Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-03-05


dent Mckinley, 1t was not because be
was known to have any special apti-
tude FOR, or experience In, warlike af-
fairs C6nfesscdly he was devoid of
both His had been the bard.headed,
rcsourceful, audncious, long'sghted
opd thrifty life Of the corporation
lawyer, well trained In the fence OF his
business of wrestling statutes from
their APPARENT and designed import, and
satisfying courts and legislatures that,
If not the worse, at any rate that
which made for his clients interest,
was the better reason.
Ho was, therefore, rightly judged TO
be an ally of value in attempting to
Justify before the people policy, new,
strange, wholly at variance with the
experience and traditions Of our past
and which was likely to bc disquietipg
to the public conscience.
bio WAC WIG tV' NOuCtUNu, u uOL
the almost avowed purpose, of our
present National abministrat ton In
bringing Mr.. Elihn Root into the Cab.
met.
The result, as far az he could con.
tribute to it, has vinGicated the
choice.
In his first report made 10 the
President, and by the latter trans
mitted to Congress AZ the exponent Of
his own policy, the Secretary Of War
uses words startling indeed for their
holiness of departure from The cher.
ished views of American statesmen
aud patriots during our whole national
existence.
In this report, referring to our Dcw
ly acquired territory, he says: That
slI acquisition Of territory under this
treaty was the exercise Of power
which belongs TO the Unjted States,
because II was nation, and for that
reason was endowed with the powers
essential TO national life, and that the
United States has all the powers In
respect to the territory which II has
thus acquired, and the inhabitants
OF that territory, which any nation In
thn Ian i,, .,f
which 1t has acquired; that ns be.
tween the people OF the ccded islan nds
aud the United States the former nro
subject to the complete sovereignty OF
the latter, controlled by no legal limi.
tations except those which may bs
found In the treaty OF cession; that
the people of the islands have no
right to have them treated as states,
or to have them treated as the terri.
tories previously held by the United
States have been treated, or TO assert
n legal right under the provisions of
the constitution which was cstab-
llshed for the people of the United
States themselves and to meet the con
ditions existing upon this continent,
or to assert against the United States
any legal right whatever not found In
the treaty"
Comment upon this passage is quite
needless. It develops and explains its
own meaning. plainly and completely.
1t contemplntes our country MS no
longer, nor ever hereafter, made up OF
coequal states,--or territories 10 be.
come states,-in which certain and
guaranteed rights are secured TO all,
and Ia which the government
derives its powers only from the con-
sent of the governed. II looks 10 no
such condition Of things in the future;
but rather to system embracing n
central organ Of power. and dependen.
cies apperiaining to 1.-THE latter hav.
ing no assured constitutional safe
guards as TO rights of person, Of prop.
erty, or OF trade, except such as may
be vouchsafed TO them at the will. or
the whim. or the caprice. or tue self,
interested dictates of,--it may bc,--a
venal congress aud ,imc'serVing OK
ec,itive. 1t is here not pretended that
the sovereignty thus claimed springs
from any authority delegated by the
constitution, but quite irrespective OF
II. and that it arises solely from tho
fact OF our already existence as u
nation.
Such a policy calls Cor extraordinary
agencies Of administration. deals with,
for US, new aud untried methods of
procedure, and will soon make familiar
the hitherto strange names OF colon,
les, censors govcrnors-general, or.
ders-ip.council,and the lile.--synonyms
With the old world crown dependencies,
projects, aud. in general, names which
signify n governing aud governed
class,--the authority OF the former not
being at all conferred by the consent
of the latter.
That this Is now, aud Is likely to