the
trusts ordered a change OF front. the
President and his supporters in Congress
fully recognized the extension of the
Constitution 20 Porto Rico. They have
not, nor could they have, changed their
minds ON that subject, in the face of an
unbroken line of Supreme Court de-
cisions, extending from that of Chief
Justice Marshall in the Loughborough
case, through eighty years of American
history-all and singular declaratory of
the incontrovertible truth that the Con-
stitution goes with the flag. In the de-
csiou above referred to Marshall said:
''The power. thea, to lay and collect duties,
imposts. and excises, may be exercised and must
be exercised. throughout The United States Docs
this term designate the whole or any particular
portion OF the American empirel Certainly this
question can admit OF but answer. 1t is
;he name given 70 great Republic. which
is composed Of States and Territories The Dis
trtct Of Columbia the territory west OF the
Missouri is not less within the United States
than Maryland Pennsy lvania, and it Is not less
necessary, On the principles Of our Constitution,