Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1900-03-07
Newlands on the
Porto Rican Question

Porto Rican Question
In en- exhaustive speech on the !
Porto Rico tariff bill, Mr.. Newlands
considered the relations of all of our
new possessions to the United States
and particularly the relation of the
Philippines. We copy from the
Washington Times the following e1-
tracts from his speech.
THE PHILIPPINES
The Porto Rico question, Mr., New !
lands said, was thus linked with the
Philippine question; that the latter
presented the only difficulty in the
way of the solution OF the relations
of the newly acquired islards, and
that it was necessary therefore to as
certain what duty, interest and con-
-stitutional obligation required with
reference to these islands. The fact
that the United States had DIES royed !
the Spanish government and had also
destroyed the Philippine government.
The only government which existed
there today was the mil ta1y govern
er1ment of the United Sta,es. 1t was
AS clearly the duty of the United
States to pacify these islands as it
was to pacify Cuba. In this pacifca-
ton, the organization of stable gov
eminent was necessarily involved A
slow and tedious process must be en-
tered upon of organizing municipal,
provincial and insular government
and later on, possibly, confederated
government or governments including
either all the islands or groups Ct j.
lands related to each other by race or
interest. This could only be accom-
plished by the recognition Of the SOW
ereignty Of the United States for that
purpose. Back of all government lay
force and the only government that
government OF the United States, and
its power must, as matter of neces-
sity. be recognized and obeyed. Thus
far therefore both imperialists and an
ti-imperialists agreed; that the Phil
jppine islands must ue pacified that
force vas essential for that purpose;
that the military power of this coun
try must be ASSERTED there in the in
tere,: Of order and good government;
that the people must be for time
in the condition Of tutelage, their
duty being to obey and that Of the
United States to contrcii. bat it'll The
corresponding obligation to gradually
and progr ssively instruct them II
the science of selfgovernment.
Mr.. Newlands said that the onl,
ties was that the imperiallsts wishe
to hold the Philippines forever as sub
ject territory, Lot controlled by tn
Constitution, but under the absolut
power Of Congress, whilst the ant
imperialists insisted that an imme
diate declaration should be ra5e a:
surfing the Filipinos of ultimate indie
pendence whenever, with the aid {
the United States, government wa
established in the Philippines capab
of maintaining order, and of sustain
ing international 0blic atoms, tt
United States to be the judge as
when such capacity Of independel
selfgovernment was complete.
Meanwhile, the friendship of tt
people being assured, commercial ii
te1ests of the United States could
rapidly developed there and cor
mercial hold on the islands would
secured to an extent impossible no
so long as the Filipinos maintain
their present hostile attitude. Nav
stations and coaling stations could
secured during the process Of the {
Enlistment of the new scheme
gog ernment, process necessarily
long duration. Currents O trade Wi
this country would be establish
which could not be detected. tt
process meant the expansion ct ira
without the expansion of territo
involved the abandonment of the p
ilsus undertaking of changing {
theory of government, abardoni
our traditions and expanding our t
ritory without applying OUT Consti
ton, laws, and institutions to it. "
The Philippine Islands, he c
tended, could never occupy to
United States the same relation as
->:.ol T~o... E~a.@> O..