The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22

same power under the Constitution. The
third section of Article " provides that
Congress shall have the power TO dispose
of and to make all Reedful rules and regu-
lations respecting the territory or other
| property belonging to the United States
The Constitution there makes a distinc-
tion between the United States and terri
tory belonging to the United States.
Congress must govern the United States
accoI .irg to the Constitution. which is
the organic law of the Union, but it can
govern d Territory that simply belongs to
the Union as 1t may think best restrained
only by the positive prohibitions OF the
Constitution, and the general spirit of our
institutions, which is above all written
law In providing government for such a
| Territory Congress may enact that the
! Constitution shall extend to it, or rather,
to use q more accurate expression. that il
shall have force and effect therein. In such
case, the Constitution, so far as applica-
BILE. would. be a rule of action. to be OBJ
| served there the same in any State, but
( in the absence of such action by Congress
! il would not have such force and effect.
, This doctrine has been clearly established
| by repeated decisions of the Supreme Court
of the United States, as | understand them
| and has been uniformly acted upon in all
| legislation for our Territories since the be-
| ginning Of our Government.
The Constitution and the Flag.
We have heard much in the recent dis
cussion about the Constitution extending
| ex prOprio visore to newly acquired ter
ritory at the moment of it's acquisition.
/ That doctrine was created by John c. Cal
houn. for the purpose of extending human
| slavery into the Territories of New Mexico
| Arizona. and Utah. According to that doc
| trine. should We discover the new coun-
| try, the mere act of planting the flag and
| taking possession would make it a part of
! the United States. to be governed by the
! Constitution. no matter how unfit its in
/ habitants might be for such Government.
The truth is. our fathers intended in
all matters. and particularly in 50 vital
! matter the acquisition and govern
ment of territory, that our Government
/ should have complete sovereign power
4 should be the full equal of any sovereign
! power on earth They declared that pur
/ pose in the Declaration of Independence,
| when they proclaimed that the United
! States have full power to 40 all other acts
| and things which Independent States may
! of right do. By virtue Of that authority
/ we fought with Spain and concluded peace
/ on the terms of a cession TO the United
/ States Of the Philippines and Porto Rico.
! If Porto Rico is a part of the United
/ States. so is the Philippine archipelago
! Both came to US by the same title II the
/ Porto Ricans are citizens SO are the Taga-
! los. the Suus and the NcgritOs If sc
/ cannot protect coffee in Porto Rico. we
| cannot protect hemp, sugar tobacco, or
| anything else in the Philippines. II We
/ cannot tax goods coming from Porto Rico,
neither can We from the Philippines.
These questions, however, will con-
/ tinue TO be raised until they are settled
/ by the Supreme Court-the highest tri-
/ bunal of the land. 1t is of the greatest
1 Importance that this decision come soon.
! We have reached a stage in our develop
ment where we are producing a surplus
/ constantly growing larger. Our great
/ present commercial need is for markets
/ abroad. We cannot find these markets in
! the countries of Europe. Their demand
/ upon us is limited They strive to supply
/ themselves and to compete with US in the
/ markets OF the world Our opportunity
/ and theirs also is in the Far East In
/ China, Japan, Korea, the Straits Settle
/ ments Australasia and Oceanica. there
/ with whom the rest OF the world has lust
grow into hundreds and thousands of mil
( lions annually.
| Mary great deeds of war and peace
stand 20 the credit of William McKinley's
/ Administration. but few. if any is of
greater. more far reaching Importance,
/ than has already been accomplished by the
/ diplomacy that has secured for US an
! open door to the markets of China. The