Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-10-12
AS TO THE ISLANDS.
Constitutional Power to ALLEVIATE
Territory Is Doubted.
No Provfsfon Made BY the Fraaers
for the Alievtation of the phil
ippises Even II bryan Wanted
TO Aid A1ainalAo.

1
There Is no power under the Law
or the constit ton by which congress
or the president can discover the Phil
| ippine islands from this nation. Con-
| gress cannot give them away. sell
them to foreign power or set up an
| independent government on these is
lands. Mr.. Bryan proposes to do.
have not seen this point raised yet
| by anyone. but Mr.. Bryan. as a law
yer, ought to know the constitution
OF his country. and there is no author
ity anywhere in the constitution
where an acre of our country can be
discovered from the jurisdiction of the
| United States. Such a thing never
has been done. and IL would take an
amendment TO our constitution to DO
what Mr.. Bryan proposes.
| This is my opinion as a lawyer and
| will put 1t against Mr.. Bryan's or
| any other lawyer. This Is q matter
never yet passed upon by the supreme
| court. and depends wholly on the con-
| struction Of section 3, article 4, of the
| constitution. which says: The con-
gress shall have power to dispose of
and make all needful rules and regula-
tions respecting the territory or other
property besongfng to the United
StateA.'
IT contend tina thu seotisn does
not give congress any authority to
part With the jurisdiction Of q single
aero OF our national territory. Con-
gress has no right to sell or give away
or convey q sin9ie acre to a foreign
power, nor TO set up an Independent
government on any acre of the public
domain This gives only general au-
thority over our territory TO dispose
OF them by dividing and naming them,
surveying them, selling them TO set
tiers, providing for local government
and the enforcement Of the laws the
protection Of timber. locating of town
sites, admitting them as states and
exercising all acts of ownership and
control and national jurisdiction. but
absolutely no authority to part with
national ownership and Jurisdiction.
1t may exercise all acts of ownership. |
but cannot part with that ownership. |
Space will not justify an extended |
brief ON this question. but I will put |
my opinion as lawyer that our su- |
prsme court will SO construe our con-
stitution- That congress has no right /
TO dissolve this union, or part with
the Jurisdiction of any part of our
territory when once acquired. Success
full revolution only can accomplish 1t.
This is not an imperial government,
though M. Bryan's ideas would make
it so. Imperial governments dispose
of their territory In that way when
they please, but the territory of this
Is held by and for the people,
and Jurisdiction once vested in our ma
ton must forever remain until our
Is amended. giving some
for the dissolution Of It's ter |
ritory.
Every patriotic democrat should |
support Mckinley in preference to
Bryan. First. because every issue is
virtually settled, and settled by the re-
publicans on old democratic princi-
pies. The tariff and the money stand
ards are not fundamental 2as.sie.-,A
na. ansffttsG17f 7ffefy stand the test OF
experience, and Is. therefore. perma-
nently settled. All parties now agree
,n a tariff sufficient to pay the ex {
penses of government, laid lightest on
and in such a way as to |
rive the best protection TO our own
products and commerce. The only real
question between the two parties is
he fundamental one of expansion or
And on this the re- !
,ublicans stand on the old democratic I
principles of Jeffersonian expansion.
Second. because Mckinley has made ,
he best president since Washington ,
md Lincoln. and that under the most
trying complications and difficulties,
md shown himself a careful and able | :,
Third. because Bryan has
proved himself to be a selfish politi-
ian, using his oratorical gifts at $500
An hour or the gate receipts, and act
ng the part of a walking delegate of
,he labor trust in appealing to the rest
esS. idle and dissatisfied elements, and
iattering the workingmen and plain
people which is inconsistent with true
dignity and craftsmanship. Fourth, |
because his position on the Philippine
question is inconsistent. unstatesman-
ike and undemocratic. Fifth, because ,
he is more of a populist than a demo
rat. and by the populist platform is
bound to support the Initiative and
and otherwise revolution
ze our government. Sixth, because he
represents such conglomerate mass
Of discordant democrats, populists,
and extreme elements
that he Is not strong enough, and no
man Is strong enough. TO control them, |
and if elected his administration would |
produce endless wrangling and discord |
and be worse even than Cleveland's last |
term Respectfully.
GEORGE W. wARDER.
Kansas City