The sun., 1900-12-15
HARRISON ON PORTO RICO.
HE HOLDS THAT THs cONsTfTU.
TfON rOLIOWS THE SLA0.
The Es.pr..,dsrt Expresses Disspprsvai Of
our Sat,ossi roiiey IN . Lecture az
Ann Arbor says philippines instruo-
tons Must ne Iook "a Upon with Horrer.


Hall was hlled this cvenin. with students
and citizens TO hear former President Harri-
son lecture In tho Students Lecture Assoc
citation course. His subject was the legal
status Of tho Porto Hican question. He was
introduced by Dr Angel. President OF the
university
ten Harrison said that n legal argument
uuon the legal st,tus OF the Porto Ricin oues-
tion was out of his intentions. We have
done something out Of the line OF our past
history" he sald Heretofore we have an
nexed contiguous or very near territory We
have now acquired insular territory Gn'nit-
able for Amerlc n settlers, even II they we're
not populated rs they are. We have taken
on peoples rather than lands. The native
labor is cheap and threatens competition
We have said that tho Chinese will not ANAL
gainate and the Filipino will be equally slow
AT least. II is not open to question. think'
that II We had only taken over the Sandwich
Islands and the West indies. the questions
would have been otherwise.
The Suurpme ourt has said that the Con-
stitution gives the power To make war. ana
that carries with II the power to acquire
territory. The people. then, have Delegated
to Congress and the President the power 10
acquire territory. as we have acquired the
Hawaiian Islands. Porto Rico. and the Philip
pines These islands have been taken over
not Tor a temporary purpose. IA we have
taken Cuba. but to have and To hold forever
Indeed we have not vet made up our minds
wha, we will do with them and only claiin
now that thsv are part OF the nlted States
and its people must obey our authority
1T is urged that SPAN was NOT IN pos, pos,
session when she sold ,he fhlippines,' ,at bn,
any international tribunal would affirm our
title 10 the philippines. The question Which
citizens or subjects. which? 4 recent news
paper heading attracted my attention. Gu.
zcis oi Porto Rico no, pr9pery nzs,Iw r.t1zehs Ni
citizens or citizens IMPROPERLY? There seems
to be something improper about II.
sense that an act Of Congress Is. and not
as the Constitution L. II the Constitution
eay- the -G9ef open h, f. b, TO .s5s after rr
innovation then the President and Con-
eress may deal with them as they see M
If the Constitution has left no such con-
troNrr~y then the Constitution must stand
no matter what the treaty may say
There are two views to be taken; First. that
all governmental powers are aelegatei by
the Constitution. that edua! taxation apples
L. every man and woman within the nation
sovereignty: second. that the term nlted
states defines only those regions and people
within the organized States and thdt mo
government Of me lerrltorieS "a an absolute
government and not constitutional, ana we
are under no obligation to treat as citizens
those living in the Tcrritories This idea
To- nave Iolliu ll- lhlNH NiNHih NSiA-
The man who must entirely depend upon
the bencvolence OF another - slave. a
government of unlimited and absolute execu-
tive powers j. not an American tovernment
For one. | do not believe the makers OF our
Constitution ever intended TO confer the
power ot any such government over any
one in the Constitution. II Is not right 10
-av that because of slavery our fathers did
allow an existing condition to continue
from creating an entirely dlncrent condI-
tiOn TO meet commercial necrssltN .
Perhaps il should be asked further whether
the rule of equal taxation must apply to all
people. The rStruCtions 1i the fresloent
10 the Philippine Commission seem TO In
dicate that the Constitution must apply 10
any government that should be established
there The provisions our fathers iought
NO man can read that schedule OF rights
which the President gave to the Philippine
horror Did YOU ever read one of the treaties
made by the Jnited states with an Old World
iecis Of her MaIes,y., and on ths other the
citizens of the United States Vow If these
provisions guaranteed To- clizens oi the ,hhe
Philippine Islands, II Is time for rs TO amend
these treaties by adding And subjects, after
The Constitutional provisions IeRuiatlng
the crime Of treason seem 20 apply 70 these
people We have lever had any trouble with
tories before What have we been doing?
Have we acquired these Territories that we
mi ght hold them Tor crown coiohies lhere
wrs only one door Of ESCAPE from the pro-
vision for uniformity Of taxation IN tho Con-
stitution. and that was TO delcare that Porto
Pico was NOT a part Of the nited states.
II would seem that a region where the edu-
cationnl and sanitary and otrer reRu!atons
are of Interest To the United states Is OF lteei
a nortion Of the United states. II would
soeyn that we should seek to find a way, to
govern this territory, that Pr9vide@nce nc has
thrown upor rs for which WE paid s2o.Ooo.Ou.
aEut don't YOU see that there is ,rravert
pe-ii hanging over us? Are the rights OF
the people upon the mainland secure Wnen n
whom we demand entire obedience The
DAG cannot stand for the benevolent policies
of the Administration. II must stand ior
fhc nag over the people of Porto klco ana Dld
them respect it, aud then issue 70 tnrm an
stan beneath9 II the act of anneNat!on
does not carry, TIE Constitution. ! can thinS INK
goes 20 annex ed territory because OF the act
- gentleman wrote me that y was pican ehso,
lu,gly Necessary, 70 ibn paSss ie bnsness
I thanked him but ! could not see that II
referred 70 the Question The lac, ,ar lsHt snSs ws
10 Porto Rico does not affect the question.
II did not satisfy our fathers when i was
proposed to expend the money derived from
''aI hesa constitutional questions will soon
be settled by the Supreme ,9nT, II r,n tne
visions extend to all portions oi the tinted
states and all portions that are governed
by the nttpd states, tnen We SlHl tpili,Iiil
our legislation and policy TO this doctrine.
and he sorry that VIC have ever held them
M length IN the Government We offered them.
The question Of whether the Government
can take and control hostile people Is not
| n constitutional provision. but one OF con-
di.lons which exist. The consent or tho
governed to legislative action is an entirely
dirernnt question. The entire written Con-
stltution provides no rule for this question,
The richtto conquer and hold territory Is
different question from the question OF how
W. hall govern thut territory when We have
| acquired 1t
| III Great Britain finds the question of eE-
panson and territorial growth Increasingly
| hard il will be- harder for US because we, rs
| n Republic. are necessarily federal. Inc
| old coach with its power TO stand AS well as
| TO move may be a safer vehicle for govern
mont than the hicvce.
Il have been making no argument against
expansion. The recent acquisitions from
Spain may present a question OF grcater loss
| than Of gain, You will pardon me II cannot
rejoice because of the requirement OF TERRI
! tory which must be governed by authority
rather than by the provisions OF that grand
old Constitution,
In conclusion allow mo to suggest this
sentiment:
God forbid thai the day should ever come
when the thought of man as u consumer
should absorb that grand old doctrine that
man ia creation OF God endowed with In